Beauty Q&A With Kendra- Your Witty Beauty Guide

Let’s start this Q & A out with a little random Kendra story. This has nothing to do with skincare or beauty…its simply to let you know the kinds of thing’s that happen to me on a regular basis and I don’t know why.  Once upon a time I lived in this place called Nashville where I worked in a small little town called Leapers Fork, an odd and random town.

Well one sunny day Kendra (switching to 3rd person) decided to be adventurous and take a trek through the woods on her lunch break. As I (switching out of 3rd person) was having this moment with nature I realize that I should head back and so I do. As I am walking up to my office, a co-working comes up to me and tells me that I have chiggers (this weird small bug) all over my clothes. I look down and I am literally crawling and covered, so I run inside, freaking out of course. Well, to my dismay, these were not chiggers, these were ticks and I had just stepped into a patch of them. If you don’t know what they look like…here is an idea.

Well fortunately I had a friend there who was willing to help me plus there was an office shower. So during work hours I have to strip down but-booty naked and be pretty much hosed down in every crevis (yes…crevis) to get these off of my body. I re-call screaming…”they are in my petunia!” Use your imagination. I had to burn my clothes and wear whatever was in the office, an oversized XL shirt and a huge pair of shorts that I had to clip in the bag. It was a lovely day and hiking will never be the same.  Oh yeah- and none of them made a home in my body so that’s good. OK- story time is over.

There is this nerdy side of me that get’s so excited when I get to answer people’s questions about pretty much anything beauty related. So THANK YOU for asking me questions and I hope that the answers are what you are looking for. You can always email me, Citizensofbeauty@gmail.com for more info regarding your question, I would be more than happy to help! In the mean time enjoy your answers and the winner of this contest is……SHAUNA!!!! Don’t worry, I will be doing this every other week, so there is always more opportunity to win something.

Q: Is there a product out there that you suggest for dark pigmentation from pimples? –Elaine C

A:  First off, I couldn’t wait to answer this question! There are a lot of products out there that will help with post-inflammatory hyper pigmentation (the technical term because I feel like being a nerd today).  My favorite though is going to be the Obagi CRX system or the Obagi NuDerm system. This product like was made for pigmentation issues and is  not an over the counter solution. You can purchase it online but it won’t be a guaranteed product, I would recommend going to a medspa that carries the line and have a consultation (usually free) to see if you qualify for the product. Also using a retin-a will help as well.

 Q: Heres my question- since having Claire my skin has been crazy. One day I have pimples popping up all over so I use my acne routine then the next day my skin is so dry it almost seems like a chemical burn! It seems so sensitive that I have started washing my face with baby wash and only using Burts Bees baby lotion to moisturize. Whats up with my skin and how can I straighten it out?? –Brooke B

A:  I could be wrong but it sounds like you might be over doing it with how much of the acne product you put on. It sounds like you are actually giving yourself a chemical burn making your skin extremely sensitive, peeling, and pretty much raw. When it comes to acne,  I see a lot of people just use too much because they want to get rid of it quickly.  So, I would cut down on how much you are using, maybe try going to every other day with your acne products, or make sure to do half of however much you are putting on. It is benzoyl peroxide or salicylic, both are chemicals and in combination with each other can be really intense even if it’s just a drug store product….so be careful and maybe just use the baby wash to wash your face and use the other product to treat. Don’t forget to still moisturize and if the Burts Bees is all you can use, use that.

Q: I’m going to get a spray tan for Vegas next month. What kind of make up do I put over my new tan? Do I just go a shade darker or skip foundation?! help me, Kendra! -Shauna

A: Well, unless you are getting a spray tan and not doing your face at all which I highly doubt you will be doing I would either skip the makeup all together or just get a foundation that matches the color of your spray tan. Maybe try the Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer with SPF so you get a little bit more of an even skin tone with out going over board and worrying too much about it. It’s easy, convenient and will give you some protection too. Want to pack me in your suitcase by chance?

Q: Can you a recommend an affordable skin care system that is still effective? I want to make sure I’m putting money toward the products where a little extra $$$ will make a difference and not wasting money on stuff that doesn’t really matter. Does that make sense?? –Rebekah P

A: There are soo many lines out there that it can be overwhelming. Plus, it really depends on what’s going on with your skin, but your basics should be a cleanser, exfoliant, moisturizer, and sunscreen. You can go pretty cheap on your cleanser, but I would stick to a moderate price point for the rest. Avalon Organcs has some pretty good stuff and everything is around the $15.00 price point.

Q:My question is strange but I have always wondered; what do you think about tattooed eyeliner, if done right?? –Alyssa S

A: I have actually had my liner tattood on once like 8 years ago and it was one of the worst experiences ever. With that said, not everyone has such a crappy experience and it should be for the most part, not really a big deal. I would go for a lash enhancement instead of a full blow liner because it isn’t so thick and make sure to go to someone who has a lot of experience; you don’t want a newbie experimenting on your eye.

Q: Hey Kendra, I would love to get some tips and advice for a skincare line that’s specifically for combination skin. Could you also suggest a good oil free tinted moisturizer? I’m not a fan of foundation per say but I tend to use it during the fall/winter season. Thanks! – Jessica G

A: My favorite line for combo skin is hands down Epionce. You can find it on-line or at a spa that sells it. It’s a 3-4 stem system that really works with your skin to get it in a healthy place. It is worth every penny. As far as a tinted moisturizer goes, I love the Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturizer found at Sephora in the brown tube.

Q: I didn’t know I could ask you beauty questions! How cool! Ok what foundations did you use for photography before you found out about the koh gen do? –Jeni

A: What foundation HAVENT I tried before using Koh Gen Do!!! I feel like I have tried everything. But I started out using RCMA, which was okay, and get’s the job done. When I was in LA last summer on a shoot, there was one MUA who was using RCMA and it was for television! So people are still using it! But- a step down from KGD would be Makeup Forever and I have a lot of that in my kit. KGD I save for the brides!

Q: 1. I know you’re more skincare & makeup than hair, but I saw a commercial yesterday for the hair product line Wen (http://www.wenhaircare.com), the main one being a cleansing conditioner. It’s supposed to not lather, and
therefore doesn’t have these extra chemicals to weigh your hair down and strip it of it’s natural oils. Same kind of concept as the Curly Girl
Method (handbook: http://www.amazon.com/Curly-Girl-Handbook-Lorraine-Massey/dp/076115678X/), except the Curly Girl method just wants you to stop using shampoo, replacing it with a conditioner only. What are your thoughts on these methods?

2. What ingredients should we make sure to avoid in our skincare? What ingredients should we favor in our skincare?

Thanks! –Megan S

A: 1. Well, your right I am not a hair pro, but I do know that it is not really a good thing if you are getting this huge bubbly experience while washing your hair because of the chemicals. I have heard really good thing’s about Wen and think you should give it a try and then RETURN IT if it doesn’t work for you.

2. You know, it depends on what your philosophy is regarding skincare, if you are more Organic, there is about a million things to avoid. If you are Vegan, there are about 2 million thing’s to avoid! But if you were being picky, staying away from Parabens is always good and I try to when I can. But they are literally in everything unless it specifies on the packaging paraben free. Also- avoid any scrub that doesn’t have micro-spherical beads in it. For example never use the St. Ives Aprocot Scrub. It’s horrible. What to favor in skincare depends on your skin type, but anything with an anti-oxidant like Vitamin C will save your skin from environmental damage and salicylic will help to turn over your cells. Those are my two favorite ingredients.

Q:Hey Kendra!  My question is about lipgloss! I usually use Victoria’s secret “beauty rush” lipgloss and love it! I like to rub my lips together constantly after applying it and it causes my lips to create chunks of lip-gloss and make it sticky on my lips too and it doesn’t look good. What it a good lip-gloss/brand that will help prevent that? Or am I just re applying too much? 😉 Thanks for the answer! -Lannie L

A: Lip-gloss is usually not a moisturizer for the lips because the molecules are too big to penetrate. So if your lips are dry anyways, I would try and apply a lip balm before you apply your lip gloss to help with the moisture and peeling.  With that said, Korres Lip Butter Glaze is pretty moisturizing and is sort of a mix between a balm and a gloss, it can be found at Sephora. I would go there and just try it out, shop around for a while, and then go buy it if it doesn’t make your lips dry.

Q: What’s the best skin care for one with sensitive, “thin” skin?  I’m 48 y.o., Asian/Japanese descent.  I’m getting remarried this year and would like to try a beauty regimen/facial but scared it will do more harm than good. –Ana

A: I totally understand being cautious with your skin as your wedding approaches. But I do think it’s so important to address your skin as it will make your makeup look so much better the day of the wedding. With that said, I mentioned this skin care line in an earlier post, but I would try out the Epionce Skincare Line. It’s all about healing the skin and stays away from the idea or irritating the skin to produce results. You can find this line on-line, but I would try and find it at a Derm or Medispa to try out samples before purchase to see if your skin does well on this. I suspect it will though. Plus- you will see some great anti-aging benefits as well.

Q: What is the best facial to get esp if you have never had one before? And why is it beneficial to get one? –Erin W

A: To be honest with you, unless you wanting relaxation, I am not a huge facial fan. I would rather spend my money getting a micro-derm or chemical peel that focuses on fixing the problem. If you in need of extractions, I would go for an acne facial. Don’t get me wrong, you can’t go wrong getting a facial and your skin will look nice and refreshed when you walk out, but I just think the other two options are more effective for results.

Q: Here’s my beauty question. I have combination skin type and lately my T zone has been more than normal oily and I believe is causing my skin to have the teenage zit breakouts that I didn’t get back then….seem’s what’s I’ve tried isn’t working so I didn’t know if you had any other great ideas to 1) help with the oily skin and 2) keep the zits away. (Oh and its not more oily near period or anything…) –Jill K

A: Ugh- having the teenage break out when you ARE NOT a teen is NOT cool! So when that happens and it’s not a normal thing for you, I would try using a benzoyl peroxide only on the effected area and don’t go loading the area with the product either. Once a day is more than enough.  I would also avoid using your moisturizer in that area for a few days and see if that helps. Often times with combo skin, you just have to treat your skin differently in different area.

Q: What is the best way to get rid of chapped lips/keep lips moisturized? I can’t wear gloss or lipstick because they are way too drying and I only use a good chapstick. Second question along with that is have you found any lipsticks or glosses that work well for people with dry lips (people like me that only use chapstick)? –Amy F

A: Chapped lips is a pain, a good chapstick really is key. But I would also try and exfoliate your lips with a brown sugar scrub so that you a) get rid of dry skin and b) allow the balm to penetrate deeper. I mentioned in  a post above that Korres has a lip butter glaze that is a mix between a gloss and balm that is really good. I love Korres lip products because their focus is moisture. You might want to give them a try. Also- Koh Gen Do has a great moisturizing lipstick that I use. Both products can be found at Sephora.

Q: Are you for or against those makeup remover wipes? What’s your favorite brush cleaner?

A: Ummm no, in fact I have a huge Costco size pack of the Neutrogena cleanser wipes in my house! It’s easy and get’s your makeup off! As far as a brush cleanser, I like the Jane Iredale brush cleaner, that’s what I use.

Q: What are your thoughts on the clarisonic facial cleanser? I have been considering buying one but I am always a little skeptical of expensive gadgets?! –Hollie M

A: There are only two gadgets that I have really come to love, the AMP MD Roller from Roden and Fields, and the Clarisonic. I love how the Clarisonic not only deep cleans, but it really is an anti-aging tool as well. I say give it a try, I consider it an investment tool for my skin.

Q: Should our husbands be washing their face every night with any kind of cleaner? Or is the rinse off in the shower good enough in the morning? –Vanessa G

A: YES everyone should be washing his or her face with something, especially at night. If he could just wash at night, and rinse in the morning that would be great! Even if you don’t wear makeup, your skin still get’s nasty and get’s gunk on it. So it’s really essential for male or female. He should also be moisturizing at night as well.

p.s-I know it’s hard to get the husbands to see the importance, but now my husband let’s me know when his skincare routine is getting low!!