There comes a time in almost every woman's life when, standing bleary eyed in front of her bathroom mirror, she offers up a brief prayer of thanks:
Thank God for make-up.
To many people, the ingredients of the make up they use are a total mystery. A knowledge of what goes into cosmetics will help you to choose both the most suitable and the most economical products. It has been calculated that if you apply cosmetics to your face once a day, every day, between the ages of 15 and 75, you will make nearly 22,000 applications, or 'repeated insults' as dermatologists prefer to call it. This does not count the occasional 'touching up', or a skin care routine.
The question that needs to be asked is whether make up harms your skin. Generally speaking, the answer is, no. Apart from being good for morale, in that it makes you look so much better, make up provides a good protective laver. It guards against dirt penetrating your pores and the weather getting the worst of your skin.
Surprisingly enough, the majority of ingredients found in today's cosmetics were present in the early 1950s. There have been one or two new materials, better refinements, closer quality control and more advanced production tech
nology. But progress in the cosmetic industry has been slow by comparison with most others. The reason for this is that it is both difficult and dangerous for manufacturers to predict that any given product will not cause an allergic response. Follow these make-up tips to improve your appearnce.
When you read about astonishing new breakthroughs, remember that most trained dermatologists are sceptical. They believe that miracles are few. The beauty business relies for its living on a strong element of fashion, fantasy and dreams. Cosmetics are a psychological tranquillizer. They do make you feel more relaxed and confident in social situations.
Make-up and creams, however, do fulfil a valuable purpose in a woman's life. They help treat sub clinical skin conditions which doctors are often far too busy to bother about. Creams protect the skin, and make it look better. Skin starts to age from the day you leave the womb, You cannot put back the clock, but you can slow it down. Many skin experts are convinced that a woman who looks after her skin is going to keep a good com
plexion longer than a woman who does not. Make up may be the icing on the cake, but it does form a protective layer.
Some skins are far more sensitive to strong sun than others. Like fingerprints, all skins are different. Any product, however well tested, will prove unsuitable for some people. The scale of testing is impressive, but even in the hypo allergenic ranges, in which all well known irritants are screened out, there is the isolated complaint from a woman with an allergic reaction.
How do you know that a particular reaction is an allergy? This is a difficult
question. It is important to distinguish between a material that produces an adverse reaction in you, and one that is commonly regarded as an irritant. If you react immediately, then it is a primary irritant. The reaction occurs in the place exposed to the irritation such as the rash that appears when you spill a strong chemical on your hands.
You will not necessarily discover a true allergy the first time you use a particular product, for often it builds up slowly. The body produces anti bodies and a rash will appear with time. Once you know about your allergy, it may prove an expensive business as you will have to stop using a cream or foundation before it is half finished. Do not attempt to use the cream again. It is not worth irritating your skin or spoiling your appearance.
If you have sensitive skin, you can play safe by only using make up from one of the hypo allergenic ranges available. In the end, however, it is a case of trial and error. Allergy is a complex problem. You can be allergic to almost anything such as cats, dogs, fur, household dust, strawberries and shellfish as well as pollen and lanolin. As far as make up is concerned, chemists have discovered that it is perfume, preservatives, pigments and bacteriocides that are the sensitizers. But there are certainly many more.
Many potential irritants are not essential to the primary use of a given product. They are included for the sake of texture and feel, or 'cosmetic elegance'. One manufacturer listed 60 known allergens removed from his cosmetic range. These included natural perfume oils, orris root, cocoa butter, arrow root, rice starch and crude lanolin.
Allergies to food are fairly general in their effects. The cosmetic allergies, however, are usually confined to a local irritation, blistering or swelling. Nall varnish is a common cause of contact dermititis. Particles are introduced to your facial skin by rubbing or scratching.
Very often, skin will accept a particular cosmetic for a number of years and then build up a reaction against it. The reason for this could be that your skin has become more sensitive because of harsh weather, central heating, too vigorous scrubbing, or even because of prescribed drugs. There is only one thing you can do, stop using the particular cosmetic and try something else.The final tip is consult experienced beautician when you are not sure about suitable make-up for your skin type.
To put your best face forward, try some of these suggestions made by Geller and other make-up artists who are experts at enhancing youthfulness in mature skin.More about Make up
