An Ophthalmologist’s Guide to Shopping the Drugstore

If I have an event and I’m getting my makeup done, I use a drop of Lumify. As an ophthalmologist, I don’t recommend it for daily use; it can cause an aggressive allergic reaction at higher doses. Also, since Lumify vasoconstricts your blood vessels to make your eyes white, if you use it daily, you’re training those blood vessels to stay constricted. When you don’t use it, you’ll have the opposite reaction, an aggressive vasodilation and redness. All that said, using it once in a while for special occasions is fantastic. I realized this when a makeup artist came to my house about three months ago. Before doing my eye makeup, she asked if I wanted Lumify. I was like, “Why?” And she’s like, “It’ll just make you look more awake.” She put a drop in and I was like, “Oh my goodness, this is fantastic.” My eyes were so white. I knew it did that, but I never thought about using it from a cosmetic standpoint.

I’m Korean, and Koreans are obsessed with staying out of the sun. I wearsunblockevery day, even if I know I’m not going to go outside or it’s a cloudy day — it’s just part of my routine. I have tried pretty much everysunscreenunder the sun. I likephysical SPFover chemical because you don’t have to reapply and it blocks the sun longer. It’s just that the formulations are hard. They leave a cast or are too oily or thick. You have to find the right one. I like La Roche-Posay’s 100 percent tinted mineral sunscreen because it’s very light and doesn’t leave my skin greasy like other formulas. It does leave a little bit of a cast, but that’s the pitfall of a physical SPF. I like the tinted version because it matches my skin tone. I also learned from a friend of mine,Dr. David Kim, that the tint adds another layer of protection in addition to the titanium dioxide.

My colorist,Liz JungatMèche Salon, freaking hates it when I use this. (If you have a great colorist like Liz, they’ll forgive you.) I’d be lying if I said I go to the salon every six weeks to do my roots and highlights even though I’m in the hair world. I just don’t have time. This is easy, takes ten minutes, and is semi-permanent. I apply it right where my grays are around my bangs. It lets me go another eight-to-12 weeks without sitting in the salon chair for hours and hours. If you want to be obsessive, you can use a purple shampoo orsulfate-free shampooto keep the color longer, but I think it really sticks if you’re treating white hair specifically.

These are the best. I’ve tried them all: Korean brands, Hero, Starface. These might have been one of the first to come out with the micro-dart technology. I think that does make a difference. I use them overnight when I feel a zit about to emerge, and they stop it in its tracks. They’re on the expensive side — almost $5 a sticker — but worth it. I will say, because they’re pricey, they’re not a good solution for your teenage child. Mine tries to put like 20 on his face. I’m like, “Babe, this is not for you. This is for Mommy.” But if you’re an older woman not in puberty and you get the occasional pimple, this is the superiorzit sticker.

I’m Korean, and my eyelid fold is thinner. I do like an occasional cat eye, so I need precision with myeyeliner. I’ve tried liquid eyeliners with brushes that start tiny but get thicker. It’s funny; this is something I used when I was a teenager, but it’s cheap and it works. It has the tiniest brush, so it’s very precise. And it’s totally waterproof. It doesn’t move or smudge, even if you have oily lids or smaller eyelid folds.

For some reason, my kids like to use my sink to wash up at night. Everyone from my 9-year-old to my acne-prone children to me uses thiscleanser. It’s gentle and effective and doesn’t have actives or those microbeads in them. (As an ophthalmologist, I have a patient come in because of one stuck in their eye maybe every other month.) This is a tried-and-true brand, is hypoallergenic, doesn’t have fragrance, and does the job. All my derm friends love it. I even have one who carries it in her office for her patients’ convenience.

I bought thiseye creamon a whim a while back because it has brightening agents like vitamin C and niacinamide. I loved it so much I started recommending it to patients. Then they’d start coming in and telling me their crepiness was gone or improved. Because of my job, I get to look at that area of skin under the microscope a lot. With some of my long-term patients I see every six-to-eight weeks, I have actually seen their skin get plumper over time after using this.

I first came across Bioderma when it was available only in Europe. I loved that itremoved my eye makeupwithout leaving any oily residue. I’ve tried other brands and all the dupes, but this is the best. Make sure it’s the pink Sensibio bottle because it’s hypoallergenic and good for sensitive eyes. Before it was available in the States, I actually found a way to get it shipped from France and stocked it at my private practice for patients. A lot of them ask how to get all their eye makeup removed. What I have them do is soak a pad with Bioderma, hold it on their eyes for at least 15 seconds, and swipe off the makeup gently without tugging on the skin. Then they repeat it one more time.

Because I’m a weirdo, I actually had someone do this in a clinic so I could see under the microscope whether it really got rid of all the debris. The key is to soak your lashes, not just swipe. It seems extra, but I see all the buildup on people’s eyes under a microscope. I’m talking eyeliner, weeks’ worth ofmascara, glitter, and eye shadow from a month ago still lodged at the base of their lashes. When you don’t fully take off your eye makeup, it really weakens the lash follicle. You can have eyelashes fall out and difficulty growing them because of all the debris. It’s funny, I’m a hair-care co-founder and I care about the hair on your eyes, too.