10 replies to this topic

[BowieGal]

Hello all...
Here's my first post on this site.
I have been suffering from moderate facial acne since I was about 12. I am now 18 and it is still just as bad. Believe me, I have been to many derms and tried countless perscription products, but nothing seems to work permanently. Even when my face seems fairly clear, my skin still appears red and irritated.
I feel much more confident when I wear make-up... it lessens the appearancec of pimples and does away with the redness. My favorite make up is Revlon Colorstay foundation in buff and that works nicely, but the color is a bit off. My skin is too light for this color, but the Ivory is too pink. I need a very light color with a yellow base... and thats hard to find. Other brands have better colors, but they cause me to break out or look blotchy, etc.
I want to try more expensive brands, but for a college student thats a very hard thing to do.
Do you guys know how I can get samples of the more expensive brands? If I find a really good foundation, I'll splurge and buy it, but I want to sample before I buy anything.
Thank you!!!
Bowie Gal

[ritzvin]

you can get samples of makeup at any department store. You can try it there, and most counters will give you a several day sample if you ask (just tell them you're acne prone and need to make sure it won't break you out). www.makeupalley.com has a lot of makeup reviews from enough users to make them statistically significant - it'll give you a good idea of which cosmetics will be worth trying.

[Bones]

Yep, just go to a department store, or a Sephora if there is one near you, and ask them to first color match you and then give a couple of samples. They should be happy to help.

Good luck!

[RayRay]

or try Mineral Makeup, which tone down redness without looking cakey if you apply it right you cant even tell your wearing it. there are tons of sites that sell Mineral Powder Foundations, Sheer Cover n Bare Escentuals is popular (i really like Pure Luxe Cosmetics) you might want to try there they have samples from $1.00 !!

[ritzvin]

I would personally stay clear from the clinique counter... (let's just say that they aint that good).

ditto.

[RayRay]

i agree i hate clinique!! i went for the same thing (MAKEUP!) and the girl totally embarrassed me by trying to recommend products for my acne. i could have died
thats why i stopped going to the counters, because they make u remove the makeup you already have on and doing that in the middle of a packed Macy's is to much for me!
try minerals tho, they're great, i actually think they've helped me get clear, they have anti-inflamatory properties in them too.

[redhedgrl]

Hi! I second the suggestion that you try out mineral makeup. There are so many great companies out there that offer terrific foundation shade ranges and aren't expensive at all to sample. Plus, it's makeup that looks natural and doesn't smother your skin, and it doesn't have ingredients that can be problematic for people with acne-prone skin. I used to use Clinique liquid foundation and wondered why I had a new pimple every day after washing off my makeup. I was in a bad cycle of trying to kill the zits at night with treatments and then putting stuff on my face all day that was clogging my pores and aggravating my acne. Since I starting using mineral makeup, the only breakouts I have are hormone-related or just my terrific genetics. In fact, some of the mineral makeup brands I've tried have actually soothed my skin and I don't worry about breaking out from the ingredients.

Here are some brands you can sample, most for $2.00 or less, that I've either tried and love or have heard great things about:

BareFaced Minerals (great foundation--there are several options for foundation type and coverage--you can get a more matte finish if you tend to be oily or go for Ultra Velvet if you like a more dewy look and tend to be dry, and the lip balms rock)
MeLange Cosmetics (one of the best foundations I've tried...medium to heavy coverage, in my opinion, but it never looks cakey or heavy, just looks natural)
Pure Luxe Cosmetics (great foundation that you can build up the coverage, and the eyeshadows are gorgeous, too)
J.Lynne Cosmetics (I've heard good stuff about the foundation, and I love the Smooth Lip Creams she offers--you can sample them before you commit to a full size)
Alima Cosmetics (heard good stuff about the foundation)
Alpha Skin Care (this foundation might not be good for those with dry skin, but it wears like iron! If you need a foundation that you put on and it stays put, this is one to try)

I believe out of those, MeLange has the most expensive samples at $6.00 or so, but the owner gives you a nice sized jar of foundation that will last you weeks. I bought a sampler kit off of Ebay that offered 4 shades of foundation, a finishing powder, and 2 blushes, all in jars, for around $16. BareFaced Minerals has very generous samples, and the owner offers them in jars, they're $2.00, and in baggies, which are cheaper. Everyone else's samples are in the 75 cents to $1.00 range, I think. So it's relatively cheap to try out lots of shades and find a match in tone and coverage.

And you don't have to subject yourself to snooty women at the counter or take off your makeup in the middle of a dept. store to test them out. You can play with them to your heart's content in your house. I love being able to sample, because if it doesn't work for me, I'm out maybe $5. No biggie. And if it does work, $5 was a small investment to find a great match.

Hope that helps you out!
~Kat

[hikari128]

Is Bare Escentuals good?

[kamstan]

Hello all...
Here's my first post on this site.
I have been suffering from moderate facial acne since I was about 12. I am now 18 and it is still just as bad. Believe me, I have been to many derms and tried countless perscription products, but nothing seems to work permanently. Even when my face seems fairly clear, my skin still appears red and irritated.
I feel much more confident when I wear make-up... it lessens the appearancec of pimples and does away with the redness. My favorite make up is Revlon Colorstay foundation in buff and that works nicely, but the color is a bit off. My skin is too light for this color, but the Ivory is too pink. I need a very light color with a yellow base... and thats hard to find. Other brands have better colors, but they cause me to break out or look blotchy, etc.
I want to try more expensive brands, but for a college student thats a very hard thing to do.
Do you guys know how I can get samples of the more expensive brands? If I find a really good foundation, I'll splurge and buy it, but I want to sample before I buy anything.
Thank you!!!
Bowie Gal

I used to use that exact makeup and that exact color, but for the same reason as you (plus i was starting to wonder if my makeup wasn't contributing to my acne)I stopped useing it and tried bare escentials #1.2 is the perfect shade for me, not too dark not too light, and not pinkish either. This makeup covers way better than the colorstay (and i tried many other liquids before trying this and non seemed to compare to colorstay) I am very pleased with bare escentials, and feel comfortable knowing that it is actually good for my skin and it has a spf of 15.