Makeup Takedown: Are Your Cosmetics Sabotaging You?

If you are lucky enough to have experienced the confidence boost and instant swagger upgrade that a flawless makeup application can provide, you probably have also (unfortunately) fallen victim to multiple makeup mishaps. And, if, for some reason you have never experienced the latter and cannot relate to struggling to keep makeup looking flawless, you should probably STOP reading this article right now and go buy a lottery ticket, because you are an insanely lucky person! And, if you DO actually win the lotto, I hope you remember how incredibly much you love spoiling your favorite cosmetic clinician (whose article you may or may not be reading right now…) #justsayin  #hinthint

I will assume (and HOPE!) that most of you are still reading because you—like myself and many of my patients—can appreciate how difficult it can be to find a harmonious balance between maintaining our makeup application with the most current and flattering techniques and the never-ending aging process.  Whether it is makeup lines that accentuate wrinkles, contouring that does not flatter our facial structure, disappearing eye makeup, or camouflaging unwanted texture or dark spots—aging only amplifies these avoidable aggravations.  If you, or anyone you know has been a victim of these cosmetic crimes, have no fear, @yourbeautologist is here!

When the cosmetics that used to conceal imperfections begin to reveal (and sometimes *gasp* amplify) the manifestations of the aging process, we must not abandon our dear friend, makeup…(even though we feel completely betrayed by her).  We must, instead, (with the help of your trusted clinical team at Nowak Aesthetics!) diagnose the causative agent of our cosmetic catastrophe, and, together, develop a plan and then completely annihilate, woops – I mean…definitively TREAT our concerns! With our powers combined, you will be absolutely loving your reflection of perfection in no time! Now, let’s get to it! “Beauty Bosses…ASSEMBLE!”

From Contour to Non-tour

Let’s face it, (hehe…pun intended). Contouring can have many different levels of intensity and even more variable application techniques.  Essentially, no matter what contouring means to you or how you accomplish your contouring goals, we are all using makeup to emphasize flattering structural components of our face and minimize those features that we prefer to play a “supporting role” to our favorite star-quality features!

Even if you don’t sculpt out a #beatface every day with deep shadowing to show areas of depression and dramatic highlights to accentuate areas of desired fullness, you still can appreciate the need for depth and dimension in the face. For those of you who don’t know, a “beat face” is actually a DESIRABLE thing – it means that your makeup and your face is snatched – and for those of you who don’t know what THAT means – I will put it in terms we ALL know – ‘ya look good! Ok?!)

Because time and gravity are both heartless and vengeful assassins of our youthful appearance (and happiness – haha jk. Kind of…), our faces begin to lose volume and our tissues grow lax. When not slowed with restorative treatments (performed by your talented team of clinicians at Nowak Aesthetics), aging results in the development of under eye bags, drooping cheeks, fullness in the lower face, loss of jawline definition, uneven skin tone/coloration, unwanted texture, and more.  Although you may not use the same medical terminology to evaluate and diagnose your symptoms of aging, you may feel that you have lost your facial definition.  You may notice that the fullness of your cheeks and the sharpness of your jawline has now been replaced with sagging of the midface and fullness in the jowls.

If any of these comments resonate with you, I have excellent news for you! No, I have not developed a revolutionary makeup product that will instantly and permanently erase all signs of aging. My news is MUCH better than that! You have an entire clinical team at Nowak Aesthetics who can expertly treat and address these concerns to give you noticeable, but natural looking results!

Believe it or not, we often utilize injectable fillers to restore structural components of the face like the cheeks and jawline. And do not worry—you will not look like a pillow face! Many patients can be apprehensive about adding volume to a face that they feel may be “too round” or feel too full. But, as our endless before and after galleries & countless happy patients will tell you, it is all about location, location, location. When expertly evaluated and strategically placed, our filler packages can restore your reflection to a more youthful appearing you!

To ensure natural results, we often pair fillers with powerful skin tightening treatments. We know that the aging process is dynamic, and thus requires a complimentary cocktail of multiple treatment modalities to appropriately treat and maintain our results.  However, regardless of your custom cosmetic concoction of treatments, there almost always should be a treatment to address tissue laxity. Ultherapy is the non-invasive, gold standard when it comes to tightening and lifting the brow, face, neck and chest. This treatment penetrates deeper than any other non-invasive skin tightening treatment and requires NO downtime! Results continue to develop up to 6 months after your treatment and you can have this treatment performed every 1-2 years.

Expression Confessions: Don’t let your makeup sabotage you!

We have all been there. We catch our reflection half way through the day and see lines of makeup that have accumulated in our expression lines, particularly around the eyes, between the brows and yes, that dreaded forehead which can put ALL of our horizontal lines on display – front and center – yikes! Quick! Grab your compact, a beauty blender, a tissue, heck! Even your fingertips (hopefully clean!) can work in a pinch!

So, instead of finger painting on our faces, let’s solve the problem with a quick, 10-minute Botox (or Xeomin, or Dysport – we love them all!) appointment.  When we utilize these neuromodulators (don’t worry! That is just a fancy word for treatments that target our muscle receptors), we decrease the strength of our muscle contractions so the muscles do not pull on the skin so much. When the muscles don’t pull on the skin as much, the skin won’t crease and crinkle as much, so our expressions are less intense. And with these softer expression lines, makeup cannot accumulate into those pesky creases and we can rejoice in our much smoother appearing faces! Easy, right?

Don’t Stop Me BROW

Now, how many of us have struggled with eye makeup or lash application due to limited lid space, skin laxity and/or a drooping brow? Have you noticed your lid ‘real-estate’ has been downsized?  Do your eyes make you look tired or struggle to look fully opened? If any of these concerns resonate with you, well…my dear, you may be a victim of lid laxity. Don’t worry, it is going to be ok…it does not have to be a terminal diagnosis! We have several different treatment options that can help boost that brow to show off those luscious lashes and time-consuming eye makeup – no problem!

For instance, if we are looking for a dramatic, almost instantaneous brow lift, we can utilize threads to shape and elevate the brow complex in just a single appointment! We can also utilize non-invasive skin tightening treatments like Thermage eyes to tighten lid laxity and improve appearance of the crêpey skin texture around the eyes. Regardless of what your woe may be, we have multiple treatment options to meet your every need.

So, now what?! You mean, AFTER you set up your personalized consultation to develop an individual treatment plan with us? Well, after that, you just need to prepare yourself for the confidence boost of a lifetime – mirrors beware!