Problem: I’ve been following your advice and am using products from several different lines. My skin is doing great, but all the cosmetics salespeople say it is a mistake to mix brands. They say products are designed to work together, and that is what helps the skin best. Solution: Stop listening to the cosmetics salespeople; […]

Problem: I’m not one to fall for a company’s enthusiasm for its products, but surely some companies can have secret or special ingredients and formulas, or use more expensive, superior ingredients. A friend mentioned that her chocolate chip cookies contain flour, sugar, shortening, eggs, vanilla, chocolate chips, and nuts, but they still don’t taste like […]

Problem: I can’t seem to get rid of these red, swollen, sometimes crusty bumps around my lips and at the sides of my nose. Nothing seems to help, including over-the-counter acne products and cortisone creams. What can I do? Solutions: What you describe sounds like an almost classic case of perioral dermatitis. According to the […]

Problem: For some time now I have had a strange red, dry irritation, just along the skin around my mouth. Moisturizers don’t seem to help and I don’t know what else to do! Solutions: One of the first things you can do is determine whether you’ve developed an allergic reaction to fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride can […]

Problem: What should I do about my eternally chapped lips? No matter what I use, the chapping never goes away. Solution: Whether they are responding to cold weather, an arid climate, or are just natu­rally dry, chapped lips are a pain. Cracking, flaking, and chapping are not only uncomfortable but also unsightly, and lipstick only […]

Problem: I have puffy eyes every morning that sometimes don’t go away until midday. They look awful and I’ve tried lots of eye products that don’t change a thing. Solution: There are no cosmetics or miracle eye moisturizers that can alter puffy eyes, but lots of things, including water retention, can cause the skin around […]

Problem: I have red, bloodshot eyes that just look awful. It seems to have nothing to do with sleep and I don’t drink alcohol, so what am I doing wrong, or, better yet, what should I be doing right? Solution: Many things can cause the blood vessels in the eye to swell and look more […]

Problem: I like a sheer lipstick look, but every one I’ve tried (and I’ve tried them all) just feathers into the lines around my mouth and looks like a mess! I’ve tried several of the lip paints, but they look so hard and dry unless you keep applying the glossy top coat, and pencils are […]

Problem: Whenever I apply eyeshadow, I always find eyeshadow sprinkles on my cheeks and under-eye area. What am I doing wrong? Solution: Sprinkles are almost inevitable, but knocking the excess powder off the brush before you apply your eye makeup will help a lot. Some eyeshadows are more powdery than others and cause more sprinkles. […]