I got some useful make up tips this week.  The first came from Afrobella in a blogpost entitled "Stop the Shining."  I didn't follow every step because I don't have all of the products, but I used the Smashbox primer that's been sitting in my train case for years, which made a big difference in this humid weather we're enduring right now.  So, step by step, I applied  in the following order:  primer, tinted moisturizer, my new tarte bronzer,

then finally loose translucent powder.  The primer improved the look of my makeup and it faded less than usual.  I also have some of those Tatcha Aburatorigam Blotting Papers Afrobella raves about.  I swear by them. 


Rather than apply powder directly onto my oily face, I blot first.  I've experimented with several brands of blotting papers including Shiseido; Papier Poudres, which are so small that I have to use two sheets every time I blot my face in the summer; some drugstore brands and others. The Tatchas are faves these days.  They're bigger than most and don't leave powder behind.  I haven't seen them here in the DC metro area - I bought some in San Francisco a few months ago, and they're available online at Tatcha.com, with free shipping.

By the way, we're entering the last week of Oprah's deals.  Beauty Habit  is offering 25% off its products, code word OPRAH at check out.  They sell Tatcha blotting papers too. 

The second tip came from a woman I met in passing.  Her makeup was lovely and I had to ask what products she used.  Turns out she studied at Barbizon way back when, where she was taught to use flesh-colored (whatever ever matches your skin color) eyeshadow as a concealer.  I thought that was a brilliant idea especially for women of color.  I have dark circles under my eyes these days that I struggle to hide. I've  used several products, most of which only do a so-so job.  I use Giorgio Armani Master Corrector in shade #2, which really does work, but in this humid/oily season, powder eyeshadow might be even better.  I bought Urban Decay's Naked Palette which has a matte color that's perfect for me.  Wonder how eyeshadow might even out skin tone on other parts of my face.

I've also read on a few blogs that if you're having trouble finding tinted moisturizer, you can make your own by adding a few drops of your foundation to whatever moisturizer you use. 

Back to purging makeup and stuff.  I'm having a hard parting with makeup - it's kind of like my attachment to Habu.