Dr. Hauschka

Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Brown Thursday--all the sales days associated with Thanksgiving are starting to blend together into one big giant shopping-fest. It feels like the anxiety of getting the best deals has replaced the anxiety of roasting the perfect bird (and having to chat with your drunk uncle). Don't worry--we're here to help.

Contessa Schexnayder is a makeup artist and has been shackled to the beauty industry for over nine years, working for such lines and retailers as Nars, MAC, Bobbi Brown, Blue Mercury, and Space NK. She is a self-proclaimed ingredient know-it-all, and likes long walks on the beach. Now that the new year is here, it’s finally time to make a resolution that is easy to keep: taking care of your skin. After all, who wants to spend 2012 with their face looking like a dehydrated piece of fruit? (And, if you're anything like me, making a declaration to keep your skin lovely is way easier then putting down that second cookie.) This is why I strongly suggest adding a new product to your skin care arsenal--facial oils. Now I know many of you might be thinking “ick.” But I promise this little product is perfect for all skin types, and if you use the right one, many of your skin care concerns can be solved.

Leah is constantly asking me hard makeup questions. Her latest: Is it really bad to use eyeliner on the lash line of your lower lid, and specifically on the waterline? (The waterline is that wet part above your lower lashes--it’s technically a mucous membrane.) And if it is OK, how the hell do you get it to stay on? After looking at her with a blank stare and mumbling something about how I thought it could irritate your eyes, I set out to find an answer to this query. My first stop was a dermatologist who I’m going to keep anonymous because I snuck in the eyeliner question while I was there for another reason. She said that it definitely can cause irritation and put you at risk for an eye infection, but that she herself does it. And while she said she’s never personally had a patient complain of an eyeliner irritation or allergy, they definitely exist; she said you should sharpen your pencil before each use when using it on the waterline to get rid of any bacteria that could be hanging around. Next I went to a few makeup artists.