Glare on Face

December 7, 2008 4:25 PM

What can I do to reduce the glare on my face?

I have dark skin and I'll admit I'm a pretty vain person. On my brow, I had a unibrow growing, so I used Nair to remove it. The trouble is I kinda burned it (back in May). I apply coca butter every day to help the skin grow back. Now I just shave the area when the hair starts to show.
Here's a few pictures of my brow: link

In flash photos, it creates a noticeable glare..anything i can do to remove it
(no makeup)

posted by ptsampras14 to clothing, beauty, & fashion (15 comments total)

Can I make a recommendation? Rather than shaving your eyebrow hair, get yourself a good tweezer and pluck it. The small area between your eyebrows shouldn't take you very long and it won't hurt too much. Failing that, try at at home wax product. They make a lot of nice products that you warm in the microwave and that do not need strips. Shaving small facial areas can be pretty problematic, cause skin problems in some people, and isn't anywhere near precise enough, imo.

For your glare problems, try a translucent powder that matches your skin tone.
posted by theantikitty at 4:45 PM on December 7, 2008

Ah, just saw your no makeup qualifier. If you don't want to have a makeup look, they make oil absorbent pieces of paper that pull the oil off of your face. Something like this shouldn't leave too much of a makeup look on your face. Also, applying cocoa butter could be exacerbating your excess oil problems. Make sure you're using something made for the skin on your face.
posted by theantikitty at 4:48 PM on December 7, 2008

Rather than shaving your eyebrows or applying Nair, why don't you try to find a place that can thread the hair off? If you live in a major city, this shouldn't be too hard. It's much gentler and lasts longer than shaving does. The people at these salons that do threading can also do a better job of shaping your eyebrows than you could with a razor.
Regarding the glare, hmm, I'm at a loss since you don't want to use any makeup. Would that include something pretty innocuous, like talcum powder too?
posted by peacheater at 4:57 PM on December 7, 2008

My colouring is similar to yours, and I too get that shiny brow area in photos.
Here are my three methods, listed in order from easiest to "most difficult" (relatively speaking, as all three are very easy).

Easiest no-makeup method: before a photo is taken, gently roll the back of your hand or wrist over the shiny area. This will absorb the shine from that part of your skin. You can do it really unobtrusively, as though scratching an itch. This technique is often used in indie film if there's no makeup artist handy. You want to roll the back of your hand instead of wiping it because a wiping gesture will stretch the skin and can cause a little redness (or if one were wearing makeup, any friction-generating contact will smear it).

An even more effective method would be to use a tissue. Toilet paper or Kleenex is better than paper napkins- the softer the paper product, the more oil it will absorb. Just blot gently.

Method #3- most effective of all: is to buy Clean n' Clear oil-absorbing sheets (here is a blog entry about them- not my blog, I just googled). They are not makeup and do not leave a powdery residue- they're some sort of really thin plastic that absorbs oil really well. Just press them to your brow and they'll soak up an impressively grossitating amount of oil. They are available at any drugstore, about $6 for fifty little sheets.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 5:13 PM on December 7, 2008

I think those powdered blotting papers and talcum powder may leave a noticeable white residue on your skin--they certainly do on my (rather pale) face. I recommend these oil-absorbing sheets to reduce the shine. They don't contain any powder or other makeup but do absorb oil very well. And they're not particularly feminine, if that's an issue.
posted by Jemstar at 5:14 PM on December 7, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Hmmm... maybe try a gentle exfoliator? Most of the products on the market that are anti-shine are for excess oil on the skin, and if that's not your problem they probably won't work for you.

Also, in the future, pluck your eyebrows with tweezers - don't nair or shave!
posted by AV at 5:17 PM on December 7, 2008

I have insane eyebrows. I would start plucking them only. Don't shave or Nair them. For the shininess, I'm nthing the Clean & Clear sheets.
posted by fructose at 5:23 PM on December 7, 2008

Smashbox Anti-Shine. Not make-up. Feels a little weird, but certainly works.
posted by kmennie at 5:25 PM on December 7, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Sephora's anti-shine primer is nine bucks cheaper than Smashbox and works just as well. It's clear, so no one knows you're wearing it and it eliminates shine.
posted by MsMolly at 5:48 PM on December 7, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

repeat after me: no nair on your face ever. it says so on the bottle for a reason. you might want to consider consulting an md.
posted by krautland at 6:56 PM on December 7, 2008

nthing the Clean & Clear sheets
posted by All.star at 7:23 PM on December 7, 2008

nthing threading. It's an awesome alternative to plucking... and the good ones can give your eyebrows awesome shape. If you're afraid they'll go too thin ask for a clean up instead of shaping.
Definitely no Nair and I heard shaving is bad as well.

As for the shine...
Here are 2 products I've tried and liked:

Dr. Brandt Skincare Pores No More I love this stuff. I'm a guy, and I'm also anti-make-up on guys. This stuff is a bit on the fence though, but, it's awesome. I have oily skin so shine is a regular issue for me but this keeps me looking matte for at least a good 6 hours (I don't find it does much for my pores though).
The negative part of this product is that the stuff is tinted, but, I find that it leaves no color on my skin at all. And, if you do a good job of applying it is completely invisible. It's SO not makeup that it won't even cover up blemishes (it does contain Tea Tree Oil which can help subdue them).

Peter Thomas Roth Anti-Shine Mattifying Gel - I know a few models who have worked with make-up artists who swear by this stuff. I find it a tiny bit sticky (but maybe I use too much). It's a bit difficult to apply, it's not really like a gel acne medication... it's a bit thicker. On the plus side, it's completely clear and I've had it last about 8 hours.
posted by simplethings at 7:41 PM on December 7, 2008

The Body Shop has a $13 mattifying lotion made from tea tree oil that works pretty well.
posted by idiotfactory at 8:46 PM on December 7, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Another vote for threading. Because I use Retin-a, it's the only hair removal method my skin can tolerate. I'm your same coloring and have never had any redness or "glare" problems from it. I can literally get threaded and hit the town 10 minutes later after a little icing. Also, yes, primer is your friend!
posted by notjustfoxybrown at 9:55 PM on December 7, 2008

The best shine-reducing paper ever is "ass gaskets", yes, the tissue paper-y seat covers you find in most public restrooms.
posted by bendy at 11:34 PM on December 7, 2008