Hi Liz,

I'm looking for a good primer for the oily parts of my face (I'm combination skin) - which is my T -zone AND my eyelids. I tend to get really oily lids which ruins my eyeshadow. My question is, if I plan to get a primer, do I need to get a separate one for my eyelids? Or could I just go with an all-around primer like Benefit's Porefessional or Smashbox's Photo Finish Primer? - Jin

Hi Jin! Thanks for the question. Eye primers and face primers are different from each other because the skin on those areas and the makeup you use on them require a different type of base. They're like oranges and apples!

Benefit Porefessional vs Urban Decay Primer Potion

You'd want your T-zone and cheeks to look smoother, poreless, and less oily, which is where silicone-based primers come in. The fine silicone in the product fills in the pores and lines, thus blurring them while also acting as a barrier between your skin and makeup. This makes you oil up less and helps your makeup look smoother overall.

Hi Ms. liz! I'm nineteen and I'm starting to be interested in makeup. The thing is, I'm afraid of getting breakouts if the makeup doesnt agree with my skin. Sometimes we use two or more beauty products the same time, so it's hard to know what's causing the breakouts. Would you happen to know what brands are good for people with skin like mine, or what ingredients i should avoid? You would be a great help. I love your blog by the way :) -HAA

Hello! If you ask me, 19 is a great age to get into beauty stuff. I was 19 myself when I started tinkering with skincare, foundation, and colors on my face. It's fun and fulfilling once you find products and techniques that work for you, but the downside with experimentation is that you will break out. Yes, even with highly recommended products. It's hard to predict what will improve or wreak havoc on your skin due to the uniqueness of our genetic makeup combined with environmental factors.

I don't believe in fear-mongering, so I won't name individual ingredients that the Internet says will cause you cancer or some I don't know, brain disease. Most cosmetics only have trace amounts of what are supposed to be (but not conclusively proven) harmful ingredients - parabens, for example.

When I started Ask Liz! I just wanted a centralized, public place to store all my answers to your questions. Now, 275 questions later, I find that it has evolved into a sort of micro-community for beauty enthusiasts. I love that you guys are interacting with each other and answering other questions that I can't help with. How awesome is that? Cheers to everyone who posts! :D

Here are my answers to some recent questions.

Hi Ms. Liz! I'm currently having a problem with my skin. My face is always oily all over but recently, aside from being oily, it's also flaky. It's flaky in small amounts, but they're found all over my face... so in effect, my face appears to be rough. I put moisturizer before my foundation, however, this doesn't seem to help the flaky appearance. The texture of my face is so gross to look at.

This is a big nuisance for me especially since we'll be having our yearbook photoshoot soon. I'm a high school student so can you give me quick remedies that is within the budget of a teenager?  - Chloe

Hi Chloe! Yes, moisturizer can't do much to help skin that is already peeling. Flaky skin is dead skin so you can't revive it with moisturizer. The best remedy is to remove all the flakes first before attempting to hydrate your skin.

Now I'm going to suggest a quick fix so simple you don't even have to spend anything.

Hi Miss Liz! Growing up I have been teased a lot about my "sumpa"- CURLY HAIR!!!! I don't mean the cute Goldilocks type but the "so-kinky-its-llike-an-afro" type of curl. An even weirder combination? I have pale skin Asian skin and got called names like "negrang hapon", "albino na negra" blah blah blah.

My self esteem was suuppeerr low that I had my hair straightened when I was in 6th grade and have been religiously straightening since (I'm turning 23 this year). The teasing stopped. I got lots of compliments, some even forgot I was curly to begin with. Don't get me wrong, I honestly enjoyed it at first but it was tiring to me (dreading my natural hair growing,enduring the long hours and chemical burns of the process).

Anyway, I don't know how but I finally found myself some confidence to stop pretending and embrace the real me! My question Miss Liz is; how do I transition to my natural locks without looking like a freak? (curly hair at the roots and stick straight hair at the tips).

Hi Miss_D22! Great question! Kudos to you for finally having the confidence to embrace your natural hair! I also had the same problem before - had my hair straightened so many times that I have damaged my scalp permanently. And for what? Because people teased me all the time! One girl even called me Jesus Christ. Damn. That's one of the worst insults to me ever.

In the end, like you I realized that I would be happier if I just enjoyed the real me. We're never so ugly or so bad as we think we are; it's all in the head!

Hi Miss Liz! I've been using Korean products for a while now. I stick to my cleanse-tone-moisturize routine. But every time I go into their stores, I get confused from the items in one skin care line. Can you differentiate and list the order how asian skin care goes? I've heard that there are routines that have up to 12 different products. So from 1. Cleanser (facial wash/cleansing oil); 2. Toner; 3. Moisturizer; which should I apply next: essence, emulsion, cream, serum? Also is there a difference if it's labeled 'lotion' instead of moisturizer?

This baffles me a lot. I thank you in advance :) - Patsy

Photo via Timeless Confection

Hi Patsy! Thanks for your question. I was also a bit confused initially, but as a general rule you can swatch the product first and then guess from there. If it foams, it's for washing. If it's watery, it's a toner. If it's a cream or gel in a normal-sized container, it's a moisturizer. If it's in a smaller bottle and gel-like and/or oily with a dense texture, it's an essence or serum. 

The cleanse-tone-moisturize routine is basic, but the Asian skincare routine is a lot more thorough! Apparently there are five basic steps which are:

1. Double-cleansing. This involves using an emulsifying cleanser such as an oily or watery makeup remover like the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil to remove your makeup first. Afterwards, you use a foaming wash to clean the face of all impurities.

Hi Liz! First off, lemme just say that I am a BIG fan of Projectvanity.com and I always make it a point to check for updates when I go online. I really admire your sense of style and enjoy your no-nonsense reviews.

Now pardon my presumption in emailing you, but since I admire and trust your fashion and beauty sense, I thought I'd ask your advice. My thirteen-year-old sister has wavy hair much like yours, but it's very thick, dry and frizzy, and she's been getting quite self-conscious about it. My question is simple, what salon or home treatment have you tried that you would recommend as a remedy? Bearing in mind that she's still quite young and I wouldn't let her try anything that might potentially damage it. That's all, really. I'm sure you're a very busy person, but I would really appreciate a response. Thanks and keep up the good work!

Hi Paola! My gosh! Thanks so much for following Project Vanity! :D I always love hearing from readers.

Now about your question. You hit the mark - hair is something I'm really conscious about. Your sister and I seem to have the same hair and same problems. I was so bothered about my hair that when I was 15 I had my hair chemically straightened every six months until I was 17. I am still suffering the effects; now my hair is thinning and hair fall is a major problem. So if you or your sister is considering it - even when she's 20 or 25 - try not to. The cost, side effects, and maintenance is not worth it.

I think the key to having great hair is to adjust one's view of what great hair is. Right now, I am loving my wavy hair. I always wear it up (for convenience, also because I try not to apply any product on it as much as possible), but when I wear it as it is with only minimal styling, everyone thinks I had it digipermed or something! I'm sure the same goes for your sister. It's a matter of looking at things differently. Perhaps you guys can look online for pictures of glamorous women with thick wavy hair - there are lots!

Vanessa of Gossip Girl

Now that's out of the way, we can go on to products. For my hair, I like using a clear hair serum while it's damp. This manages the frizz and adds extra shine to the hair. I love Citre Shine (~P400)

Hi Liz! I've been following your blog for quite some time now. I really like reading your posts because they are so helpful to me in so many ways. I really like and appreciate that you care about affordable beauty!

So, I have really oily skin. As if that isn't enough, I also sweat rather excessively. Which is really frustrating because I am still a student (who walks around the campus a lot, under the scorching heat of the sun). My skin breaks out a lot too. By a lot, I mean I always have a big nasty zit or two on my face. They never go away! I don't really know where I've gone wrong. I try to clean my face as regularly (not excessively) as possible, but it seems like I would never be able to have clear skin.

I know that you also have oily skin too, so I thought it would be a good idea to ask you about these things. I'd really appreciate if you recommend me any product (for oily skin) that you swear by. Thanks a lot!

Also, I just like to tell you how I enjoy reading your blog, and that your posts are so helpful. More power, Liz!

Hi Honey! Thanks so much for following my site. It really makes me day when I hear from lurkers! So, about your problem. I'd like to recommend my Holy Grail product - Burt's Bees Garden Tomato Toner. It's labeled as good for troubled and oily skin, and yes, it does help clear my face of pimples and it helps lessen the oiliness.

I would also recommend the Skin Hour Mattifying Day Gel. Lauren and Kira are such fans! They've both given the product rave reviews, and they are perhaps the oiliest people I know (no offense to you guys lol). I haven't tried the product personally, but it looks extremely promisin

Hi Ms Liz!

Where can I buy affordable but good quality tinted moisturizer? Im not exactly the kikay type but I do take the time to wear even just a little makeup when I go out. Right now, I use Mary Kay liquid foundation even during the daytime (I know it's a NO NO but Im not satisfied unless I get a really even complexion even if I already have blemish-free skin. Im that insecure). I only apply tiny dots all over my face before I spread it. Problem is, even if I only use little, there are still some "flakes" near my hairline and chin area which I have to tediously brush away. Is this normal? This prompted me to give tinted moisturizers a try. Maybe you have cheap but good ones in mind?

Also, how do I get rid of my dark undereye circles? People either think Im insomniac or a junkie! But I do sleep as early as 9pm during workdays and I've never actually seen, much less use, "shabu". So far Ive tried Mary Kay and Garnier eye roll-ons but to no avail. Do you have an effective but affordable recommendation? 

Hi Weng! If there is flaking when you apply foundation, it could mean one of two things: your foundation sucks, or you have very dry skin. The first step to fixing the latter is to get properly hydrated - drink lotsa water! Then pick a heavy moisturizer that's especially designed for dry skin (if you don't have one already, that is). Unfortunately I can't suggest anything as I have oily-combination skin. You should visit Nikki's blog since she has dry skin and has a lot of recommendations.

Tinted moisturizers...if by cheap you mean less than P500, I can't help you with that. The cheap drugstore ones like Nivea, Skinwhite, and Maxipeel feels like cheap crushed face powder mixed with body lotion. Well that may be a little OA, but yes, I hate the texture and the feel. You're better off investing in higher-priced TMs. To start off, the Etude House Magic BB Cream is really nice. Only P598, too.