Sociologist Polina Kolozaridi on special care and favorite cosmetics
For "Available" we study the contents of beauty cases, dressing tables and cosmetic bags of interesting characters to us - and we show all this to you.
About atopic dermatitis and alpine lawns
When I was a child, they said that I had diathesis. Then I had very dry skin. In adolescence, it was cool, but even a little offensive: no acne, peers discuss Clearasil, and I rubbed my face with a rag and that's it. And from the age of 25 it started: a very dry sensitive skin, prone to atopy. In medical terms, this is atopic dermatitis. The name sounds awful, and sometimes it is really very unpleasant: the skin turns red and cracks if you eat something allergenic or you find yourself in an environmentally unfriendly place - for example, Moscow. In addition, itching is constantly accompanied and you leave behind pieces of skin wherever it is necessary.
At first I did not really understand what was happening, I tried a mountain of cosmetics. And then I did tests for allergens and found out a lot of little things that I had not guessed before. It turned out that I had a reaction to white flour, coffee, chicken, dill, or even karkade tea. Stress, synthetics, cold, many natural oils, wool - a lot of things do not suit me.
Separate pain is dermatologists and cosmetologists. I understand that it is difficult to tell a person that he has an incurable disease, but this is, in general, true. Dermatitis is almost not treated, it sometimes goes away, and the rest of the time it remains only to deal with the symptoms. Doctors are trying to somehow help, but most often their advice comes down to the fact that, they say, go, darling, to a place with a good climate and get rid of stress. But I have a family and work in Moscow, and a lot of things to do in Russia. I do not dream in the coming years to settle in the Italian countryside or on the alpine lawn. In general, I learned how to treat the condition of the skin and how to treat the disease (sometimes it’s very difficult to leave the house), and how it is special. It seems to me that this is a rather important skill - not to be afraid to perceive yourself in that way. Immediately you realize that people are not equal to their body. We all have to fight with him, then to establish contact.
On care, treatment and ointments for astronauts
With great difficulty, I found excellent doctors and equipment that is needed to relieve exacerbations. I need special lamps like those that stand in the solarium, as well as blood purification. But this is in extreme cases, usually enough home care. Moisturizing, moisturizing, moisturizing and no concessions. This is sometimes very annoying: if you do not put it on overnight, you wake up, but instead of skin - parchment, and it pours.
I tried to figure it out myself, yet I’m a sociologist, and I’m wondering what kind of feature it is that is considered a disease somewhere, but not a disease somewhere. This is not the rarest disease: there are separate cosmetic lines for atopic skin. But, alas, scientific articles most often describe the same unknown ailment with several main factors of exacerbation: the ecological situation, genetics, tissues, allergens.
Large concerns, such as Avène, Uriage, Vichy, produce versatile products that once fit me, but now they don’t. In addition, the skin quickly gets used, you have to change the tool every couple of months and return to it only after a year. As a result, I have a whole warehouse of care products. Another mountain lies on travel bags, because I am constantly on the road and do not always find myself on lawns with the perfect climate and water.
The most suitable products for me are Topicrem and Emolium. On trips I buy local funds. Often it is something similar, for example German Eubos, they have a brilliant line with urea. But it is exotic, for example, in Jurmala, I was advised by a local super-maz, which someone cooks on the spot. I bought it as a potion, in such a wooden house with a carved wicket. The tool turned out to be fantastic, called Rinka Ziede. True, it is on honey and smells of propolis, but nothing, at night, I just do not smell.
Here is the cream "Dawn" with floralizin - an excellent tool, or the great ointment "Unna" with lanolin, which smells like an unwashed cow. How not to recollect the God-made SDA paste, which was made to protect astronauts from radioactive radiation - its smell can frighten off not only radiation. Believe in it (in my experience, for good reason), Russian dermatologists, foreigners - no. But in the West, dermatitis is treated with lamps that are made with the same goals: their alpha rays, which were used on astronauts, treat skin cancer.
There is one good thing in this whole story - I still never have acne. If the skin is not irritated, it looks cool: smooth, no black dots, blush. Fortunately, I calmly live with some restrictions in food and clothing and acquired a useful skill: I know how to understand the types of fabrics, allergies and so on. From the caring procedures, I can not really any acids or peels. It is necessary to clean the skin anyway, so I found a suitable hammam and I go there - although I don’t need to be part of this either. Water in Moscow is generally not the best friend of a person with skin features.
About make-up
In Anthropologie a few years ago I found the most favorite products and since then I have been using them. I buy everything else from budget brands and I am very pleased with it. Lumene, for example, make very good money and keep an eye on materials. In general, I prefer small brands, especially since I have no choice with caring cosmetics.
My makeup is usually simple: I remove dark circles under the eyes, add a little blush and sometimes I sum up my eyes. I like that without makeup my face is always different, in the morning a little more plump, in the evening my cheekbones appear. Sometimes, of course, I want to be "oh!", Then I do the same, but a little more intense, and I paint the eyelashes.
I don’t really need tonal tools, besides, I don’t like it when the skin is all the same color. I love it when moles are visible, freckles, different colors of the nose and cheeks, and not the layers of foundation. Well, eyebrows - this is pain and joy. I usually go to the salon, where they are cleaned with a thread (it is fast, not painful and super level), but to correct them myself is the most annoying part in all care. I do not differ in meticulousness and accuracy: I still don’t really know how to paint my lips, even though once I even bought a perfect red lipstick. It seems that Wonderzine was inspired by this material, but I didn’t understand how to walk all day with her.
About hair, fragrance and well-being
Due to the lack of decorative cosmetics, I attach great importance to clothing, hair and smells. With perfumes, I’m almost monogamous (I think she’s changed marks from five to thirteen), I like the retro and variations on the theme of incense. My favorite scent is COMME des GARÇONS Standard. I still wear two other nice ones: Armani Privé Bois d'Encens and Russian Leather Cologne. A couple of separate words about Russian skin: this is Cologne's cologne, and I have never seen it except for Cologne. This is a local fragrance, one of the oldest, which smells like in a church on Easter. Armani did, as they say, a perfume that collected the smells of his favorite Catholic churches.
My hair is curly, but soft. A rare combination, sometimes it seems that all manufacturers of hair products against me. For some reason, they want their hair to be straight and smooth, and more - shiny. It's sad when girls straighten their curls to look more conventional. But if someone really likes direct ones, I don’t mind such experiments - I haven’t spent many years with them. All I do is moisturize it a bit and use products that remove excess fluff and make hair heavier. I also like the beach option: Sachajuan is the coolest spray for my taste. Sometimes I use hair balm instead of styling products.
I know examples of beautiful women who do exercises all their lives and look great at 85. For me, this is very important, I like to grow up, and I calmly think about old age. The main thing, I think, is not to completely ruin my posture and feel decent, so I do exercises and try to walk a lot. My healthy lifestyle is due to my skin, and I have trained myself to drink a lot: a glass of water is obligatory in the morning. Whenever possible I am engaged in boxing, there are its simple versions where you beat a pear, but not the partner. In Moscow, I ride a scooter. I try to monitor health: of course, modern technologies and cosmetics can do a lot, but it seems to me that the body is also a customizable system.
