Ask a Beauty Expert

[TeamBIC]

Ask a Beauty Expert

If you know your way around the Beauty Insider Community, chances are you’ve seen a few of our Sephora Pro Artists sharing their looks on the Gallery and dropping their beauty routines in some of our favorite challenge threads.  @ElizaPRO, @ShawnPRO, and @ProAmy are Makeup Artists with years of industry experience with a bounty of product knowledge to share. These beauty geniuses are subject matter experts and they give life-changing advice on how to build your basket and put your haul to good use!

We've created this thread to allow you all to better connect with our Sephora Pro Artists here in the BIC! This is a place for you to ask them ANYTHING beauty-related. Don't forget to bookmark this thread by clicking the bookmark icon at the top right of this thread. It will come in handy for those moments you wish you had a beauty expert on speed dial for questions like "is it a good idea to layer these skincare products?" or "what's the best brush for my foundation routine?"

Want to ask a question? Click the 'Reply' button below!

[DavidBD]

@360Skin hello! so for the pores try SATURDAY SKIN - Pore Clarifying Toner 10% Glycolic Acid + Pore Control Complexthis is great for helping to relive congestion in pores and minimize appearance . for the under eyes try FRESH - Black Tea Firming and De-Puffing Eye Creamthis is a powerhouse under eye cream that helps with puffiness as well as general signs of aging and circles. 

[ftrr]

Hi. It took years to find and I loved loved using Kate Somerville Daily Detox cleanser but they discontinued it. I tried other Kate cleansers  but they do not work. I have emotional On and off acne skin but im

45 do I have wrinkles and aging. Please help. Any cleaners for me? Thank you

[DavidBD]

@ftrr  there won't be anything exactly the same , but sometimes a change can help out in ways we never expected. here are some options to try and see if you like. MARIO BADESCU - Acne Facial Cleanser, a gel based cleanser that gently but effectively targets breakouts. The INKEY List Salicylic Acid Acne + Blackhead Cleanser 5/150a simple to the point cleanser that is also effective yet remains gentle on the skin. 

[qice]

Hello ! I'm in my 20s and have acne prone, combination skin, more blemishes and pimples, mostly around my cheeks and forehead. For my skin routine I use FIRST AID BEAUTY - Skin Rescue Deep Cleanser With Red Clay, CLINIQUE - Acne Solutions™ Clinical Clearing Gel, and TATCHA - The Water Cream. What would be a toner that I can use and will work with these products? I stopped using toners because they usually make me break out but I would really like to have one to use at least before applying makeup. Also, when I travel to Dominican Republic my skin gets more irritated, I was told I should use more water based product when I go, should I switch any of these products when I travel over there? 

[DavidBD]

@qice it looks like you have some good products there. for a toner try out YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE - Kombucha + 11% AHA Exfoliation Power Toner, i suggest this becuase im not seeing any exfoliating products in your routine and it is essential to exfoliate if you want clean clear skin. this toner is great for removing those dead skin cells which can cause congestion and breakouts, plus it reveals smoother skin which allows for better makeup application. i would also suggest maybe having a hydrating spray as well. lightwieght hydration mists are great for allowing the skin to feel moisturized and soothed and can sometimes lead to less over production of oils. try out Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Ultra-Fine Mist 2.53 oz/ 75 mL a spritz here and there may help out a bit.

[qice]

Thank you so much for your suggestions! I will give these a try ! 

[ColSpringsMama]

Hello! I cannot seem to find a good product to help 1) get rid of my dark under eye circles 2) conceal them. Any suggestions?

[Amanda9824]

The new First Aid Beauty niacinamide eye cream works great!

[DavidBD]

@ColSpringsMama so you'll need different products here . to help minimize them try OLEHENRIKSEN - Banana Bright Eye Crèmethis is a great eye cream that helps with dark circles plus it has a touch of color correction in the formula to brighten without makeup. next , if your under eyes are very dark you will likely want to use a color corrector to neutralize the purple undertones there becuase concealers will only look grey otherwise. try Charlotte Tilbury Magic Vanish Color Corrector Medium , then apply a good concealer like Hourglass Vanish™ Airbrush Concealer Beech 6. the use of the color corrector will allow you to use less concealer which in the end will look more natural. 

[kimmypete]

Hi my question i have the product two face I have the concealer in honey should I go darker then honey for the foundation.  I am African. American and 45 years old.  I am tan with golden undertones

[DavidBD]

@kimmypete hi there you should match your foundation to your skin as best as possible. i wouldn't use a concealer as benchmark since we often choose concealers that are lighter. 

[Anonymous]

Hi! At 22 years old, I began experiencing some cystic acne, mostly on my chin and forehead. Then three years ago the cystic acne spread to my cheeks and neck. I started double cleansing during stay at home and that has helped significantly with my cheek and neck acne, but my forehead and chin have gotten worse. I would say my skin is pretty oily, though when I've gotten facials, the aesthetician always say that my skin is dry. My makeup artist for my wedding said my skin was oily, but I was using too many drying ingredients without incorporating moisturizing ingredients. I'm currently using tea tree facewash, toner, vit c/vit serum, and moisturizer with SPF in AM and double cleanse at night, toner, retinol or glycolic acid or salicyclic acid and moisturizer at night. I added in the vit c a month ago and haven't seen anything. I'd really like to start over with one or two skincare lines and would prefer a green seal company. I've had so many opinions by professionals, I'm so confused where to go now. Thank you.

[Amanda9824]

Your skin is probably dehydrated. Dehydrated skin is skin that lacks water, and dry skin is skin that lacks oil. They are two different things, and skin can be dehydrated and oily at the same time. When the skin gets dehydrated, it tends to produce more oil to try to rehydrate itself and restore the skin barrier, and this increase in oil production leads to acne and clogged pores. Also, when skin is dehydrated, the skin barrier is compromised, and this allows bacteria to infect the pores more easily. Double cleansing is great, but I would recommend adding a hyaluronic acid treatment, preferably a serum, that will help to draw water to your skin and rehydrate it. The reason why your esthetician thought your skin was dry is because after dehydrated skin is cleansed, it tends to feel very tight and dry. Skinfix has some really good products to help restore the skin barrier, and elizavecca (a Korean brand on Amazon) has great, inexpensive hyaluronic acid serums. Also, I would recommend incorporating benzoyl peroxide and perhaps a stronger retinoid into your routine for your acne.

[DavidBD]

@dancinleo15 hi there im sure i can help out! to start id recommend FARMACY - Green Clean Makeup Removing Cleansing Balmthis is a fantastic cleanser and makeup remover that quickly has become a cult obsession. many acne prone users have praised it help in maintaining good skin. next The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid (HA) Hydrating Face Serum 1 oz/ 30 mLis a great option to make sure you are getting good hydrated skin. next i recommend The INKEY List Niacinamide Oil Control Serum 1 oz/ 30 mLthis can be used all over the face or only where you find you have excess oil being produced. niacinamide is great for helping with oil control issues as well as many other benefits. now i would personally put a hold on vitamin c until after you have reduced the breakouts. vitamin c can cause some reactions in people so its best to get your skin under control and then slowly introduce it to see how you respond. for a moisturizer try  FARMACY - Honey Drop Lightweight Moisturizerits a great lightweight moisturizer that will hydrate your skin lovely. now at night i would recommend using Shani Darden Skin Care Retinol Reform® Treatment Serum 1 oz / 30 mL, this is not 'Clean At Sephora' but it is a fantatsic product that i think may be of great help to you. you would apply this after cleasning at night then contnue with the rest of your routine. i suggest starting with this one night using it then 2 night without , then every other night , until your skin is accustomed to it. retinol is fantastic at helping with breakouts but its best to introduce it into the skin at a slower pace . this can help your skin adjust and not react. 

[ftrr]

Hi. It took years to find and I loved loved using Kate Somerville Daily Detox cleanser but they discontinued it. I tried other Kate cleansers  but they do not work. I have emotional On and off acne skin but im

45 do I have wrinkles and aging. Please help. Thank you

[Anonymous]

Hi I’m an older woman of 57.  And I was wondering if you could recommend a moisturizer to help with wrinkles for my face for the most part it’s ok but I deeper lines around my mouth and saggy area under the chin area 

[DavidBD]

@Anonymous i can definitely help, but first let me ask, what is your skin type? meaning are you dry, normal, oily skin? and also is your only concern to address the lines around the mouth and the loss of elasticity in the chin? i want to make sure i can recommend the best choice for you so if anything else let me know so i can take it into consideration. 🙂

[skcfan]

Do you know where I can find the Kate Somerville serum from this year's sun safety kit? Its called "Kate Somerville Kx Active Concentrates Ceramides + Omegas Serum" on the bottle, but the only thing I can find is KATE SOMERVILLE - Kx Active Concentrates Bio-Mimicking Peptides Serum.

[PenelopeBT]

Hi @skcfan @DavidBD,

The Kate Somerville Ceramide and Omega Serum is no longer available on Sephora.com because it is discontinued by the brand. We apologize for the confusion.

Best,

Penelope

[DavidBD]

@Anonymous is interesting , i see that it isn't appearing on the sephora.com page yet when i google searched it i could find it on sephora. so weird. let me see if i can get to the bottom of this. ill get back to you.

[DavidBD]

@TeamBIC is there any way we can help sort this out? thanks! 🙂