Thursday 20 October 2011

Make-up lesson attended...useful advice issued!

I have been waiting for three months for my make-up lesson with the Red Cross, provided by the NHS but it was worth the wait! They had a range of brands to prescribe me and Dermablend was among them! I am very pleased about this as I am already used to this brand and it will be much cheaper obtaining it on prescription. The ladies were very nice and they took great care finding the correct colour to match my skin tone.

They applied the foundation, telling me to build up the colour and to not use too much. I was left with a very natural looking colour by the end, suitable for day-wear. Their aim was to cover the redness and scars with as little as possible but when I do it myself I would use more make-up as I am attempting to achieve as close to flawless skin as possible.

As a result they only prescribe the foundation or 'creme' as it is known and the fixing powder. In the day-time this would be fine but for nights out or special occasions I would still advise using the corrective concealer on the most vivid parts.

Although everything on my previous Dermablend post still stands, there are a couple of updates.

Applying the make-up

I have been using my fingers to apply the make-up but the ladies used a piece of natural sponge. You put the foundation or creme on the back of your hand and soften it using your fingers to warm it. You then dab the sponge on it firmly. Then you apply the make-up from the sponge to your face in a rolling action, again firmly. You wipe the sponge down each side of your nose. Then you use your fingers to blend or pat into pores.

The ladies started from the outside of my face and moved inwards but I would start from the middle of face such as the sides of your nose and move outwards. Otherwise you do end up with a tideline around your face!

The sponge does help with any uneven patches. I have an uneven area under my nose due to scar tissue there and it is easier to apply using a sponge than my fingers. It clogs a bit when fingers are used.

The sponge can be bought from most chemists and also the internet in several places. I will let you know once I've got some. http://www.anniqueuk.co.uk/facial-sponge-pack.html

The sponges should be washed in a mild detergent and rinsed well. Try to use something that won't irritate if residue does get left on such as shower gel or tea tree dilution.

Fixing powder

If fixed and set properly, the make-up should last for up to 12 hours on the face and 4 days on the body. It is also waterproof.

I was a bit suspicious of this claim. As I have oily skin, I do find that it becomes very shiny and I need to re-set the make-up using the fixing powder. For example, I went to a wedding from 2.30pm until midnight and I set it once in that time and could have done with setting it twice.

I also couldn't see how it would be waterproof.

The advice regarding fixing powder makes sense. You must powder your face LIBERALLY with powder, pressing it into your skin firmly. (Not too firmly - you don't want to dislodge the make-up.) Once powdered...go and do something else. You need to leave it on for 10 minutes or longer to achieve the 'fix.' Although the Dermablend products say 2 minutes, the ladies said this is in no way enough.

Eat your breakfast, watch some TV...but don't rush the fixing process!

Once ready, brush the excess off with a large brush.

The lady applied the fixing powder with a cotton wool pad but if it comes with a powder puff, you can use that. Whatever suits!

Removal

The final interesting piece of advice was removing the make-up......aqueous cream! Cheap and easily obtainable from any chemist or supermarket! Who would have thought?

Apply the cream using fingers and remove with a cotton pad. You might need to give it a few moments to loosen the make-up. Then rinse with water.

Thank you RED CROSS!

http://www.redcross.org.uk/What-we-do/Health-and-social-care/Social-support-in-the-UK/Skin-camouflage



Red Cross is a charity and their work is very important. If you would like to donate to them then please go to www.redcross.org.uk/Donate-Now

If you want to give something back or have skills that could be useful perhaps consider becoming a volunteer. http://www.redcross.org.uk/Get-involved

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