ASK SOPHIE
ELLE beauty director Sophie Beresiner tackles your beauty woes and make-up dilemmas. THIS MONTH: the trials of oily eyelids
ELLE’S beauty director answers your questions. This month: oily eyelids
Q Oily eyelids. What is that all about? Even Smashbox Primer doesn’t work on me. I’ve given up believing that my eye make-up will stay on longer than five minutes.
Cheryl, Liverpool A Before we get into this, let me introduce you to the optimistic angle, as a fellow owner of lubricated lids. Have you noticed the huge influx of eye-gloss products lately? It’s a massive trend. Have you used them and noticed how, yes, they look amazing, but then they eventually seep past your lashes and make a hazy film over your contact lenses? And you know what almost perfectly replicates that eye-gloss effect? Yep, oily eyelids. The number of times I’ve received messages via Instagram asking what product I have on my eyes when there is no product.
If oily eyelids are getting in the way of your make-up, though, forget the ‘accept and enhance’ approach and move straight to the ‘solution’. Skip the normal primer and instead opt for a specialised eyeshadow primer. The fact that eyeshadow primers even exist suggests you aren’t alone in this common phenomenon (which, by the way, usually happens because of either hormonal fluctuations, or just how oily your skin naturally is). In fact, when I told the ELLE team that I was answering your query in this issue, there was a murmur of agreement from about 75% of the room. I measured it. I’ve tried and loved Guerlain Eye-Stay Primer, £18.45, and Smashbox Photo Finish 24-Hour Shadow Primer, £20, but I personally prefer to use a creamy concealer, such as Yves Saint Laurent All Hours Concealer, £22 (pictured, left). I like that it really knocks out my natural skin colour, so I get a base for any make-up to adhere to, but it also lets the make-up shout that little bit louder. It’s just the same with lipstick: if you blank out your natural undertones, you get more of a colour payoff.
My other trick is to fight fire with fire. If you go for an ‘oily-ish’ product, it will become your friend. I understand that you may not be ready to smear lipstick on to your eyelids and blend it out into a glossy smoke, like I do, in which case go for a creamy shadow stick. Line your waterline with kohl (oiliness will not interfere with this), and let your make-up be free to move. Believe me, a livedin look is about a thousand times cooler than a set-and-perfected Insta-eye. You’re a real person – let your eyelids shine IRL.