makeup

GOOD MORNING, MR. BLEMISH!

photo: Jamie Nelson post designed by amy nadine

You wake up one morning to the sound of birds chirping and the smell of waffles toasting downstairs and you think to yourself, it’s going to be another glorious day.  Then you catch a glimpse in the mirror and do a double take: there’s a giant zit on your chin.  WHAT??  That was NOT there when you went to bed last night.  Don’t fret!  This happened to me just the other day and I was hosting a dinner party that same evening.  It happened to my sister on her wedding day.  It happens to the best of us.  Here’s how to tackle it properly:

• If it’s not a whitehead yet, but a huge, inflamed and raised clogged pore (as in my case this weekend), DO NOT TRY TO POP IT.  I cannot stress that enough.  We’ve all been there, nothing comes out and now it’s more inflamed and irritated. . . Just hear my voice in your head as you are tempted to touch it and repeat after me: WALK AWAY FROM THE MIRROR!!  YOU WILL MAKE IT WORSE!!  Also, don’t try to dry it out with drying lotion.  This literally burns the top layer of your skin, makes it last at least a week, could cause scarring and makes it very difficult for make-up to adhere to.
• If it’s already a whitehead, I totally understand why you want to pop it (we don’t want people staring at it across the table and losing their appetites!).  Here’s how to do it so it doesn’t make it worse or last longer.  Wet a wash cloth with hot water and hold it directly on the blemish until it’s no longer warm.  Re-wet it with hot water and repeat.  This will gently loosen the white top of it.  Then, with the wash cloth still directly on top of it, gently slide the cloth one centimeter to the side, taking the top off with it.  You didn’t squeeze it, causing inflammation or redness.  You just slid it off gently.  Then follow with a medicated toner and let it dry out.
• Apply foundation to your entire face to see how much of the pimple’s redness is already knocked out with its coverage.  Then, using a concealer brush, apply concealer in the exact same shade as your foundation directly on top of the blemish, blending outwards in a star shape then blend the edges gently with your finger.  Next, press a small amount of powder on it to set it.  Repeat, continuing with concealer and powder until it is completely camouflaged.  I have to say I was very proud of how well I hid mine the other night, I kept glancing by the mirror to admire my work like I had a little secret!
• Because we are all human, if it’s too late and you’ve already dried it out (creating flaky skin) or massacred it (creating a scab), the only way you can get make-up to adhere to it is by first applying a little Egyptian Magic first.  Then apply foundation and concealer but you’ll have to skip the powder and just keep an eye on it all night.
• If it does happen to be your wedding day or prom night and you have a small emergency fund, pop into your dermatologist’s office and he/she can inject it with cortisone, a miracle solution that will bring the inflammation down within hours.

XO Amy Nadine