Q. Can Make Up For Ever Aqua Lip liners be used as eyeliners?
A. Yes, actually. Aqua Lip pencils contain the same fast-evaporating volatile silicones as Aqua Eyes and Aqua Creams, making them pretty budge-proof on the eyes. The only real difference is that the lip pencils also contain conditioning oils, like jojoba. Therefore, unlike the eye pencils and cream shadows, you’ll need to set the lip liner with powder if you intend to use it on the eyes.
Q. Can I use Boscia Balancing Facial Tonic to revive my makeup after a long day of work and before getting dragged out on a hetero-friend-date that I don’t really want to go on, but I’m somehow socially obligated to never see the inside of my house, so I’m going?
A. Just about any spray-action facial toner can be used to revive makeup in a pinch. However, I feel that the Evian mist, the Caudalie Grape Water, and the Caudalie Beauty Elixir are better suited for this particular task. Also, no one will judge you if you’d rather just stay home and read old issues of McSweeney’s in your PJs. Except me. You sound pretentious.
Q. I spilled some hair dye on my bathroom countertop and now there’s a stain. I heard that Clinique toner is powerful enough to clean stains off hard surfaces, is that true?
A. Yeah, actually, girls I know who’ve worked the department store beat told me that the makeup counter girls often use Clinique toner to get scuffs and stains of of the acrylics and display surfaces. The not-too-flattering truth is that Clinique toners contain high amounts of denatured alcohol, the same ingredient often used as a solvent or industrial de-greaser. I’ve stripped the shellac off of whole pieces of antique furniture using only Clinique toner.*
Q. Why do the new YSL glossy lip stains smell like beer (McSorley’s Pale, to be specific)?
A. I have no idea. I’ve gone over the ingredients and cannot pinpoint the source of the yeasty smell. The smell, which is a rather annoying drawback to a product that (but for the price point, honestly) should be an easy sell. I’ve had several interested parties walk away from purchasing this stain due to the odor. Also, perhaps you maybe drink too much? Look into it, champ.
Q. I used a retinol for the first time, and it burned my face up so bad I thought I was going to end up looking like Seal, whyyyy?
A. Often, retinol mishaps are honestly caused by user error, or incorrect application. Not to embarrass you or anything, because up until a few weeks ago, I hadn’t realized this either: Most of the retinol (vitamin A) compounds used in cosmetics are water-activated (because the body and therefore the skin is mostly comprised of water, so obviously water insolubility would otherwise be a huge damper on the effectiveness of topical retinoids, as outlined here). Therefore, unlike most cosmetics which provide better absorption when applied to damp skin, retinols and retinoids should only be applied to dry skin. Retinol acts as a humectant anyway, so if there’s water on the skin and water in the skin, the retinol will absorb much too quickly and cause serious irritation or even full-blown chemical burns.
Allow the skin to thoroughly dry before applying your retinol, and if you do experience burns, follow these tips.
That’s all, folks! Feel free to email me with beauty questions of your own.
*This is not true. That would be expensive and foolish.
