Saturday, September 12, 2009

Quick Tip: Choosing the Right Illuminator

If the impending fall/winter season has you scrambling to pick up something to restore your skin's glow, here's something to bear in mind. Despite being touted as skin tone perfectors, many iridescent illuminators and skin brighteners can actually call attention to the very thing you're trying to correct.

If redness in the skin is a concern for you, whether it's something chronic like rosacea or just a few inflamed pimples, be aware that many illuminators (like MAC Strobe Cream, Estee Lauder Spotlight, or Benefit High Beam) have pearly particles that will actually emphasize red or pink tones in the skin. While they might be a great choice for brightening some skin tones, putting this type of opalescent shade on skin that it already plagued with redness is likely to bring about a glow that's more stoplight than spotlight. Many moisturizers that are billed as "luminous" also have this added pigment. While this red cast is quite apparent in some products, it's much more subtle in others. If you're not sure, put a good sized dab in the palm of you hands and rub it it. The particles are likely to settle into the fine lines and become more obvious.

A better bet for ruddy skin is a white or champagne shade, like Benefit Moon Beam or Illamasqua Illuminator in Odyssey. For an all-over glow, mix a pea sized drop into your foundation or moisturizer, or just pat it on key areas. Keep in mind, if you wear foundation, choosing a dewier formula (rather than a matte or satin finish) may eliminate your need for a separate illuminator all together. I love Face Atelier Ultra Foundation for it's fresh, natural look on the skin- it offers good coverage and allows my skin to retain that "just applied moisturizer" look without feeling heavy or greasy.

2 comments:

Anastasia said...

Interesting. I have High Beam and Strobe Cream, neither worked for me and I always wondered why :]

I might have to give the others you suggested a shot.

Galina said...

Hey thanks for this tip. I didn't realise the importance of the right shade choice for a luminator... I do have some redness problem... So I should be careful. Well said "a glow that's more stoplight than spotlight"!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...