DEAR LUCY,
I have this black dress with a white lace collar, a hand-me-down from my grandmother. It is button-down, cut close to the body and knee-length. How do I wear it and make it look current?
I also have a skin problem. I always break out, maybe because my skin is very oily. In the middle of the day, I long to wash my face, but I can’t because then I will have to redo my makeup. And I work in an office! Too much of a hassle.
MARKIE
The dress sounds lovely. I would wear it with black pumps, bright but matte lips, and maybe change the buttons to really nice chunky gold ones.
For a look that channels chic Italian women, you can also wear Mary Janes in a luxe material. Accessorize with bold jewelry, or a bejeweled clip.
To keep breakous at bay, I would bring toner to my workplace. When the face gets too oily, you can freshen it up by applying toner. It refreshes without totally removing what you have applied on your face. The worse you can do is to try and block the oil by applying more powder. It is always better to mist it first, blot with paper, and then refresh with toner. Then you can reapply powder and blush, and you will feel and look as fresh as you did when you started your day. Try it. I hope this works for you as well as it does for me.
LUCY
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Non-greasy super sunblock
DEAR RISSA,
Summer is coming. I’m looking for a lightweight and non-greasy sunblock that doesn’t sting the eyes. What’s your favorite?
ISA
I make it a point to use sunblock every day — both on the face and neck. Most women fail to see the importance of sunblock. It’s not just for the beach! Whether indoors or outdoors, sun protection is an essential. Did you know that 30-40% of UV radiation could still penetrate the clouds? Even when you are indoors, the harmful UV rays can still penetrate glass windows and reflect from the pavement. It’s essential you equip yourself with a sunblock that provides both UVA and UVB protection. UVB rays are responsible for burning, skin darkening — and worse, skin cancer — while UVA rays cause the skin to age with fine lines, wrinkles, age spots. These are the harmful UV rays that damage the skin from within.
It’s great you want to protect your skin as early as now. No one wants to stare into the mirror with wrinkles, age spots, and fine lines, and later regret years of neglect.
Try the sunblock from SKIN Dermatology & Laser Center (located at The Spa on Bonifacio High Street and at Shangri-La Plaza Mall). This SPF 50 PA+++ UVA/UVB protector provides women with stable and long-lasting protection against UV rays. Its fluid texture gives you a fresh, ultra-light feel. It does not leave an oily or greasy feel. When I tried it, I loved how it felt so weightless! This is my new favorite sunblock. It gives an ultra-light clean feel without any heavy stickiness or greasy feeling. It goes on so smoothly and leaves a natural matte-finish. My skin absorbed it the moment I put it on. It feels like you have nothing on.
What I love about it is that it was formulated by dermatologists like Dr. Raissa Francisco-Pasion, consultant dermatologist at SKIN, who was very hands-on in creating this formula. It is non-comedogenic, hypoallergenic, and fragrance-free. And since I wear contact lenses, I was so happy this sunblock did not sting my eyes. This sunblock is wonderfully water-resistant, too.
RISSA
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Send e-mail to Lucy Torres-Gomez at ltg@pldtdsl.com. E-mail Rissa Trillo at stylesos_rissa@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter @RissaMananquil.