[Anonymous]

#1020242

Hello all,

I remember that there was a session in Reno on makeup, but I didn’t attend it. I saw Bobbi in the elevator afterwards, however, and I asked her what they recommended. She looked at my eyes and said, oh, pretty much the way you do yours. So I thought I would share that.

The trick I use is to use the eyeliner to “create” a shape for my eyes. Eyeliner is tricky. Very thin lines are good, but hard to get every time. I use Maybelline Expert Eyes, which is more like a crayon, but still a soft enough crayon that I’m not pulling the skin of my eyes while I use it. Liquid eyeliners may be able to create a thinner line, but with our watery eyes, it’s really difficult to keep it where it sits. The shape is created by starting the eyeliner in the center of the top and the bottom. The line should be thinnest where it starts (just over and under the pupil, generally), and get a little thicker towards the outer corner of the eye in order to create the eye shape you’d like to have. You can extend the bottom line a little bit on its natural curve, to create a little “uplift,” but you don’t want to go so far that you start looking like a member of the Addams Family. This is definitely something you can experiment with one day while you have a lot of time, to see if it creates a look you like. The Maybelline stick has a “blending” sponge on the pencil, and you can use that to either smudge a much-too-clear line or to get rid of liner you’ve put on by mistake. To follow the eyeliner, I use mascara that I concentrate on the outer lashes (put it on the outer, longer lashes first, let that dry, then apply it a second time to all the lashes, and the outer lashes will stand out ~ it gives what they call a “starry-eyed” look). I use Cover Girl Remarkable mascara because it is waterproof but also washes off fairly easily. I use Ph20 (a Phisoderm product) to wash my face at night. It gets off all the makeup without much trouble and is quick and easy to use. One tiny bit on a washcloth will foam up a LOT, and it doesn’t hurt my eyes.

I hope that helps!

~Ski
NGDF Assistant Online Facilitator

[Anonymous]

#1076476

Funny, I don’t remember that comment, Ski. ; ) Senior moments are turning into hours.

Yes, I went to the make-up session. Since we are all different, though, the make-up lady gave different suggestions. Which is probably as it should be. The point is that getting the help of a “specialist” for your own specific make-up issues can be really helpful.

One thing our speaker suggested to some of the ladies there — the ladies with very dry eyes who have to put drops in constantly — was to get their eye lashes dyed (instead of putting on mascara, etc.) She actually did it to at least one of the participants, and it created darker, longer looking lashes. There are pros and cons to this idea, and I am not advocating it — nor am I arguing against it — I simply pass it along.

Bobbi — NGDF Online Facilitator

[Anonymous]

#1076477

One clarification (and I hope it’s okay that I’m mentioning brand names, since it refers only to cosmetics, by the way): the Maybelline eyeliner I use is actually called ‘expertwear Defining Liner’. It’s a roll-up crayon with its own sharpener and sponge for smudging, if that helps to identify it by sight.

Dying eyelashes is a good idea, I’m glad you brought that up Bobbi. And as far as remembering: that was a long time ago ~ my very first conference! Seems like I was such a youth at the time.

Happy day to all!

~Ski
NGDF Assistant Online Facilitator

[Anonymous]

#1076478

Hi Sky

Wow I didn’t realize Reno was your first conference. It was my second. I did also attend that one workshop and I just remember small bits of it. I do remember her talking about eyelash dying. If anyone is considering this you would need to check out the place and licenses very careful. I’ve seen TV shows about this and problems.

Diane B On-Line Facilitator

[Anonymous]

#1076479

Great advice all,

I wake up every morning with puffy lids and bags under my eyes but it seems as though it actually makes my eyes look even more sunkin in. Is this the start of the TED or something else? I had never had this before I was diagnosed with Graves. Also would the darker shadow make them look even smaller? Or hide it so they look better? Again thanks for the advice.

[Anonymous]

#1076480

The tissue around the eyes is particularly sensitive to “health” issues, so the changes that you see now just might be a reaction to being “ill” rather than a sign of TED.

That said, one of the changes that occurs with TED involves soft tissues swelling around the eyes, too. The TED causes the muscles of the eyes to enlarge, somewhat, which pushes the eyes forward in the eye socket, which in turn causes the fat pads around the eyes to protrude a bit. Now that we have soft-tissue imaging machines, like MRIs and CAT scans and ultra-sound, that all of us get “some” eye changes when we have thyroid disease. But getting “some” changes does not mean that you are on your way to full-blown TED problems, even if that is what is causing your puffy eyes.

If it is a problem, you could try putting a board under the headboard of your bed, to elevate your head a bit while you sleep. (Do NOT simply add pillows under your head to do this: it could cause a backache.) That does seem to relieve the puffiness issue a bit.

We also recommend keeping a couple of small zip-lock type bags, filled with frozen peas, in your freezer. These make nice “ice packs” which can reduce swelling. By putting them in baggies, you avoid accidentally cooking something that has been thawed and refrozen. The peas are a nice size for molding around the eyes.

As for whether you should wear dark or light (the recommendation that was given to me) eye make-up– ask around at cosmetics counters in department stores. Choose someone whose eye make-up looks good (not “fad-ish” necessarily). The lady at the Reno conference told me to brush a very light green or blue shadow over my lids — and I’ve done it ever since, and quite like the results. But I think any recommendation for eye makeup has to be individualized: what works for me, or Ski, may not work for you.

Take care,
Bobbi

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