Makeup: Lipstick brands I am not allergic to

Christian Dior, Lancome, Shiseido...

I wonder why?

Makeup: Bobbi Brown Lipsticks

I have a couple of these lipsticks and was excited at the prospect of wearing nude lips for daily use. No matter how hard I try Bobbi's lipsticks just make my lips itch! I don't know what the magic ingredient is that makes them sore as soon as I put it on but the effect is instantaneous. I wonder if anyone else has had the same experience?

Bobbi Brown has the most wonderful colour lipsticks that I am really attracted to. I just wish I could wear them. I have considered trying more of her lip colours as it may just be the nude colours I used (Brownie & Brown are 2 of the ones I can recall).

Makeup: Benetint by Benefit

I decided I must do a review on this very useful rose tint makeup product. I tried it back in 2005 and still have it 4 years on (the bottle is 1/3 used up with occasional use). It's been a useful makeup companion for when I haven't had the the time or inclination to do my blush. I balked at the price initially (approx £20) but the Sales Asisstant at Selfridges in London convinced me that this was (a) going to last for ages (she was right) and that (b) it can be used for the lips as well as the cheeks, so is a useful 2-in-1 product.

Initially I would use it on the lips and cheeks, it would wear well on the face but would wear out on the mouth. Within a few weeks of the first applications on my lips, I found that it made me itch, made my lips dry and made them hypersensitive. Not reason enough to return the product but enough to warn me off applying it on my lips ever again.

For people with sensitive skins I would suggest trying this on at the counter (make sure you are able to try it on in a hygienic manner, you don't want to catch someone else's germs). If you're not sure about that find out about the store's return policy. You might be able to return it if you have an allergic reaction.

Available at all good department stores or online at: http://www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk and http://www.benefitcosmetics.com

Excema: Excema on my face

I've had Excema for a grand total of 34 years, it's a long time in terms of suffering from an illness (still classed as an illness?) but lets be honest, it's nothing in terms of the daily pain, physical, mental and sometimes emotional burdens that some people old and young bear.

Having said that, I have to say my personal struggle with this skin disorder has been pretty tough because it's been on my face. As I child I had Excema mostly on my arms and legs which was kept hidden and no one knew. Where it became public knowledge was when it was on the sides of my lips which was very visible and attracted a lot of unwanted attention. In my early twenties I had it on my chin and mouth, again it was unsightly, prompting one friends brother to say "it looks like someones punched you up", there was that much discolouration and bruising.

At the moment its in 3 patches on my face and they are mild, but the scary thing is that they could get worse. They are very dry and soak up moisturizer like crazy.

Moisturizer: Diprobase Cream

This has been my Excema companion for around 10 years. My best friends sister was using this for her own facial Excema issues and when my best friend told me about it, I went straight to the Dr to ask for some. I get this on prescription every few months. Lately I have been using one 500g bottle a month due to a bad case of Excema on my forearms and Shins. It's not resolved the serious infection or inflammation but does keep the area moisturized adequately. It basically does it's job.

I used it for years on my face as I had no other option (lack of information). It did nothing for the health or appearance of my skin and I believe it blocks pores as I used to get breakouts every day. Also, I was addicted to it, applying it 4 times a day which is not a good thing in any case. I heard it's used on babies so it's pretty mild for an Emollient.

It's made by a company called Schering-Plough in the UK and retails for approximately £2.50 for a 50g tube. I reckon it's pretty pricey hence getting it on prescription (I get the 3 month NHS pre-pay card).

Overall this is a good cream for calming Excema down and keeping the skin adequately moisturized:

• it's a good body cream in general but will make you sweat in the summer months if you apply it on your face/body
  
• It's good for chapped lips, dry hands and dry feet.
  
• It doesn't sting on raw/sore skin
• You can apply it generously without any side effects
• It's safe for babies and children (be careful it doesn't get into the eyes, nose, mouth as a general precaution - check with your Dr first!)

Check out the general reviews of Diprobase Cream here: http://www.ciao.co.uk/Reviews/Diprobase_cream__5176311

Foundation: Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick

I've been using Bobbi Brown's Foundation Stick in Natural for around 9 years. I used to moisturize with Diprobase Cream back then which made the foundation hard to apply and my skin extra greasy. But I needed that Diprobase because I didn't know any better. Also, I never used powder back then as I was scared of the dry skin patches showing up. Trust me I moisturized and exfoliated like crazy back then and still no joy.

After discovering Liz earles Moisturizer, foundation application became better. Then I invested in a Bobbi Brown Foundation Brush and things improved along with my technique. I recently discovered a little thing called Primer which will make the application even smoother, I will have to do a post on that later.

Back to the foundation stick. My usual application method was the swipe across the face method. This gets the product on in approximately 5 swipes after which I would blend it out by hand. When I bought the foundation brush I would swipe off the stick and onto my face. Now, and this is thanks to Koren of EnKore Makeup Fame (on Youtube) I have started taking off a little bit of foundation with a plastic spatula (find them on eBay) and putting it on my palette , and then using my foundation brush I apply it on my face working in sections with the Bobbi Brown Foundation Brush.

I'd reccomend a good moisturizer, primer and then this product or it doesn't glide on as smoothly. The product is long-wearing and I get approximately 4-6 hours of good application. Top it up with powder and it stays on for 6-10 hours (as long as you aren't touching it).

To see if you are allergic to the ingredients, I suggest that you go to a Bobbi Brown counter and get sample testers of the product (if they don't have individual packets of sample they should give you a small amount for 1 or 2 applications in a tiny tester tub). I haven't suffered any reactions to this product but have had to tone down the oiliness by blotting the foundation with tissue or dusting a light amount of face powder over it.

Bobbi Brown is available in department stores and online at http://www.bobbibrowncosmetics.com/ for US customers and http://www.bobbibrown.co.uk for UK customers

Moisturizer: Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturiser - Oily

I've just broken out in my first case of facial excema after 20 years. I have a patch on my forehead and one patch on each temple. When I saw it there the first time I cried and remember saying 'no, no, no'. Like that would change anything.

Eight weeks on I am learning to deal with the red patches. Some days they are red and angry and some days they are muted and dry.

For the past 4 years I had been using Liz Earle's Skin Repair Moisturiser in Dry. For someone with a very oily T zone this was not the right choice. I only realised this after the breakout on my forehead, my skin started acting up. It went from shiny to downright greasy and the pore's got BIG!

I called up Liz Earle for some advice and spoke to a lady who advised me to go for the Liz Earle's Skin Repair Moisturiser for Oily skin. She sent me a free sample and I got it in the post 2 days later (Thanks Laurie!).

What a difference the right type of moisturizer makes. My skin is a lot calmer, I no longer get an oil slick after applying foundation and it feels a lot nicer. I have to say though I can't call this my HG (holy Grail) moisturizer as I don't think it gives me enough moistness, there must be something better out there...

I think the problem with skin conditions like Excema is that it's incredibly drying and to keep the area moisturized I felt I had to have a thicker cream. Little did I realise that it was filling my pores up and making me look Greasy!

I wonder what other moisturizers are out there that will help with dry skin conditions without clogging up the pores.

For more information on the products Liz Earle offers check out her website: http://www.lizearle.com/. The company is based in the UK but they do sell locally to US/Canada (http://us.lizearle.com/), Germany and The Republic of Ireland.