Harem pants and more.

Harem pants. Either you love em or hate em, this trend brings me back to the days of Aladdin. Since I didn't want to spend money on experimenting with them, I dug up a pair of old pants my gramma was getting rid of. With a bit of hemming here and there done by my mom, I had pair of harem pants for $0!

$$$ saving tip: Dig through your gramma, aunt or mom's closet for old clothing items that can be altered into something modern. Fashion does repeat itself. 

I can't get enough of my red patent leather pumps from Ross, which I bought a few years ago. I think shoes should be comfortable, which you cannot find at a Payless, F21, Target and so forth. Spend a little more and go for comfort rather than something super-trendy. Trends come and go, but classic shoes remain.

I don't know about you, but my skin becomes a mirror for others in the summer and it drives me crazy. So I was grateful when Allure magazine had an article on Going to the Matte by J. Courtney Sullivan. Some helpful suggestions:

1. Wash Right- Use a face wash that contains 2% salicylic acid to help break down oil in pores without overdrying skin.

2. Don't Scrimp on Sunblock- UV light takes water out of your skin and increases the size of sebaceous glands, stimulating oil-production (I highly recommend La Roche-Posay Anthelios sunblock for oily skin, it's light and non-greasy. You can find it at your local CVS store).

3. Lighten up on moisturizer- If you normally use a cream, switch to a light moisturizer or serum. Also, try using lotions with salicylic or glycolic acid and caffeine to improve texture.

4. Scale back on makeup- The less you wear in the summer, the better. Perspiration makes pores and imperfections more noticeable and can cause clogged pores, which results to acne and oil production. Try using a moisterizer with silicone, since it doesn't seep into your pores. Mineral powder is a great substitute (I like Bare Escentuals mineral powder foundation).

5. Blot your heart out- Instead of powder puffing your skin until it looks cakey, try using oil-blotting papers instead. They soak up the excess oil and you can use them as many times as you'd like.

6. Become an aesthetician- Try giving yourself a facial twice a week to help control shine. Begin by exfoliating your face once a week and follow up with an oil-absorbing mask (I like ones that contain sulfur or clay).

7. Watch what you eat- Spicy food and alcohol dilate blood vessels, which turn into perspiration= oilyness. Choose foods high in vitamin A, such as carrots, cantaloupe and spinach. Accutane, the drug used to combat oily and acne-prone skin, is a form of vitamin A (this tip was the most surprising to me).

8. See your doctor- If over-the-counter products don't work, consult a derm to see if they can prescribe you topical treatments and antibiotics (I personally don't recommend antibiotics, having gone through it...once you stop taking them, they return with a vengeance).