Q: I am looking for a makeup foundation with pink and cool undertones. I have visited several makeup counters and have not found any. The cool undertones they have are yellow or orange, and don’t match my skin. I also do not want any glitter in it no matter how tiny the particles. Any advice? — Paula Gruskin, Dunwoody
A: Paula, I went to my makeup guru, Karen Duncan — the Makeup Mechanic — to get your answer. Obviously, since she hasn’t seen your skin and coloring, she couldn’t give you a specific shade, but she did offer some advice that should help you find the ideal foundation. First, she suggests that you break away from higher-end brands and look into more “common” labels, including Maybelline, Almay and L’Oreal, which may surprise you by offering a wider range of options. Less expensive brands allow you to buy several colors to mix since it’s nearly impossible to find an exact match.
“My go-to store is ULTA: high-end brands on one side, midrange on the other. I even like the lighting in there so that I can really tell the colors apart,” Duncan said.
Glitter, sparkle, shimmer, shine and dewy options come from an ingredient called mica, and you’re wise to stay away — unless you’re in your 20s.
“The concept of bouncing light is a big bunch of hooey, unless you are in a controlled lighting situation for still photographs. It’s distracting and does nothing,” she said.
Finally, Duncan suggests that you trust your eyes.
"You can see the color difference."
Q: I am looking for speculoos cookies. These are simple, little spicy cookies that taste almost like a cinnamon graham cracker, only better. I just spent a few months in Europe and I loved these cookies, which were usually served with coffee in cafes. Are they available anywhere in the Atlanta area? Thank you. — Mary Baldwin, email
A: Oh, Mary, not only are the fabulous, buttery speculoos available in Atlanta, but there’s also a magical concoction that could be considered speculoos to the 10th power: speculoos cookie spread. More about that later. You have a choice of at least two brands of speculoos cookies. First, there’s the one you’re probably familiar with, Lotus Biscoff speculoos from Belgium. These are often served alongside coffee in European cafes and on many flights. You’ll find Biscoff in 8.8-ounce packages for $3.49 at Cost Plus World Market, 3330 Piedmont Road, Atlanta, 404-814-0801. Visit Trader Joe’s, 3183 Peachtree Road, Atlanta, 404-842-0907, and you’ll find the store brand of speculoos cookies. A 7-ounce box will cost you $1.99. Now, while the cookies are pretty great, the cookie spread will turn a spoon, or your index finger, into a speculoos. Trader Joe’s offers its TJ’s brand of speculoos cookie butter and Cost Plus World Market stocks Biscoff European cookie spread — think peanut butter but better because it’s made with cookies.
Q: I once saw an item on television that removed pills from blister packs. I’ve checked all the drugstores, but to no avail. Can you help? — Art Genzale, email
A: Art, I'm not sure what the gadget you saw looked like, but I found an affordable foil pill pack opener that should do the trick so that you don't have to wage war on those maddening blister packs. Check out www.hopepaige.com and look for Pop it!, which is a simple little plastic gadget that easily pops open foil pill packs. Each Pop it! sells for $1.99. If you want to phone in your order, call 877-651-5185 and request SKU HC-111.
Q: I have been searching for Heinz India Relish. Last time I bought a case from Amazon. Now I can’t even find it there. I wrote H.J. Heinz but they replied that they did not know of any sales locations within 100 miles. Please help if you can. Thanks again. — Greg Straessle, Vinings
A: Greg, I’ve found that, sometimes, you have to check back with Amazon. What’s there one week might not be there the next, but it could pop back up at any time. That’s the case with Heinz India Relish, which you can now order through Amazon, $23.39 for a pack of three 10-ounce jars. Heinz is credited for coming up with the sweet-and-sour relish in the late 1800s. At one time it included green tomatoes, cauliflower, onions and celery. Today, the list of ingredients is abbreviated when it comes to vegetables — cucumbers, a bit of cabbage and a dab of dehydrated red bell peppers — that’s it. You’ll also find high-fructose corn syrup and food coloring (yellow and blue) in today’s India Relish. By the way, India Relish was a key ingredient in Ernest Hemingway’s Wild West hamburger, which was shared by the JFK Library a few years ago.
