Now here's another rule
tip for you: as we age, our skin becomes less lustrous. Which you might think is a good thing. After all, shine is bad, right?
Well ... maybe. Nobody wants to relive their days of high school/high beams. Nobody wants to look like an oil-slick--but go too matte and powdery, and you start to look embalmed.
I've already mentioned that every beauty expert on the face of the earth advises us to wear less makeup as we get older--and that I disagree. But I do think it's important to let the natural texture of your skin show. Especially if you've painstakingly cleansed, toned, moisturized and sun-screened your face. You're probably using at least one product that promises to brighten your complexion with optical diffusers. Don't you want your hard work to show?
So whatever you do, don't keep touching up with powder during the day. Instead, whip out a packet of blotting papers and blot off the shine. You'll absorb the extra oil and perspiration, and you'll do it without powdering over the beautiful glow you achieved from your skincare and makeup.
Do I need to show you Baby Jane again?
A few years ago it was well-nigh impossible to find blotting papers. People scoured beauty supply stores to find Palladio papers, because the only other blotting papers available were by Shu Uemera, and they cost ridiculous amounts of money.Well, now there are all kinds available. Every makeup line seems to be producing them, and at all kinds of prices.
Drugstore Lines
When I was at Blissdom in February, I went to the E.L.F. party and came away with a packet of their papers.
I just love them. And you get 50 for $1.50.Noevir Japanese papers are available on Amazon, 100 for $3.30.
Clean & Clear papers are also very popular, at 50 for $5.69.
Sonia Kashuk has 100 sheets for $6.99 at Target.
Boutique and Department Store lines
Now that the word has gotten out on blotting papers, everyone has gotten into the act, and of course, the prices are all over the place. Naturally, the packaging on these little packets is adorable--but you're the only person who's going to see it, so why spend the extra money? Let's see how high they can go.
Too-Faced has 100 for $12.99.
Sephora has 50 sheets for $10.00.
Shu Uemura has 40 sheets for $12.00
And MAC's Blot Film offers 30 super special sheets for $13.50. Ding ding ding! We have a winner! That's 45 cents each time you blot the shine off your nose. Why? Because they're film, not paper. Hey, at that price, they should be film of Marie Antoinette eating cake. You might as well blot your face with dollar bills.
A dirt-cheap alternative
Thrifty chicks use Starbucks napkins. I kid you not.
OK, ladies--it's a sunny Friday afternoon, and it's time to start enjoying the weekend. Have fun! (And leave a comment if you think I'm picking on MAC. After all, nobody likes an internet bully.)
A makeup artist that I really like told me to spend most of my time preparing the canvas. So while I wear less eye makeup now, I pay way more attention to priming, foundation, concealer. And having done all that, would infinitely prefer to blot than to start all over again.
ReplyDeleteSage advice my dear. No, make that cilantro, 'cause it's bigger and better. I use papers from the Body Shop. I don't know the price as I tend to buy and then starve the family for a month, but they work really well. LPC...yes, I agree. It's all about the canvas and some women look like they need to be dunked in turpentine to take the layers of powder off. Yuk. The only powder I have noticed doesn't seem to build is the very expensive Smashbox one. My daughter bought it for me at Christmas and it really is different from anything else I've tried.
ReplyDeleteBossy? Girl,you are hilarious. If I've gotta learn about this stuff (& I guess I do) it's better to hear your raucous nudging in the ribs and kind mentions of foibles & foolishness right out there in the glaring noonday sun. Than get brainwashed (& soaked) by an agent of corporate beautydom whose only interest is his/her own cash stream.
ReplyDeleteI've learned things. And I was glad to read what you said about black, which I've been subtly commenting on to my (same age as me) assistant for 10 years now and she won't listen.
Also, turtleneck shirts...? If you wear them all winter (& who doesn't) try only wearing white ones, so that what is close to your face is white and whatever (often dark) color sweater or shirt you wear over it is not.
Thanks, Poppy!
Poppy where I live it is so hot and humid that I blot about a million times a day. I'm fond of Shiseido blotters but they are a tad 'spensive. Thankyou for commneting on my blog! Whenever I see Chicago I think of Oprah, and then of course Barrack.
ReplyDeleteGo ahead! Pick on MAC, see if I care!
ReplyDeleteI love blotting papers! I discovered these last summer, and now have a pack in my purse, a pack in my car, and a pack in the bathroom. LOVE!
ReplyDeleteDude. I use toilet paper. One ply. No lie. That cheap stuff they use in public restrooms is the best.
ReplyDeleteI would probably die before I reapplied powder. Not because of how it might look, because of how it feels. It makes me feel like I am wearing a mask. Ugh. I have a real phobia about it.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother (the one born in 1898/died in 1973) had blotting papers. They were a good size, were like thick tissue, and had a faint powdery smell. I loved the idea of them when I was a little girl. I wish I could find something like them now. Those rubbery Clean & Clear things work well enough, but the aesthetics just aren't there.
ReplyDeleteI love that you want to make sure you're not bossing us (nothing worse than a bossy blogger). Also, I wanted to tell you I finally changed the name of your blog on my blogroll.
ReplyDeletexo,
SL
Seriously, women our age still have issues with shine? My skin is so dry that it absorbs any and all moisture and I still need to apply more a few times a day.
ReplyDeleteI blot wirh whatever lunch napkin I have handy. Or my sleeve. Sad. I've heard that the toilet seat liners make great blotters.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that works are those thin toilet seat paper covers. I kid you not. Our office has a dispenser of them on the wall and they are great for midday shine control! You can find them in travel packs as well. I cut them up into face sized pieces and put them in a ziplock bag.
ReplyDelete