So I am a busy bee normally runnning from one place to the next, enjoying my day and going from one makeup lesson to having a bride to my home for their Bridal Consultation. I am normally too absorbed in what I am doing to take a quick peak in the mirror and always find the same mess! Oily skin. I know I am always speaking of my oily skin, but it is truly out of control! Normally before I begin an appointment with a client I will blot and powder and try to degrease in any way that I can, but it is during the middle to end of the consultation when I have turned into a complete oil spill! I will be speaking to a client with such confidence and I am sure they are thinking "I hope she doesn’t make my skin look like hers!", or "I wonder if she knows her skin is so shiny?". I don’t know? I have decided to really try to combat this oily skin and try a couple different products. It is one thing to try a product on one of my clients, but I do like to be a guinea pig so I know what I recommending.

 I recently did a photo shoot because I need more pictures of myself for my websites (www.make-upenvy.com and www.askamakeupguru.com). The weather in Denver, CO USA was almost 100 degrees and I am pregnant so it felt more like 120 degrees!  We choose an alley believe it or not behind some houses and found so many unique backgrounds. I was changing from one long sleeved tunic to the next and sometimes wearing a hijab (scarf). I tried a new product before I left the house to see how it would work in such heat, Chanel T-Mat Shine Control. I used it after an oil free moisturzer and hoped for the best! I ended up loving this product! My skin was not excessively oily even hours into the shoot and I didn’t even use my MAC Blot Powder.

So here are a couple tips to keep your skin shine free!

1. Try a cleanser with either Salicylic Acid or Glycolic Acid to really combat the oil. Use day and night.

2. Do use a toner, but not one that will strip your skin using a lot of alcohol.

3. Eventhough your skin is oily you still need to moisturize, so use a lightweight oil free moisturizer during the day and something a little more moisturizing at night. Sometimes your skin will over compensate for lack of oil by producing more oil!

4. Use an oil free foundation. I use a powder foundation, but there are plently of great matte liquid formulas out there.

5. During the day before you powder make sure to use a blotting sheet to remove the excess oil from the skin and not add a "cakey" look by placing powder over the oil on the skin. I love Palladio Rice Paper Blotting Sheets!

6. Use an ultra sheer powder that is meant for touching up throughout the day. A foundation powder is much too heavy, so I like MAC Blot Powder, Chanel Shine Control Powder SPF 15 and Cargo Liquid Powder.

Now every woman may not need all of this maintenance throughout the day, but for those who have extremely oily skin or live in humid climates then oily or shiny skin can be a big concern! For a woman who experiences oiliness just in her t-zone area then a simple blotting paper or a sheer powder might work for you. Stay cool this summer and shine free!

 I love to chat! Click on comments below and chat with me while you’re here . I would love to hear your feedback and input. I’m listening. Have a makeup or bridal question go ahead an email me at danica@askamakeupguru.com .

Unfortunently like so many other women, I suffer from occasional breakouts and am a maniac about prevention to avoid the embarrassing blemish in the first place. You have all heard me go on and on about my love glycolic acid, but in a close second I am flirting with salicylic acid. I found this amazing mask recipe and have been recommending it to all of my clients of Make-up Envy and have been whipping up some batches of my own! Anything that will exfoliate my skin and make it look more refined and rid of these large pores of mine, I am a huge fan! So to any of you ladies or gentlemen who want to fight off the blemish before it begins and are thinking long term about your skin, try this really easy mask!

1. Take 3 - 4 uncoated aspirin pills and place on a small plate.

2. Sprinkle several drops of water on them, just enough to make them start to dissolve. They should dissolve right before your eyes. Use your fingers to help break down the aspirin more. It should be grainy & slightly wet.

3. Squirt about 2 drops of honey on the water & aspirin. Use your fingers to mix them all together into a grainy paste.

4. Apply the mixture all over your face, avoiding the eye area.

5. Leave on for 10 - 15 minutes.

6. Add some warm water to your face with your hands & scrub gently for a few minutes.

7. Finally, rinse off completely & use your favorite toner & moisturizer.

Your skin has been left more smooth and soft!

But how does this work, you might ask?

Aspirin contains salicylic acid, a beta hydroxy acid that helps to slough off dead cells and clear clogged pores and reduce production of skin oil. This mask makes great use of aspirin’s skin-clearing abilities as well as honey’s moisturizing effect.

Since aspirin is an acid, it shouldn’t be used too often because it can irritate skin. Every other day should be fine, but it really depends on your own skin. You should not use it if you’re allergic to aspirin or are currently pregnant.