SICKA THAN AVERAGE

Tell me if this sounds familiar. It's a cold, winter morning and you're getting ready to start your day. You take your shower, do your hair, lotion up, get dressed and apply your makeup. Maybe you feet inspired that day and decide to put some oomph into your look, so you take your time applying on concealer, powder, and blush, brushing on various shades to contour and shade your eyes, and sealing the deal with lipstick and lip gloss. When your work is done, you stare at your reflection in admiration. It's gonna be a good day. You then reach for all your winter garb — coat, scarf, hat, etc. — and prepare to head out the door. But, much to your chagrin, you feel overheated in a matter of seconds and beads of sweat start to gather along your upper lip and brow. Great, you think. My makeup is already melting. When you finally venture outside, you're actually slightly relieved because the cold air will dry your makeup back up. But, in a matter of minutes, you'll be inside a car or subway station, bundled up from head to toe, and sweating through your powder all over again. 

And that, my friends, is what makes keeping your makeup intact during the winter time such an ordeal. So how do you keep it in check? Well, when you feel yourself starting to perspire, battle the excess oil right away with some quality blotting papers, such as
Tatcha's Aburatorigami Japanese blotting papers. These handmade abacus leaf papers were originally created for gold leaf artisans in Japan but became popular with geishas in the 1800s for their skin benefits (mainly, their ability to absorb excess oil and hence safeguard you against clogged pored and breakouts) — and now, they're launching in the US!

These all-natural, handmade, abacus leaf and gold flake sheets make a crunchy, rippling sound as you pull them out of their envelope-like pack. You might be reminded of parchment paper or the tissue paper used in gift wrapping when you first hold one of the sheets — but, once you get over any surprises in texture and actually pat your skin with a Tatcha blotting paper, you'll be wowed. What most amazed me about the blotting papers was how much oil they managed to absorb. There were times when I felt a bit of moisture on my face and reached for a Tatcha blotting paper, expecting to see only a pea-sized amount of moisture on the sheet once I was finished blotting — and, instead, the sheet would end up looking soaked, having absorbed excess oils that I wasn't even aware had crept onto my face.

And, while it would be inaccurate to say that it left my makeup completely intact, I did find that the amount of cosmetic product removed by the oil blotting process was minimal. Best of all, you don't have to worry about your makeup looking cake-y or smeared as a result of perspiration.

Tatcha Aburatorigami Japanese blotting papers, $12 per pack (30 sheets in a pack); $30 for a three-pack. Available at Tatcha.com

***GIVEAWAY ALERT!***

Want to try the Tatcha blotting papers for yourself? Well, 5 lucky STA readers will have a chance to do so. To enter for a chance to win a free pack of Tatcha Aburatorigami blotting papers, leave a comment below. Five winners will be chosen at random by midnight on November 13th, Please note you must be a US resident to enter! Good luck, ladies!