New life, new makeup

Dear Lucy,

My mom has rediscovered herself and I want to celebrate this new phase in her life by buying her clothes and makeup. I want to get her many shades of a moisturizing lipstick that she would love, in a brand she is familiar with. Any suggestions?

On a personal note, can you suggest an acne medicine that I can use under makeup? I love the pink lotion you recommended, but I cannot wear it during the day because I keep regular hours in the office.

Reena

I’m sure your mom will love the new Estee Lauder Signature Lipstick. It is a nostalgic favorite, but now it comes in a modern new shape and updated mechanics. The golden fluted case we all love has been retained but narrowed, and the formulation is noticeably longer-lasting and moisturizing. To give you an idea of how much work went into this new line, Estee Lauder employed a team of five product developers and 10 chemists, and 80 submissions were made to get it right. One hundred fifty new scents were cued across 250 women and makeup artists were consulted on the shade range. They came up with 30 beautiful, classic shades with a high-shine finish, classified into four new color groupings: pink-berry, mauve-plum, nude-brown, and coral-red. They even have a colorless lip conditioner with SPF 15. My favorite shades are Dune Rose, Tender Mauve, and Desert Peach. Estee Lauder is available at Rustan’s.

As far as your acne problem is concerned, I highly recommend Mario Badescu’s acne drying cream. You can wear it under makeup and at night, you can supplement it with the Mario Badescu special healing powder. It is a sulfur-based healing powder that heals and conceals red, irritated or oily areas. Mario Badescu is available at Rustan’s Essenses.

Lucy

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RX For Wide Feet and Round Face

Dear Rissa, 

I’m a freshman college student. I have wide feet and I get so conscious about it. I just always wear sneakers to school. But I really want to wear sandals or those ballerina-style flats. What kind of shoes can I wear to hide my wide feet? I also have a round face. Do you think I should wear bangs?

Mikaela

For wide feet, the secret is to opt for styles that emphasize the length of the foot rather than its width. For those ballerina flats you want, look for styles and designs where the main decorative elements run down the foot rather than across it. Avoid super pointy shoes because the tiny tip will all the more emphasize the wideness of your feet. Avoid sandals or shoes where the straps horizontally cross the instep. This will further highlight and draw the eyes towards your problem area. You’ll find many pretty T-strap sandal styles at the malls that will help make your feet look long and narrow instead of wide. When shopping for shoes, keep in mind that buying and wearing shoes that are too snug will not disguise wide feet. Ugly bulges will appear on the sides of your shoes and will cause long-term damage not just to your shoes but your feet as well.

And what to do with a round face? Yes, you can wear bangs. But I suggest you avoid straight, choppy bangs. This style will cut your forehead and make your cheeks look bigger and your face rounder. Instead, request for a cut where the bangs are kept long and parted to the side. A layered haircut will also nicely frame your face.

Rissa

Tips From A Reader

Dear Ms. Rissa,  

I read  your Feb 20, 2008 article entitled “Rx for sparse eyebrow” and I wish to share an alternative method for fellow reader Heidi on how to grow a healthy set of eyebrows naturally. There was a time when I  overplucked my  eyebrows and had to live with the “uneven look” for a while. Though it was fun to use pencil to draw different eyebrow looks, I always longed for my old brows to grow back. A friend of mine recommended that I try this herbal product, Eyebrow Restorer by Suregrow.  I got mine for only P270.  It has an oily texture which, upon application on the skin (eyebrow area), is easily absorbed and doesn’t show a trace of usage. I used it twice daily (morning and evening) for four weeks straight and saw positive results at the end of 30 days. They have a store at the 3rd level of Robinsons Galleria and their phone number is 634-3733. Good luck to Heidi! The product worked well for me, I hope it will work for her, too. 

CT

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Send e-mail to tingtingcojuangco@yahoo.com, ltg@pldtdsl.com, and rissa_samson@yahoo.com.