Many of us stick with the safety of tried and true products to camouflage our birthmarks. But for the more adventurous people, like me, there are some wonderful new solutions to the old problem.
Dermablend's new Smooth Indulgence is definitely worth a try. For those of us who swear by Estee Lauder's Maximum Cover, this is a good alternative. It goes on light as feather and really covers. It stays on, too, for a good eight hours. Best of all, it doesn't need setting powder, so it's a quick, one-step makeup. It comes in both a foundation and concealer formulas. I find the foundation formula easily covers my rose-colored birthmark. Darker birthmarks may get better results with the concealer formula. The foundation comes in seven shades at twenty-five dollars for a one ounce tube. The concealer, at eighteen dollars for a third of an ounce tube, is eighteen dollars. Buy it online at the Dermablend website by linking through www.birthmarks.com.
La-Roche Posay, a European dermatological skincare line, has developed Unifiance Fine Film Corrector Makeup. It's oil-free and specially formulated not to clog pores, tolerance tested on acne-prone skin, which can be a boon to many of us. It dries without the need for setting powder and gives good coverage, although it may not be ideal for very dark birthmarks. Because it has a high pigment content- 20 percent - it's much more opaque than most foundations, but as lightweight as most liquids. The downside is that it only comes in four shades. It's sold in Europe at drugstores for twenty euro a one-once tube. And it's available online at www.beautytarget.com, which will ship worldwide, at twenty-five dollars.
Our birthmark buddies in Canada can try CoverFx, developed by a corrective makeup artist in collaboration with a dermatologist. It's a cream foundation used with a setting powder and provides an excellent SPF 30. It's available at many locations throughout Canada, including Shoppers Drug Mart, and at a few dermatology clinics in the USA. Check it out at www.coverfx.com.
Some newsgroup members have mentioned that they use Cinema Secrets Ultimate Foundation. It was created by a company specializing in professional makeup products for stage and screen, and can be used to cover just about anything. The Ultimate Foundation 600 series is designed to neutralize red, blue, purple and brown discolorations. It gives a matte finish, is water and sweat resistant, and highly opaque. It comes in an enormous range of fifty-one shades, or you can order a color palette, with samples of five shades for twenty-one dollars. Check it out at www.cinemasecrets.com. In the Los Angeles area, you can go directly to their headquarters, 4400 Riverside Drive, Burbank, phone 818-846-0579.
