Because I Seriously Doubt Many Bunny Rabbits Have Under-Eye Dryness Problems

Amalah-

I’m not much of a make-up type person. I’ve pretty much struggled with bad acne most of my life (like since age 9) but that’s for another blog. Anyway, I’ve finally found a moisturizer I like and things are going grand. Except is still seems like I’m getting a lot of dryness right around my eyes. Like a little on the eyelids, and mostly just underneath the eyes. I once had a makeup artist type person tell me that you shouldn’t put anything on your eyes that does say “eyes” on the bottle. I don’t have anything that says eyes on the bottle. Can you recommend some kind of eye moisturizer/cream? Preferably something not too pricey. I work at a radio station and they think “free concert tickets” = don-t have to pay you squat.

Thank you!
A

That makeup artist type person was wise. The area around your eyes is very sensitive. It’s like a different species of skin, almost.

Long-time Smackdown readers know I used to use Ahava’s moisturizers exclusively and beat people regularly over the head with orders to buy them.

And then Ahava went and repackaged and renamed everything, and, and…

People. They REFORMULATED. They MESSED with PERFECTION. I don’t know what they did, but it’s not the same and it doesn’t work as well and the stress gave me wrinkles and I don’t want to talk about it anymore.

So now I am currently using a slew of free samples that I scored at Sephora because I am just not ready for another long-term relationship with a moisturizer. So far, I am a tentative fan of Philosophy’s Hope in a Tube Eye & Lip Cream ($30), Dr. Hauschka’s Daily Revitalizing Eye Cream ($49.95) and Bliss All-Around Eye Cream ($26). Ages ago, I used Clinque’s eye gel ($26) and liked it, but I didn’t love it, but perhaps eye creams can’t always be roses and champagne and last-minute trips to Paris.

(Perhaps I should also drop the romance metaphor and get a little bit of a grip.)

Do these fall into the “not too pricey” category? I never know. I mean, considering you can easily spend over $100 on moisturizers, these are pretty much the cheapest options outside of drugstore brands.

But don’t worry, I have drugstore recommendations too, because I am obsessive and like buying things that come in adorable wee jars. ($9.99) is mega-powerful stuff, and not for everybody (it’s goopy if you apply too much, and it’s very easy to apply too much), but soooo good for that delicate undereye skin. And ($3.50) is about as cheap as cheap can be, with the benefit of “you know” not completely sucking. It is also not tested on animals, which is actually my biggest problem with a lot of drugstore products.

I mean, besides the sucking.

Hi Amalah,

I am writing you about not having a period in almost a year and no, I am not pregnant. I got married July 22, 2005 to a wonderful guy! I have been taking birth control pills since junior high and my wedding day I went off the birth control pills and have not had a period since. Which worries me to death!!!

I am healthy except no period and no period means no cycle and crazy hormones and zits. I was a lucky teenager with no zits till now. And no cycle means no BABY. I just don’t know where to start to get the help I need? I put it off for long enough because I am scared about the tests they will have to do and about the what-ifs. What if I can’t have a baby? I know the only reason I had a cycle was because of birth control. I know I went to have my regular pap smear and the results come back fine but now what? Please your help really would make me feel a little better. Thank you for your time in reading this I hope you understand and would pick my question to try to answer.

Thank you,
LL

Okay, first of all, I know. I know! It’s frustrating and scary and those what-ifs will drive you up the freaking wall with worry. Your problems sound similar to the ones I had (regular cycle on the pill, zero cycle off the pill, zero desire to get into the whole fertility treatment scene and yet, you know, zero babies). I know, I really do.

But second of all, YOU NEED TO TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR. THE END.

I mean, I can kvetch and commiserate and tell you that yes, I took Clomid and progesterone and eventually got my cycle back and yes, I got pregnant just fine. But I can’t tell you that will happen for you. I also can’t tell you that WON’T happen for you.

According to the Mayo Clinic, amenorrhea (the absence of menstruation) is seldom serious, but sometimes there are underlying causes that need to be treated before you can conceive.

And the only way to find out if your amenorrhea is just one of those wacky hormonal things or something else entirely is to talk to your doctor.

Call your OB/GYN and find out if the practice deals with fertility problems, or if they can refer to you one that does. Tell them your history. Tell them you want a baby. Don’t panic about the outcome or the answers you might get.

I’m actually switching doctors because of my OB/GYN’s ultra-cavalier attitude about my own cycle problems. (Amy: I’m having 45-day cycles again. Amy’s Doctor: Are you trying to get pregnant? Amy: OH HELL NO. Amy’s Doctor: So? what’s the problem?) So be tenacious. Find a doctor who knows his or her stuff and take control of your own fertility. Good luck. And stay away from those stupid infertility message boards with the ~*~*~*babydust*~*~*~ nonsense, because that crap makes me want to hurt people.

Amalah,

I need some help with makeup, and I need it something fierce! I am 19 and I have never really been one to wear makeup. I’ve been dancing since I was eight, so whenever I had to wear makeup, I always had to wear HEAPS AND GOBS of it, so to me there was no point in wearing it other than for dance. Oh, not to mention that makeup makes my face break out sooo freaking bad.

The foundation I use now is Cover Girl. I’ve always used it because, well, it’s what my mother always bought me when I was younger. But now its to the point, I hate putting makeup on when I go out with my friends because I know my face will be zit city for the next week or two, and I can’t put more makeup on because that’ll just make it worse. I have a slight acne problem as it is, and that’s what I’m kind of self conscious about – I want to be able to sort of cover it up. I’ve tried using a brand new compact but it doesn’t help, I still break out really badly. Please help! I want to be able to wear makeup like a normal person and not have to worry about it.

~ K

Cover Girl! Eeek!

Now, yes, I’ve used Cover Girl makeup, and no, it’s not all bad. Especially if you have perfect skin and tone and color and are only wearing makeup because all your friends wear it you are totally too old to just be wearing Bonne Bell Lip Smackers anymore, MOM, like why are you ruining my LIFE?

Basically, once you are past junior high, your skincare and makeup regimen needs to grow up with you. And this goes double for those of us with troubled, oily skin.

Now, your email talked about foundation, but then mentioned a compact, so I’m not sure exactly what you are using here. There are liquids, creams, pressed powders, loose powders and lots of combination hybrid products in between.

At 19, you probably don’t need liquid foundation. And those creamy foundations in a compact are pretty much the worst things in the world for oily skin (the puffs are like, grease sponges and the creams are not very breathable). Oil-free pressed powder compacts CAN be good, provided you’re not over-applying.

And here’s where we get down to it: Covering acne with makeup creates a vicious, vicious cycle of breaking out. Foundation corrects your skintone and makes your face look smooth and even, but it’s not concealer.

So here’s my radical solution, to be taken with a grain of kosher salt because I am not personally examining your skin, nor am I a dermatologist. Use Proactiv to treat your acne, and opt for an oil-free loose powder. Your skin is reacting to all those years of stage makeup and needs to breathe. Let it.

Buy the Proactiv and see if that helps the acne. Then go for sheer, lightweight coverage. If the Proactiv takes up the bulk of your skincare budget, you may be able to get away with the always-classic , as long as you buy a decent powder brush and promise to wash it often. (Those puffs! Germ condos!) If you want to splurge a little, try the loose powders by Urban Decay or Sue Devitt.

And for touch-ups throughout the day or night? Well, I use an oil-free pressed powder compact by Neutrogena. (See? Am not a complete makeup snob.)

(I mean, I totally am, but I also have a bad habit of leaving expensive powder compacts in restrooms at bars.)

Dear Amalah,

All my life, whenever, I’ve been feeling low, I’ve found that some delicious chocolate will perk me up instantly. Over the years I’ve upgraded from your basic M&Ms, etc., to, when I can, super-fabulous European chocolate bars found in organic (read; pricey) stores.

Anyway, now that I have three children, all under six, with the baby about to turn one. I’ve found that chocolate no longer works. Well . . . it works, but in the wrong way. Eating chocolate (and refined sugar in general) now makes me cranky. Seriously cranky. Throw-the-dog-dish-across-the-kitchen cranky (when no children or dogs are around, of course).

So: I have given up chocolate and sugar, but, my goodness, what to do when mom wants a perk-up? Caffeine is obviously out of the question. And why, oh why, does sugar turn a calm, happy person into a raving banshee? Advice needed!

Miss Cavendish

Okay, so one of the hazards of writing advice columns is that sometimes you get questions that just scare the pants off you. Chocolate making someone…cranky? But…but…chocolate makes you happy! Because of the…endorphins? And the brain waves? Or something? I know I read somewhere totally not on a blog that chocolate is good for fighting depression and that is how I justify my chocolate ice cream habit, end of story.

So I have no idea about this raving banshee behavior and you know what? I AM NOT GOING TO GOOGLE IT BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO KNOW. I don’t want to know what refined sugar is doing to my post-partum brain chemistry and I AM NOT LISTENING LA LA LA LA. I am also not reading Fast Food Nation and YOU CANNOT MAKE ME.

Ahem. Sorry. But I love my chocolate. Like, I may be eating some right now.

So from where I sit, happily typing away with chocolate-stained hands on a somewhat sticky keyboard, you have a few sugar-free pick-me-up options:

1) Vodka mixed with caffeine-free diet soda on the rocks
2) Straight vodka
3) Sugar-free Jello shooters
4) Buying lipgloss when the last thing you need in the world is another damn lipgloss
5) A subscription to InTouch Weekly, plus frequent visits to Go Fug Yourself and Snarkywood
6) LUSH bath bombs
7) Screaming “ONE DOLLAR! ONE DOLLAR!” at contestants on The Price is Right
8) Carbo-loading
9) Cheese, preferably nacho
10) Carbo-loading with a side of deep-fried nacho cheese, plus vodka

Honestly, I feel better already.

If you would like to submit a question, email Amalah at [email protected]. By submitting a question, you agree to allow us to post your question here on alphamom.com.