Please help - colour corrector/BB cream for eczema, very dry skin

[cokezero26]

I have eczema so suffer very dry and red skin. I’ve long given up on any foundations but I have been trying several different colour correctors and BB creams, always only buying ones that claim to moisturise.

No matter how much I moisturise my face before applying, the minute I try to put on any of these products my skin immediately starts flaking, and it looks terrible so I just remove it.

I’m so tired of wasting money on products and so tired of always being so red in the face. Does ANYONE have any suggestions?! :(

For reference, the things I’ve been trying most recently were Clinique tinted moisturiser, L’Oréal colour corrector and L’Oréal BB and CC creams.

What about a product like Bare Minerals powder rather than a cream foundation?

Do you exfoliate ? It does sound like it's a skin issue rather than a make up issue so if that gets sorted make up will sit better. Can you use CeraVe? That sorted my sensitive and flaky skin, I don't get flakiness at all anymore.

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor Hi, I would have thought a powder would just suck up any moisture and bring out my dryness even further?

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor sorry didn’t realise the second message was also from yourself. In terms of skin routine I wash morning and night with a flannel and use E45 cleanser, this removes the dry skin

I have tried CeraVe before but found it not as effective, I currently use Eucerin 10% Urea which is very effective and moisturising, however despite this I’m still getting the extreme flakiness when applying any sort of colour corrector! :(

My face was awful with eczema , even my eyelids would bleed .
I can now use make up on my face by using Aveeno derma cream at night.
I know it's a case of going through lots of prescribed / over the counter stuff to find what suits you etc , but for me it really calms when I'm having a break out of it.

My skin is similar. I use a damp beauty blender (sponge) to pat mine on (never, ever, rub or smear, always pat), and it makes a huge difference to any BB cream or liquid foundation I use.

Maybe a primer would help.

I also have skin that goes flaky with foundation. The least worst I' e found is CC Erborian cream.

Hyaluronic acid serum helps a bit too.

Do you use hyaluronic acid? That’s really helped my eczema. I use the Erborian cc cream which is great, they also do a ‘cc water’ that I think is a tinted hyaluronic. Might be worth a try.

E45 is really dreadful stuff. Loads of people are allergic to it (me included) wouldn't touch it with a barge pole as it makes my skin so red and flaky.

xpost with mibbe re the Erborian and hyaluronic!

I'd ditch the E45,it's awful stuff. Try CeraVe hydrating wash with a cool wash cloth followed by CeraVe moisturiser. Give it a month and see if there's a difference. The other thing I used on patches of flakes was The Body Shop Drops of Light day cream, I don't need to use that now though. Worth asking them for a sample first.

Ok, points noted! No more E45. Will purchase CeraVe hydrating cleanser.

I must add, with the colour correctors etc I’ve always just dabbed/rubbed it in slightly with fingers. Is this a huge error and I should have been using a beauty blender, regardless? I thought those were just for foundation 😳

Erborian looks great but pricey! Will investigate to see if I can get sample or travel size first to try

@cokezero26 I bought a sample of Erborian bb cream off eBay so I could test the colour before committing to a full size. It was worth the money, it’s a little sample but has lasted a couple of weeks already and the finish is amazing. I hadn’t heard of cc cream so I’m going to find a tester for that now and see which I prefer.

Maybe try to improve the eczema first. Suggest you try a tea tree face wash in case there is any infection followed by a steroid cream leave to settle in for 10 mins then follow with a layer of Aveeno calming face cream over the top. Try that for a couple of weeks then hopefully if the skin is flaking less you could try a super gentle bb cream?
You have my sympathy I used to have dreadful eyelid eczema but this routine pretty much sorted it.

I agree with the Aveeno suggestion if CeraVe doesn't suit.

Using a damp beauty blender has made such a difference for me - any old beauty blender will do, any price :-). I personally prefer the thin rectangular ones rather than the egg shaped ones. It's not perfect but it's a huge improvement.

I always ensure nothing that touches my skin has any perfume in it, as this is such a trigger for a reaction (as it is for so many people).

The thing is with skin, what works for one person, will not work for another. I've wasted so much money over the years on products that just made my skin sore, red and flakey, and wish I had just forked out £200 for a consultation with a Dermatologist.

I use Erborian CC cream

I have dry skin too

Morning I don't use much water, I do a vit c serum, shea butter then Spf

Evening - I use klairs oil cleanser, Tret, Illiyoon ceramide moisturiser then a layer of vaseline - this makes my skin amazing.
I always used to be flakey

Good thinking about getting a sample from eBay, I hadn’t thought of that!
I’m not too sure about using tea tree - I’ve had eczema from birth, so I don’t reckon it’d be an infection of sorts.
Have tried Aveeno in the past but found it did nothing for my level of dryness sadly.
Also good to know about using a beauty blender/sponge! I’ll make sure to get one

Loving all this fantastic advice, thank you so much!

@Comeshinewithme Absolutely, I always check ingredients and never put anything on my face with Parfum in it. That’s the tricky bit too, as you said what works for one person won’t work for another, and it can all become very expensive purchasing all these different products and then finding they’re no use!

@Comeshinewithme sorry, just wanted to add, can a dermatologist help with makeup too?!

Agree with others re E45, it's OK when my skin is healed but when I get an eczema flare up it somehow makes it worse. Ditto other doctor-recommended products like Aqueous cream etc.

I like the Liz Earle cleanser, I read that she had eczema herself, so I tried it, it's very nice. Sometimes the prescribed stuff just doesn't work as well as the normal stuff but you have to experiment. Also like Cerave oil cleanser, Nivea soft for moisturising (but not the blue one) and Vaseline intensive body lotion. All these things have helped keep my skin calm and moisturised. Just keeping it moisturised is a struggle - it's the only way to keep the eczema at bay and heal the broken skin. I used to be on a regular rotation of antibiotics because infection begets infection begets infection. It's so hard to find that frickin' magic product. Good luck x

Hmm, I don't know if a Dermatologist can recommend make-up products. Guess you could google or ring around a few, if this is something you are interested in? If you can understand what causes reactions, then you can try to keep away from products with those ingredients.

Hormones have also played a major role in my skin woes!

Liz Earle cleanse and polish all the way, or CeraVe hydrating cleanser.
eborian cc cream is actual magic, honestly it literally blurs redness away, there is nothing on the market to match it in my opinion. I have flaky, psoarasis-y patches and my sister has pustule eczema on our faces (don’t we sound gorgeous!) and we swear by it.
look fantastic have it on clear pay to ease the financial pain!

Pleased to report I have ordered samples of both Eborian CC cream and their CC ‘water’ cream! I’m pleased to hear it’s worked really well for some of you - I’m so tired of just accepting I can’t wear makeup, then being paranoid about my redness and unevenness!

Have also been looking into exfoliating - I think my best bet is to make my own with brown sugar and extra virgin olive oil, just to avoid any chemicals. Will pick up ingredients tomorrow.
I’ll also of course try and report back on this thread once I do all these things!

Just remembered something that worked well, use milk on a cotton pad, the lactic acid helps the flakiness! Nice and gentle too.