When testing cosmetics & skin care products

Testers for cosmetics & skin care products are not always 100% clean. Especially if it has no cover and countless hands have touched it.

Here’s how you can minimize transfering germs from yourself to the testers and vice versa for:

• lipstick, lipgloss & lips skincare
  • if it’s in a tube, swipe the top with a tissue first. Then only squirt/apply onto your skin where the colour matches (or most likely) your lips colour (when there’s nothing on it). A good place would be your inner palm, where the skin is reddish.
  • Applying on tissue doesn’t show the accurate colour on your lips – the colour will definately appear brighter/darker on white tissue than on your skin. If your lips have darker pigmentation, wearing a clear or shiny light colour would make you appear dying or pale.
  • What looks horrible on your friend may look great on you because of different lip tone.
  • If you test the lipstick, lipgloss directly from the tube onto your lips, make sure you don’t eat with it. Wipe it off with tissue before you eat or drink – better yet, immediately after you’ve decided which colour.
  • In certain cosmetics company, the makeup artists and staffs wipe the top of the lipstick with tissue first to remove the dirt on top layer. Then they use a clean scalpel/plastic knife/piece of hard paper/plastic to get a layer of lipstick. On the scapel, they use lip brush (a clean one) to mix the ‘cut’ lipstick and then only apply onto your lips. So the germs on your lips do not get transferred onto the tube of lipstick but only on the selected ‘cut’ lipstick on the scapel. The remaining lipstick on the scapel is thrown away after your testing.
• eyeshadow, eyeliner & eye area skincare
  • you may think that using the small brush provided is cleaner than using your fingers. You could be right. The brush also touched the previous testers skin, so who knows?
  • Eyeshadow should be tested on the eyelids instead of palm because you need to see how it matches your eyes colour. If you have the skintone of your eyelids on your hands, great!
  • However, applying on the hand may cause you to apply harder – your skin is thicker there – and the colours wouldn’t be so apparent because our hands skin tone is usually darker than our eyes area.
  • Wipe the brush first before testing eyeshadow and eyeliner.
  • Use a new cotton bud (pic)/Q-tip.
  • Sharpen the eyeliner/pencil before use.
  • If it stings – it’s NOT for you.
• blusher, powder, neck & face skincare
  • Some blusher appear really light, almost unnoticeable.
  • You need to apply primer or foundation before testing such powders.
  • If you are the type to apply blusher without foundation/powder, then test the blusher on your bare face.
  • If you apply foundation, then test the blusher after your foundation to get the real picture.
  • Cheeks usually do not get serious disease from testers but you could get an irritation or 2 from dirty testers.

Most of all, before you test them, make sure your skin is clean and free from other products on the area that you want to test. If the ingredients mix up, you may not get the accurate results from using the products.

You can ask the staffs to apply testers for you – they are (most likely to be) trained in makeup, skin care and hygiene.

Some of us wear makeup to shopping malls and then we want to test the skin care products for the face on our hands. Our skin is different on the hands and face. Compare the skin on your feet with your fingers. Test the product on where it’s intended for. If the sales person doesn’t allow this, go to another counter or brand. Better yet, report this to the customer service of the brand or mall.

However, some experts do not encourage testing on lips and eyes – where the germs can easily get inside our body. Iconocast – Think clean when makeup shopping

If you see the staff sneezing or touching other areas (face, nose, table) while applying testers for you, decline the help.

If possible, test only on newer testers. Test it when it’s at launching or replenishing stock.

Always wash your hands & tested part before and after testing.

That said, always choose the right non-comedogenic, non-greasy, fragrance free formulas but that’s easier to say than do. If it’s for day time – get one with at least SPF 15 if you go out under the sun for 15 minutes, more SPF if you go for outdoor activities.

There’s also the issue of testing on animals. Is it cruel? Does it create a more accurate result if tested on animals?

Elections

Would you say the budget used for election campaigns – printing all the posters, plastic banners – would be better spent on improving the lives of the people in the area? It’s like a kiasu contest going on. My party prints more banners than yours. We have more influence and money to spend here, so it’s proof that my party will take care of you better.

There are more pressing matters in child abuse, human trafficking, rape, robbery, murder, education, health, environment, etc. The party that WALKS the talks before, during and after election? Where is it?

Notice only when it’s coming to election there are a lot of road holes, pits fixing, beautification with lights and trees, cleaning and repainting road signs? What happens to the printed banners? They become rubbish and sight for sore eyes. Are they recycled or thrown away after the election is over?

Maybe they do care and execute the plans. Maybe they just need more exposure and transparency to the citizens – so that we know what is going on and how they are protecting and governing us.

Have you registered for voting? I didn’t vote the previous time – didn’t manage to register. My own fault for ignoring the politics in Malaysia because I didn’t think 1 vote would make a difference, yet complaining when our government didn’t do better. I was only 1 vote but I was not the only one who had that thinking. Imagine if 1/4 of Malaysians didn’t vote. 1/4 could change our country’s policies.

It’s our choice. For better or worse.

I’m going to take charge of my future.

What about you?