The Beauty Brains

Cassie’s cautious: Hi Beauty Brains, wonderful site- I check it everyday! Today I have a question regarding using Monistat chafing gel as a primer for your makeup. I frequent other makeup blogs and one girl swears by this product as her makeup primer. She says the texture is the same as the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, as well as the Camellia Rose Skin Soothing Primer. It’s definitely a nice cheaper alternative to expensive primers. I’m concerned about trying something that it was not designed. What do you think about using Monistat Chafing Gel as face primer?

The Right Brain’s reassuring:
You’re smart to be cautious about proper product usage, Carrie, but in this case there seems to be little cause for alarm. This Monistat formula looks very suitable for use as a make up primer.

What are makeup primers?

Makeup primers are used to lay down a nice smooth surface that powders can evenly adhere to. And when it comes to forming smooth surfaces, it’s tough to find better ingredients than silicones. There are TONS of silicones to choose from but here are a couple of key ones:

Dimethicone: Forms a water proof barrier. Can feel heavy if not properly formulated.

Cyclomethicone/cyclopentasiloxane: Very lightweight spreading agent. Mostly evaporates after you’ve applied it.

Dimethicone cross polymers: These are dimethicone combined with another molecule and they can have many different properties depending on what that other molecule is. One type of cross polymer gives the powdery smooth finish that Monistat talks about.

Does Monistat make a good make up primer?

Let’s take a look at the main ingredients in Monistat as compared to makeup primers like the ones Carrie asked about.

Monistat Chafing Gel
Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Trisiloxane, Dimethicone/Vinyldimethicone Crosspolymer, Silica

Smashbox Photofinish Primer
Cyclomethicone, dimethicone crosspolymer

Camellia Rose Skin Smoothing Primer
Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Silica, Squalane

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Considering the similarity in ingredients, it’s not surprising that some women say Monistat performs well as a primer. It’s got the right kind of silicone goodies so if you like the way it works on your skin with your make up, there doesn’t appear to be anything wrong with using it on your face. Especially if it’s cheaper!

What do you think? Do you feel weird using products for other parts of your body on your face? Have you tried this product? Leave a comment for the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

Today’s question and answer post is brought to us by Forebrain, the newest lobe of the Beauty Brains. Please join us in welcoming Forebrain to the Beauty Brains community!

Michelle’s menthol madness: I heard from a friend that the menthol in products, such as lip balm and face wash, is actually irritating, and the tingling effect that one feels is your face or lips or whatever getting chapped. I figure that menthol can irritate your skin, but is it really harmful to the skin?

Forebrain’s inaugural response:
Your friend is only partially right. Menthol may sometimes be irritating, but the cooling sensation that you feel when you use menthol-containing lip balm or facewash is not because your skin is getting chapped. The sensation is actually caused by the effect of the menthol on your nerve endings.

How does menthol work?

The menthol that is used in cosmetics is a member of the alcohol family and is either synthetically made or derived from peppermint oil. When it is applied to the skin, its chemical structure allows it to quickly penetrate the skin layers and stimulate the cold-sensing nerve endings in the skin, creating a cooling sensation. In fact, you may have noticed that menthol is usually one of the active ingredients in topical anesthetics and anti-itch creams since it reduces the burning and irritating sensations in the skin.

So if menthol soothes, why does it irritate?

Despite menthol’s scientifically proven anti-irritant properties, a surprising number of people report it to be highly irritating in cosmetics. There are several different reasons for this, the following three being the most common:

1. Menthol is an alcohol, a compound family known for its drying properties in the skin. For some people menthol dehydrates the skin or lips and makes them feel chapped and irritated.
2. The irritation may also be due to the skin’s allergic reaction to the menthol itself, in which case you should definitely stay away from products containing menthol to keep your skin happy.
3. Finally, menthol is able to quickly penetrate the skin layers sometimes carrying other chemical compounds with it. (Some medication creams even use menthol to deliver medicine through the skin and into the body!) It is possible that the irritation you feel comes not from the menthol itself, but from one of the other ingredients that penetrated the skin along with it. Check the product label to make sure there are no other irritating ingredients present and proceed with caution.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

As far as I can tell, there is no scientific evidence showing that menthol is harmful to the skin or lips when used in cosmetics aside from dryness and mild irritation in some. However, since everyone’s body and metabolism are slightly different, it is not surprising that menthol may create a cooling sensation in some people, and skin irritation in others. Your best bet is to always do a patch test before you begin using any new product, especially if it has ingredients that you are unsure about. If you do find that menthol-containing products cause irritation then I would recommend staying away from camphor as well since it will likely irritate your skin or lips also.

Cool fact (no pun intended): When menthol activates the cold-receptors in the skin (or lips or tongue), you perceive other cold sensations as even colder!

References:
Wu, P-C., Chang, J-S., Huang, Y-B., Chai, C-Y., Tsai, Y-H. (2001). Evaluation of percutaneous absorption and skin irritation of ketoprofen through rat skin: in vitro and in vivo study. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 222, 225-235.

Yosipovitch, G., Szolar, C., Hui, X.Y., Maibach, H. (1996). Effect of topically applied menthol on thermal, pain and itch sensations and biophysical properties of the skin. Archives of dermatological research, 288, 245-248.

http://www.victoriahealth.com/drweil/vhis/delcosmetic.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menthol

Meg’s facial cleansing inquiry: Here’s a question for your lovely blog. The Internet is full of recommendations for the “oil cleansing method” which involves washing the face with various oils such castor, olive, jojoba, almond, emu, corncrake, and engine oil. There are all kinds of claims made for this method, one of them being “oil dissolves oil.” I guess that means that castor oil will remove sebum. It undoubtedly works for many people, but is that claim true? It seems an extraordinary one to make.

The Right Brain’s response:
Thank you Meg, it’s lovely to have our blog called lovely! While we’ve never tried corncrake or engine oil, we do know that the oil cleansing is a legitimate way to dissolve dirt and oil and remove it from your skin.

Solving dissolving

For one substance to dissolve another it has to break apart the chemical bonds that hold it together. (We call the chemical that’s being dissolved the “solute” and the chemical that’s doing the dissolving is the “solvent.” Chemists are good at coming up with clever names like that.) Generally speaking, there are two kinds of chemical bonds: ionic and covalent. Not to get too geeky on you, but ionic bonds are formed by the attraction of two oppositely charged atoms and covalent bonds are formed by two atoms sharing a pair of electrons.

Like dissolves like

When you use oil to remove oily dirt you’re employing the chemical principle called “like dissolves like.” In other words, oils will dissolve other materials that have a similar chemical structure. As an example let’s look at emu oil just because the emu is a silly looking bird and it always makes us smile. The atoms in emu oil (the solvent) are held together by covalent bonds. Now, if the solute is greasy makeup or skin oils (aka sebum), it also consists of atoms that are hooked together with covalent bonds. So that means that emu oil is similar enough to dissolve all the gunk on your face. Cool, huh? What? You want to learn more? What are you, some kind of chemical sadist? Ok, far be it for us to deny you chemical knowledge – click here to read more dissolution theory.

Cleansers that dissolve

Cosmetic chemists use the “like dissolves like” principle to formulate oil-based cleansers in liquid and cream form. (Water based cleansers that use detergents to remove oil use an entirely different chemistry so we’ll save that discussion for another day.) The liquid cleansers are pure oil while the creams are oils mixed with water, emulsifiers and thickners. The classic example of a “cold cream” type cleanser is Noxema. Here are some other examples.

Examples of oil based cleansers

1. Max Factor For Long Lasting Makeup

• Type of cleanser: Oil
• Primary cleansing agents: Mineral oil, Isopropyl Palmitate

2. Pond’s Deep Cleanser & Make-up Remover with Cucumber Extract

• Type of cleanser: Cream
• Primary cleansing agents: Mineral Oil, Isopropyl Palmitate

3. Physician’s Formula Makeup Remover For Dry, Normal skin

• Type of cleanser: Cream
• Primary cleansing agents: Mineral Oil, Petrolatum

4. Kiehls Oil Based Cleanser and Makeup Remover

• Type of cleanser: Oil
• Primary cleansing ingredients: Isopropyl isostearate, isopropyl myristate, squalane

What’s your favorite facial cleanser? Oils, creams, or water-based? Share your secrets with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.

Are you curious about natural mineral makeup?

The Beauty Brains are researching mineral based makeup products for an upcoming project and we want to make sure we look at the brands that YOU are interested in. If you have questions about specific mineral makeup brands, let us know and we’ll be sure to include them in our analysis.

Just leave a comment with the brand name and we’ll look into it for you. And stay tuned to the Beauty Brains next month for more details!

–Mid Brain

Tell us the brands of mineral makeup you’re interested in!

Sarah Bellum Says:

I was lucky enough to sample a lip stick and lip gloss from Lahens Viarr and while I have to admit that I had never heard of this brand before, it may just be my new favorite combo.

Getting glossy

First I tried Viarr’s Brown Sugar lip gloss. I’m particularly picky about lip gloss packaging and this one met my high personal standards. It has a sponge type applicator that spread the product easily. I do wish it was a bit fluffier so it would hold more product because I had to dip it too many times, but overall it applied very nicely.

I liked the gloss itself because it’s smooth but not messy. It was easy to control so it sticks to my lips and doesn’t smear on the sides of my mouth. And I LOVED the color looking at the bottle even though it seemed a bit too orangey. But once I put it on, I loved it even more. It has a very light shimmer which I really like and it keeps my lips moisturized which is important to me. In fact those are the two things I feel are most imporant: moisturizing as well as nice color. I loved the scent too but the taste is a bit perfumey. It’s a little bit sticky when kissing but that’s a good trade off. Oh, and I really like the design on the collar of the tube, like a black ring around the top.

Savory stick

Next I used their Petal lipstick. Again I was thrilled with the results. I’m not as critical of lipstick because I don’t wear it alone, I always put a gloss on top. I like that Lahens’ product provided a nice even base that I could add shimmer and glossiness to with a lip gloss. These two worked very well together even though they’re not the exact same color.

If you’re looking for a well balanced lip products, Lahens Viarr offers great products at very reasonable prices.

From The Beauty Brains Forum Members: Cate, Purple Passion, and Pas71

Cate

One of my goals during 2007 and now into 2008 was to learn to apply eyeliner in a classy manner. I was so excited to try Pencil Me In eyeliner in Silky Suede which is a beautiful chocolaty color. Now I have definitely had problems in the past with pencil liners and generally prefer crème liners, HOWEVER, Pencil Me In went on very smooth and stayed very nicely. I did however, use an eye primer because I do have oily eyelids and when I didn’t use the primer the liner was gone in no time at all. The color was amazing and matched my green/gray eyes, pale Irish skin, and wannabe red hair beautifully. I liked the idea that the lid had a built-in sharpener, but unfortunately, mine was lost the minute I opened it. Seriously, I don’t know what happened to it. I was impressed with the number of different colors to choose from and took a good 20 minutes to decide . That is definitely a good thing!

Purple Passion

I tried the Pencil Me In eye liner pencil in Purple Passion. I’m not usually a fan of eye pencils. The line is never as sharp or as distinct as I’d like and it tends to smudge as the day goes on. The Pencil Me In eye liner produces a cleaner line than other pencils. The tip is harder; it’ almost as hard as a lead pencil. I got the best results by applying it in short strokes and building the color up rather than trying to apply it in one long stroke. This also gives you the option of going with a very soft, blended line or a more dramatic line. You can also use it as a shadow since it blends beautifully but it’s very shimmery so it’s definitely an evening look. The selection of colors is excellent and you could really have some fun with an assortment of colors.

Pas71

I am an avid fan of eye makeup; whatever it is, I’ll try it. I love doing dramatic eyes when going out and need to restrain myself during the day so I don’t go out with too much makeup on! Needless to say, I was psyched to try these new pencils.

I was really impressed by the color collection and settled on Char-Kohl, a nice, matte grey. When I received it, I was pleased to see that there was a sharpener in the cap! It didn’t work all that well and I don’t actually need another sharpener, but it’s a great idea, especially for on the go!

As for its performance, the color payoff was decent. I had to go over the line three times to get the color intensity that I was looking for, but it was, in the end, achievable.

The color was beautiful, but it did not stay put. I thought if I let it dry down a bit, it would stay, but 5 minutes later I could still smudge it quite easily with my finger. Great for a smokey look, not so great for a nice, neat line.

Also, the pencil had a nice consistency. Though I am used to gel and liquid liners (and Urban Decay 24/7 pencils, which are uber-soft and have the consistency of a gel), this pencil was not too hard for me, which was a nice surprise.

Overall, the pencils come in a wide range of colors, which is great, but the staying power and color payoff is not quite what you’d get in other pencils, such as Urban Decay’s 24/7s. I would suggest looking to them first (especially if you are looking for staying power and waterproof-ness), and then turning to Pencil Me In pencils if you are looking for a different color.

What do YOU look for in an eye pencil? What’s your favorite brand? Leave a comment and let us know. Or, you can start a thread in the Beauty Brains Forum. And if you’re interested in getting free goodies of your own, join the Forum now and show us you’ve got what it takes to be a Beauty Brainiac!

From The Beauty Brains Forum Member: Purple Rules

Neutrogena has introduced two new products that promise to make you look great and to improve the condition of your skin and lashes as well. I tried out the Healthy Volume Mascara and the Nourishing Eye Duos.

Super-size it

The mascara promises to give you 400% fuller lashes and to moisturize, protect and improve the condition of your lashes. 400% fuller lashes! Even professional athletes only promise 110 %. They say “the exclusive super sized Visible Volume Brush quickly coats and builds every single lash.” The brush certainly is super sized. It’s on the far left in the picture and is clearly larger than any of the other brushes. The mascara contains Olive, Meadowfoam Seed and Sweet Almond Oil, which “penetrate lashes on all dimensions to moisturize, protect and improve the condition of lashes” and rinses clean with water.

Big brush

The proof is in the pudding, of course; what really matters is how it applies and how it wears. The super sized brush made applying the mascara a challenge at first but gave me soft, natural looking eyelashes. The mascara didn’t clump or smudge and still looked great at the end of the day. I wasn’t able to remove it with water alone but it came off easily with a little help from a gentle cleanser. One coat resulted in a nice, natural look. Two coats gave me a little more oomph without getting clumpy or spidery. I don’t think my lashes were 400% fuller but I don’t own calipers so I can’t be sure.

Eye conditioner

The eye shadow duos are “the next evolution in eye shadow.” They contain a multi-vitamin complex that is “clinically proven to condition the delicate skin around the eye.” Each duo contains a coordinated base and accent color. The colors are sheer and easy to apply. I tried “Sweet Dusk” (a great color if you have green eyes) and “Iced Coffee.” They’re not highly pigmented and appear much lighter on. They stayed on well when I used a primer underneath but when I tried to build up the color for a more dramatic effect, I had problems with creasing.

Healthy and wholesome

Both products give you a healthy, natural look that’s entirely in keeping with Neutrogena’s wholesome image. I don’t know if my lashes and the skin around my eyes are healthier then before but both products apply easily and stay on well. They also wash off easily, which is important. There’s nothing more frustrating then watching your lashes go down the drain along with your makeup. You’re not going to achieve a dramatic evening look with these products but that’s not what we’ve come to expect from Neutrogena.

The mascara sells for 7.99 and the eye shadow duos sell for 8.49.

What kind of make up looks best on your? Natural and wholesome, or dramatic and glamorous? Leave a comment and let us know. Or, you can start a thread and talk to Purple Rules directly in the Beauty Brains Forum. And if you’re interested in getting free goodies of your own, join the Forum now and show us you’ve got what it takes to be a Beauty Brainiac!

From The Beauty Brains Forum Member: Taiwanese Gurl

MAC has found an iconic worthy star in French graffiti artist, Fafi, to follow up its collaboration with Barbie last year. Fafi is a tremendously talented artist who created her Fafinettes on street paintings in France to represent the girls that she sees around the world. The Fafinettes have come to represent girls who are unapologetic to be girly, sassy, and fun.

MAC does Fafi

MAC interpreted Fafi’s artwork into this beautiful and colorful collection, MAC Fafi. The entire collection is listed on the bottom in a laundry list style for those who are interested. Base on the colors presented, and the packaging of all the products, the line looks like its only intended for young girls to wear. However, while the entire collection contains a lot of bright colors, but they are mostly on the sheer side, so overall you get kicks and punches of girly colors. The sheerness of the collection makes these otherwise bold colors very wearable for those who are no longer in high school.

Gal pal

The entire collection also looks very inspired by a subculture fashion trend in Japan called “Gyaru.” Gyaru is a Japanese play on the word “gal,” and their style is practically identical to the promo shoots for Mac Fafi! I was introduced to the Gyaru style by a friend of mine, and while playing with the eye kohls in Smoldering and Fascinating, as well as the Fluid Line gel eyeliner in Black Track, I subconsciously created something similar to a classic Gyaru look, which are the big anime-looking eyes. At first I was a bit disappointed by the lack of originality from MAC, but as I thought about it, the more the similarities made sense. Gyarus are unashamed and unapologetic to be extremely girly, and many are fun and sassy, just like the Fafinettes! So as a whole, it’s still a great positive message for girls and women.

My faves

As with all collections, there are some items that you must get, and some that you could skip. I recommend both blushes; Fashion Frenzy, a blue-based pink for cool complexions and Hipness, a coral based pink for warm complexions. Out of all the Paint Pots, the most versatile and wearable is Perky, a shimmery nude pink that’s great to use as a base and by itself. Out of the lipsticks, Strawbaby, a coral rosy red, is flattering on a lot of different complexions, and although it looks very glittery and shimmery, it’s definitely day-time appropriate. Hightop is a sleeper hit, with its purple base and giant blue and green glitter, but it’s surprisingly flattering and easy to wear. Of the lip glasses, Cult Fave definitely lives up to its name. It’s a gorgeous sheer pink that could be worn alone or layered on top of any color. Sugar Trance is also great, similar to NARS Greek holiday with its soft nude shimmer, and is best worn layered on top of any color to make your pout extra sexy.

Glitter quitter

Unless you are stuck in the 80s, you’d want to skip Fun ‘N’ Sexy, a bright fuchsia pink with tons of glitter that just reminds me of a bad prom picture from the 80s. That goes for Totally It too, because that bright pink screams nothing but 80s to me. I have nothing against the 80s, but there are some trends that better left in the past. I am also having a really hard time liking Rollickin’ because the green turquoise color is just so hard to wear.

Stick it

The other complaint I’ve been reading on other beauty blogs is the use of stickers on the packages. Many fellow beauty bloggers feel that it cheapens the product, but I myself have nothing against it. Why? If it peels off, I can still stick it on somewhere with glue or tape, and have the image forever, unlike the cute Tokidoki images that have completely rubbed off from my Smashbox lip gloss!

Fan of Fafi

I hope you’ve enjoyed this long review, and please do check out Fafi’s work at her website. Her talent will definitely amaze you. Also, if there are any MAC stores or counters in your area, check to see if they are having any store events. They are always fun and you get all sorts of great make up tips from the talented MAC make up artists. This review would not be possible without consultation from Angelo; the extremely talented and gorgeous make up artist at the MAC Store in Santa Monica on 3rd Street Promenade. *Peace*

What do YOU think about Fafi? Leave a comment and let us know. Or, you can start a thread and talk to Taiwanese Gurl directly in the Beauty Brains Forum. And if you’re interested in getting free goodies of your own, join the Forum now and show us you’ve got what it takes to be a Beauty Brainiac!

From The Beauty Brains Forum Member: Pas71

I have really oily skin and live in a humid climate, so I was super excited to have the chance to review Neutrogena’s Mineral Sheers Powder Foundation. Not only does it come with lots of great “extras” (SPF 20, time-released anti-oxidants, and the claim that it is actually good for your skin), but it also seemed to be the perfect product for me. I was thinking that it would be a great for providing enough coverage to hide my trouble spots while combating my skin’s natural oiliness, which is, of course, exacerbated by humid weather. Unfortunately, it was not quite the miracle product I was hoping for.

Feeling flaky

First, any flakiness you have will be extremely noticeable when using this product. I don’t usually notice flakiness with my oily skin, but I do get it at times because I use such strong anti-acne products. However, when using a liquid foundation, the flakiness is usually concealed… not so with powder foundations. The first time I used this product (on top of a moisturizer and primer, mind you), my face was a mess! All you could see was what looked like dry, flaky skin. The product and its somewhat rough sponge applicator flaked my skin all over. So, I immediately washed it off and exfoliated my face the best I could. I then tried the product again with better results. If you decide to try it, please be sure to exfoliate well before using!

Tiny texture

Second, it seems the texture of the powder is not fine enough. After applying what I needed to give me a bit of coverage, the powder was very noticeable on my face. This was solved by taking a big fluffy brush and basically buffing it out. However, I was then left with less coverage than I was hoping for and far less coverage than I would get with my semi-sheer liquid foundation.

Questionable coverage

Which brings me to my next point: the level of coverage. Though Neutrogena claims that the product is build able to the desired level of coverage, it is not. If you put more than a sheer dusting on, the texture of the powder is far too noticeable. And, the sheer dusting doesn’t do a whole lot for skin like mine that needs some coverage. I did get better results when using a liquid concealer on problem areas prior to putting on the mineral foundation, but I still did not get the even-looking result that I do with liquid foundation.

As for oil control, this product actually passes my high standards. When using this with a light moisturizer and my foundation primer, I found my skin to be far less oily than normal, even in the humidity! I hardly needed to blot my face while wearing this, which is definitely a plus in my book.

Overall, I really can’t see a difference between this product and a regular pressed powder. In fact, that is what I’ve decided to use it as and it’s doing quite well controlling the shininess in my T-zone that I am used to getting by 10am. In sum, I would recommend this product for someone who doesn’t need too much coverage and whose skin is not particularly dry.

What do you think about about mineral foundations? Leave a comment and let us know. Or, you can start a thread and talk to Pas71 directly in the Beauty Brains Forum. And if you’re interested in getting free goodies of your own, join the Forum now and show us you’ve got what it takes to be a Beauty Brainiac!

The Beauty Brains are counting down to Feb 14th with Science of St. Valentines Day posts. Only 4 days left!

Red is the color of love

Being in love has certain physiologic effects on your body: the thought of your loved one can make your heart beat faster, a glimpse can make your armpits damp with sweat, and a single flirtatious remark can turn your face a deep crimson red. Of all these effects, it’s the blushing that most obviously betrays your innermost feelings. No matter how hard you try, you can’t stop that tell tale color from spreading across your cheeks. But surprisingly, our ability to see colors may have actually evolved to help us spot these emotional cues.

Blood and blush

According to NewScientist, that’s exactly what Mark Changizi and his fellow researchers at Caltech in Pasadena, California are proposing. Realizing that blushing is caused by an increase in oxygen content in the blood, they charted how the color of blood changes with and without oxygen. They found that the color difference was most obvious in the range of 540 and 560 nanometers which just happens to be the same part of the light spectrum at which the cone cells in primates’ eyes are the most sensitive.

Red eye

This led to their theory that primates developed the ability to discriminate this shift in red color so they could read emotional cues that cause blushing. This in contrast to previous theories that presumed color vision evolved to help us pick out ripe fruits. So, presumably, there’s some evolutionary advantage to being able to read emotional cures - maybe the ability to detect blushing helps in the process of mate selection. (Of course you blush for other reasons than being in love, but cut us a break here, we’re trying to be romantics!)

So every time we brush on a little Clinique or Sonia Kashuk blush, we’ve got the power of millions of years of evolution on our side. Boys beware!

Do you have naturally rosy cheeks or do you wear blush to make yourself more attractive? Leave a comment and show the rest of the Beauty Brains community your true colors.