BUDGET BELLE: Shiny Happy People

So we've talked about heat, humidity and frizzy hair - you know, just a few of the reasons we all love summer. Let me add one more thing to the list: oily skin. I know, I know - it's gross. You spend the time trying to look nice and then a few hours later you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and notice that not only has some of your make-up mysteriously disappeared, but your face has also become so shiny that you worry about blinding other people. I feel your pain.

There's no real way to combat "shiny face syndrome" (SFS), but you can try to minimize the damage. First, drink a lot of water - I'm talking more than the regular 6-8 glasses per day. The easiest way for me to do that is to carry an aluminum water bottle around with me. If you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated. If you're dehydrated, your skin gets angry. You don't want angry skin.

Second, do NOT - I repeat, do NOT try to cover up SFS with more make-up. It's not a great idea to cover an already oily face with more make-up; the oil will absorb your make-up, sucking it into your pores, creating more dirt, debris and all-around gross stuff and make more oil. Yet another Catch-22. Now, you're probably wondering what the point of this post is if I'm telling you not to cover up your oil patches with make-up. There's a method the madness, folks. While you should NOT cover SFS with more-make-up, you can get rid of the oil and then re-apply. Slight deviation there.

How do you get rid of the oil? Oil-absorbing sheets. These little babies are magic. Take one sheet and blot it against your face. Your forehead, nose and chin are usually the oiliest parts of your face (T-zone), so I usually blot there first. Don't be afraid to use a second sheet to go over everything again to make sure you get as much excess oil as you can. Once you're shine-free, you can re-apply your make-up as needed.

I'm partial to the Clean & Clear brand, as I see no point in paying at least twice the price for one of the fancier brands at Sephora when they do the exact same thing. Go to the face wash/moisturizer aisle in your nearest drugstore and you should be able to find these near the Clean & Clear and Neutrogena brands. They come in a pocket-sized business-card-ish holder with about 50 sheets per box and run anywhere from $3-$5, depending on where you live.

Another piece of ammunition in the fight against summer havoc. Here you go, folks. Use it wisely (and often!)