Whew.� Shall we focus on something lighter? (Thanks for all the hugs yesterday, by the way.)
Let’s talk pores! And looking older!
I have a long history with pores, one I can trace to sophomore year in high school.� My algebra teacher had pores the size of Olympic discuses.� Huge.� Just enormous and enthralling.� He would come and kneel next to me, trying in vain to teach me while I stared, mouth agape, at the tail end of some seriously overactive sebaceous glands.� I’m not sure there are words to describe their cavernous depths, but they were deep enough that one day, while he knelt next to me, I reached over, pen in hand, and stuck the nib of my blue Eraser Mate pen into one of his pores.
While I did it, I whispered, “Pores.”
It was all my 15 year old mind could come up with in response to pores so large they had their own gravitational pull.� I couldn’t explain myself, but it’s not like I had to.� He knew he was walking around with manholes scattered across his cheekbones.� He never uttered a word, just blinked several times and walked away with a pore the size of a child’s fist perfectly outlined in erasable blue ink.
Alas, my obsession with pores continues, except now it is me who looks pockmarked and old(ish).� Knowing the attention a frightfully sized pore can attract, I am always on the look out for a good primer.� That’s the only way to hide them, you know.� You can prevent them (sort of) and you can laser them off (also sort of) but your most realistic line of defense is to apply a good primer before your foundation.
I’ve used Korres, Mac, Smashbox, and a host of other primers but I have to say, the Magic Perfecting Base from Loreal Paris is my new favorite.� Have you tried this stuff?� SO GOOD.� It’s not the cheapest product, though.� Maybe $12 for a ridiculously small jar.� How is it that pharmacy makeup is so spendy these days? Oh well, it’s cheaper than what I have been using.� Despite the small size and price, I still say you should buy it if you can find it.� It has a marshmallow cream texture that really does make your pores and fine lines vanish.� It also does a fair job of masking dark under eye circles, evening skin tone, and gives your skin a soft, velvety look.� I know that last part sounds weird but I think you will agree with me if you try it.
My only tip is to apply it after a healthy dose of moisturizer so your foundation does slide all over the place.� Other than that, it’s a no brainer.
Now that I can mark primer off my list I can concentrate on finding the perfect product for…age spots.� UGH.
Oh, good! I’ll have to give it a try … then I can mark pores off my list as well! And yes, get on the age spots, would ya? Seriously. Who gets ages spots when they’re thirty. The morning I turned 30 I woke up to find a vein protruding from my face and two ages spots roughly the size of Texas. Oh, C’MON! Now that I’m nearing forty, my face looks like connect the dots. *sob!* No, I’m okay … I’ll be fine … Actually, I have Bio Oil. Perhaps I should do as instructed and get back to you…
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That story with the teacher’s pores is hilarious!!! I can’t believe he didn’t say anything and that you ever showed your face in class again. I wonder if he remembers that?
Oh my gosh, did you really do that??? And you didn’t throw up as a next step? Made my stomach a bit squeamish.:) I do hate researching products, so thanks for the tip! Noted. And while on the topic of solutions, my vinegar/dandruff experiment is not the miracle worker I’d hoped for, but I think there’s improvement. I’m not really sure. I just try not to move my head around too much when I’m in public.
I think you make me laugh every day! I’m starting to freak out about my pores, too, as I’m noticing them more each day. Ick. Aging is not for the weak!
Ahhh.. Now, I’m paranoid.
My skin is just getting awful the older I get.
UGH, off to inspect my pores.
Dumb question perhaps – but how do you apply primer? I’ve only ever worn it once in my life (at my wedding), and the cosmetologist applied it with what looked like a paintbrush to me. Is that how you do it? (Is that even normal?)
Do you find that it clogs your pores after you remove it? I go to the gym and run my Sunday errands without an ounce of makeup, so it’s important to me that I can still go fresh-faced without looking too terrible. Thoughts?
I have a friend who is a makeup artist (retired to stay at home with her twins) and she always used brushes for foundation because the converge was more even, you could get around tight places like eyes and mouth, and you used less product.
I apply this one with my fingers after using a thick moisturizer. There are some you apply before a moisturizer and some you apply as a moisturizer. I’ve never seen one applied with a brush. It was either a high end brand I’m not familiar with, or just something your artist did to facilitate any of the above reasons.
This hasn’t clogged my pores in the least, and I’ve been using it since Florida. I never wear makeup on days where I don’t have someplace special to go. It’s my opinion (no evidence to back it up) that the more you use makeup, the more you need it and the more fine lines you get. :)
that has got to be one of the most outlandish things I have ever heard of someone doing. Did you REALLY do that? Really? I too almost threw up in my mouth a bit reading it :)
I luckily don’t have big pores, but I do have lots of fine lines and pretty brown age/sun spots already, so let us know what you find for that.
And may I recommend this brush to you? http://www.pauladorf.com/p-198-foundation-brush.aspx
Since discovering it about 7 years ago it’s the only way to apply foundation. Bold statement, but true. Save yourself the mess of having it all over your fingers.
I used Benefit’s Dr. Feelgood for a few years. You can wear it alone or under your make up and it leaves your skin feeling smooth and not at all greasy.
On another note, I began using the Burt’s Bees Soap Bark and Chamomile cream face wash on your recommendation and absolutely love it. I’ve even converted my mother to it. I’ve also added the Radiance Night Cream to my routine and just tried the new toothpaste. All are absolutely fabulous.
Isn’t that cream face wash great? I have to start using it again. I love it but stopped when I ran out of my absolute favorite (and expensive) eye makeup remover. Does it work well on mascara?
I’ll have to try the night cream. Thanks for the recommendation!
Not sure about the cream wash removing mascara because I don’t really wear make up. I’ve always just used the Burts Bees Apricot Baby Oil to remove mascara when I do wear it. Then I wash my face and all is well.
Gosh, I sound like a real Burts Bees spokesperson. Maybe they should start paying me……..