The ABCs of Cosmetic Products: Cutting Through the Clutter to Determine Your Skin’s Needs

By Teresa Zawada, Licensed Aesthetician

Flawless summer skin without layers of make-up seems like a myth, but armed with the right knowledge, you can be even and glowing all while feeling fresh and bare-faced.

Let’s take a mental walk through the beauty aisle.  All of our old friends are there…foundation, concealer, primer, serums and SPF. But lately there’s a new kid on the block that is causing a lot of buzz.  Known as BB cream, (Blemish Balm or Beauty Balm), it’s advertised as the product to replace all your other products. BB promises to act like a foundation all while giving you anti-inflammatory (for you acne sufferers), anti-aging (for everyone), and sun protection (again everyone) with a near weightless feel!  

Sounds too good to be true?  Well, taking a look at the history of BB, you’ll learn that even though it’s in its infancy here in the U.S., BB has been used for over two decades in East and South East Asia (hence the limited shades) for those very reasons, PLUS skin whitening, which was left out of our western formulations. Like many things that lose their meaning in translation, BB also loses valuable properties in some brands, NOT ALL, becoming nothing more than a tinted moisturizer or a perfect primer under a foundation.

Next door to BB, there you have CC cream!  Yes, strolling down the alphabet are the “Color Correcting” creams. The next generation of the BB cream, CCs are known to be lighter, have a wider range of shades, all while having better sun protection and many including light diffusers, brightening skin tone.  CCs are usually sufficient to wear alone, or for added coverage, applied on top of a foundation, rather than the BB, used as a primer.

If you really want to get crazy, just keep going down the alphabet to the…drum roll please…DD Cream!  Yes, with only one formulation on the market, the DD or “Dynamic Do-All,” has the same claims as their lettered counterparts. One main difference is the marketing. Here in the U.S., they’re advertised as “heavy duty body and foot creams” according to CosmeticsDesign.com, where as in the U.K., Julep, the manufacturer of the DD cream, markets it as an all-around facial cream.

So where does it end and what to do?  First of all, DO NOT go and dispose of all the cosmetic products in your arsenal!  First, determine your own skin’s needs. If you’re simply on the dryer side, with no visible correction needed, stick to a tinted moisturizer with SPF or the BB creams. 

Anyone with normal to oily skin with some visible correction needed should aim for the CC.  Any of the above would be convenient for a beach day (remember to reapply the creams for sufficient SPF), when running late, or on a humid summer day.  They’re especially convenient for the woman who doesn’t want an entire regimen. I find that with using the right all-in-one cream, at least you’re getting a little bit of everything in 5 seconds! For the woman who likes to layer products, it’s a great addition to a regimen, or again, it’s available for convenience.

Still unsure about this makeup alphabet stew? Schedule an appointment at WindsorDermatology and we’ll help you determine the right skin regimen for your needs.

How to Look Your Best On Your Wedding Day

By Teresa Zawada
Licensed Aesthetician

Wedding memories last a lifetime, and so do the photos! From teeth whitening to personal training, rarely is an expense spared to help a bride look her dazzling best on her wedding day. Although planning is extremely important, one thing a bride cannot plan on is a skin emergency! So what’s a girl to do when it’s two days before the wedding and an uninvited guest appears front and center on an otherwise flawless face? Follow these next tips and the word “airbrushed” will never be brought up when choosing your photos. 

1. Have an emergency backup plan. You know your wedding date months in advance, so make a dermatologist appointment two days before. It’s easier to call and cancel (with prior notice) than to call and try get squeezed in at an inopportune time. This way, should you have a blemish make an appearance, your derm can inject it with a cortisone shot and within hours the inflammation should go down; 24 hours later, nearly gone. 
2. De-stress. Yes, you are going to be the go-to if ANYBODY has a question, but find your happy place. Stress can not only cause a surge of hormones that will trigger excessive sebum, thus creating pustules, but it can also hinder the body’s natural healing process. 
3. Having facial treatments such as microdermabrasions and chemical peels will leave you glowing, but NEVER have one within a week of your big day. If an unexpected reaction were to occur, there may not be sufficient time to heal the skin and you may look red or blotchy. This is also true for extractions on the skin (so don’t pick) and waxing. 
   
4. Keep an arsenal on hand. Hopefully, if you are prone to breakouts, and even if you aren’t, a healthy skin regimen instated months in advance should ensure a clear complexion. Having a sulfur based spot treatment (to dry and shed dead skin off a blemish without over drying) or tea tree oil (a natural alternative for acne) are both gentle enough to improve the look of a blemish without scabbing. But please, test an inconspicuous area for allergies before you apply to the face and treat with the mind set “less is more.”
5. IF all else fails, make up will be your saving grace. Local makeup artist Erin Root recommends NOT piling on concealer. She states “try and use as little concealer as possible that is as close to your skins natural color. Apply a thin layer to the blemish and then set with loose powder. If more coverage is needed, try and add another thin layer to the blemish and again set with loose powder. Then, go ahead and apply your foundation as needed."