And We Say NO to Shine

Last month Target set up their monstrous Back To School section (I took my kids to see it, just to scare 'em). Hobby Lobby currently has Thanksgiving decor on sale. Catalogs are filling up my mail box featuring cozy sweaters. The espadrilles are gone at Nordstrom; instead, there are riding boots. And I'm knitting, not one, not two, but 3 scarves.

But none of this activity changes the fact. And that fact is that it is August in Texas. And it is hot, real hot. And it's going to stay hot for a real long time. My friend Rebecca came up with the idea that we should buy sundresses in brown, so we feel like we're participating in Fall, but will still be comfortable.

We welcome Guest Blogger and DIY Maven, Ann Byrd who will share one of her new favorite products to beat the summer heat:

One day I looked in the mirror and noticed my face was shiny…really shiny. And not in that, “Look at me, I’m positively glowing” way. I told myself it was just an extra humid day; because after all I do live in Texas and it’s summer time. Needless to say, the shine did not go away (hence the blog post at Bustle's request). I began researching and trying various primer products. Patiently trying all these different products reminded me of the story of Goldy Locks and the Three Bears …”this one is too slimy”, “this one is too stinky”, “this one is too chalky”…and when I got to Rimmel London Stay Matte Primer I thought, “this one is just right”.

Admittedly it takes some practice to make this product work well but I found that to be the case with all the primers I tried since I hadn’t previously used a primer. As the name suggests, it gives an overall smoother look to my skin and helps to fill in fine lines. It’s a bright white color so it also evens out my skin tone before applying my foundation. And most important of all it stops my face from looking shiny. It stops the shine all day – which means from work in the morning, to various afternoon activities, to yoga class at night. The instructions say “use alone, under or over makeup”. For me it works best under my makeup. It is packaged in a 1 fl oz tube and I’ve become so fond of this product that I now order two tubes at a time from Amazon. The Amazon price is better than all of my local chain drugstores.

Much thanks to Ann for her recommendation! Do you have tips for staying cool or cool looking? Send your ideas to us.