Up in arms against chicken skin on dark armpits

Dear Lucy,

Please help me find a whitening deodorant that really works! I am o.c. when it comes to my armpits and I have tried most of the leading brands on the market, but they do not work as well as I expected them to! They smell good and they deodorize, but I still have "chicken skin" on my relatively dark armpits. Lastly, what can you recommend for scars? I had a bicycle accident when I was in my teens that left an ugly scar on my inner thigh. If not for that, my legs are flawless, modesty aside.

Belle

Chicken skin on dark armpits, as you put it, is never a pretty thing for any girl to have. You must address the problem ASAP! I highly recommend Mistine White Spa Extra Whitening and Skin Perfecting Roll-On. It is the best deodorant I have tried and I have been using it for over a year now. I used to hoard it from Bangkok, but now it is already available locally. The star ingredients of this product are alpha-arbutin, a whitening agent, and hydrolyzed wheat protein, the skin-perfecting, skin-smoothening medium. Sounds like the latter is what you truly need. With regular use of Mistine White Spa Extra Whitening and Skin Perfecting Roll, your underarm skin will be noticeably whiter, smoother. It smells very good, too. An added bonus is that avid users of this product have noticed that underarm hair does not grow back as quickly as it normally would and when it does, hair is finer.

Mistine White Spa is available at leading health and beauty stores nationwide like PCX, Watsons, and Rustan’s Essenses.

For the scar on your inner thigh, the best I can recommend is Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Vitamin E Scar Serum. I am addicted to Palmer’s Moisturizing Body Oil and Olive Butter Formula Organic Body Balm (they make my skin smell heavenly and feel unbelievably smooth and silky), but I have heard wonders about their Scar Serum, too! The serum has the following ingredients: cocoa butter, which penetrates skin deeply and is a superior moisturizer known for its scar-reduction properties; vitamin E , a powerful antioxidant that is helpful in reducing scars; shark liver oil and silicone, which are deep-penetrating emollients that smooth and soften the appearance of scars; and allium cepa (onion extract), which helps diminish scar matrix.

Palmer’s is available at Rustan’s Essenses.

Lucy

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Say ‘Eye’ To Smudge-Free Eyeliner

Dear Rissa,  

I love putting on eye makeup because I feel that my eyes are my best features. To really accentuate my eyes, an eyeliner is a staple for me. My problem is that I’ve noticed that by the end of the day after work and especially during gimmick nights out, I have dark circles under my eyes because my eye makeup gets smudged. I don’t know if it’s my eyeliner or mascara. Help!

Racoon Eyes 

My guess is you’re using a pencil eyeliner. Since an eye pencil is creamy, it must be set with powder. Otherwise, you risk unattractive creases or uneven fading. But to keep your peepers virtually smudge-free, consider using a liquid liner. It’s usually water-based, lasts longer, and gives a sharper, straighter line than a wax-based eyeliner can. But remember, using a liquid liner can be quite tricky. You need a steady hand.

If you’re more comfortable with a pencil eyeliner, try Make Up Forever’s Eye Seal (available at Shangri-la Plaza Mall and The Block, SM City North Edsa). You can apply this over any pencil eyeliner to make it waterproof and last longer. The great thing about this is that it can also be used for colored powders – transforming them into a long-lasting, waterproof eyeliner. This best-kept secret virtually transforms any colored eye shadow you have into an eyeliner! A great way to give your other eye shadows more use and perfect for those who love to experiment. Just moisten an eyeliner brush with Eye Seal, then dip in your favorite eyeshadow and apply as a liner on the lid or lower eye. Eye Seal contains gentle polymers that make color and shimmer more intense. It’s also alcohol-free and doesn’t irritate the skin or eyes.  

Another must-try is Make Up Forever’s Pearly Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil. It comes in seven shades and is really waterproof and smudge-proof! To test the product, I drew a line on my hand and tried smudging it with my fingers. The color, intensity, and line didn’t budge or fail! This is one product that will work for any girl – whether you’re a working woman in the office all day, the on-the-go mom, the young party girl dancing all night, fierce fashionistas, and even showbiz people who need makeup that won’t fail them.      

As for your lashes, if you get dark circles under the eyes from mascara, it’s not necessarily the mascara’s fault. It could be anything – from long lashes to moist under-eye skin. I once read that Cindy Crawford often coats only her top lashes because she has long bottom lashes that rub against her skin. With mascara, they only cause dark circles under her eyes. So skip the bottom lashes. You can try using waterproof mascara too. Since they’re good for sports or swimming activities, they won’t streak or smudge even if you dance in sweat all night long.

Rissa

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Eyebrow-Raising Issue

Dear Tingting,

In your column sometime in November last year, you wrote about eyebrow tattooing and you mentioned the name of the girl who does it professionally. May I have her name and how to get in touch with her? Was she the same girl who did your eyebrows? I’m considering having my eyebrows tattooed, but I’m looking for the right person to do it.

Maite

Again, the tattoo girl is Emi and her cell phone number is 0919-3460192. She does home service. She has filled in my eyebrows where I plucked the "correct" hairs by mistake. She is quite an expert on proportioning eyebrows.

Tingting

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Send e-mail to tingtingcojuangco@yahoo.com, ltg@pldtdsl.com, and rissa_samson@yahoo.com.