Yesterday when I was poking around the Smashbox website, I stumbled across a professional makeup tip that tops all other professional makeup tips! I've mentioned before that my great beauty woe is having dark circles under my eyes that remain no matter how much sleep I get. It's a genetic thing -- my father has them, too. On better days, I consider them "soulful" or even "unique", but to tell you the truth, I'd buy just about any product to get rid of them.

After reading about concealer application on the Smashbox site, I realized that it was possible that part of my problem was not the product but the application. You see, usually, I paint on my concealer in one direction, starting at the corner of my eye, and traveling along occipital ridge (check it: physiology knowledge). Smashbox suggests using a cross-hatch pattern with the concealer brush starting directly under your eye. This morning, I tried the new technique out, and I'll be a monkey's uncle -- it worked!

Oh how I love you my new cross-hatch makeup application technique!