Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Smashbox Anti-Shine/Anti-Brilliance

This has got to be some kind of magic...this face primer actually helps my oily complexion! I say help and not cure because that would just be asking for miracles from a beauty product.

I have super oily skin. It can get so bad to the point that I'm blotting my face every two hours, and if I don't blot then my face looks like a greasy mess.

There are plenty of face primers on the market, and I've tried other primers such as the famous, and usually well-liked, Smashbox Photofinish primer. The texture was very smooth and soft and it left my skin feeling the same, but it didn't help with the oilies. There are also some drugstore brand primers, but those weren't contenders either.

The search for a primer seemed hopeless, until I read on www.temptalia.com that Urban Decay had come out with a new face primer, Deslick in a Tube, which was supposed to be a gel version of their Deslick powder. It seemed like a good product to try since this primer was formulated without the traditional silicone - it's main mattifying ingredient is Magnesium Aluminum Silicate. I was all on board until Temptalia mentioned another product - Smashbox's Anti-Shine, which gave more product for a $1 less and was already in stores. No waiting involved.

So I went to Sephora, asked for a sample and went home and tried it. For goodness sake's it was amazing. I generally only apply it to areas that get oily: forehead, nose, cheeks, upper lip and chin, so this product isn't all over my face and jawline. (It covers a good portion of my face though!) It doesn't completely stop the oil from coming through but a little bit of oil is all right and it gives my skin a dewy look.

The texture of the product is a bit dry but it blends out well enough if you work with small amounts. I tried using a large amount of product and it dried too quickly and made my foundation look cakey. It can also make your face feel very tight if you apply too much, so just a word of warning. Also, if you don't blend it out well enough you can see where it has been applied. Another thing that can happen is the product will pill on your face if you rub it too much. It sounds like there are a lot of cons or aspects you have to watch out for, but I definitely think it's worth not having to blot every couple of hours.

I'd recommend this primer if you are in the market for one and silicone-based ones don't seem to be working for you.

Pros: keeps most oil at bay, helps my foundation stay in place, also helps keep my cheek color product in place (which is a big help since my blush is always disappearing)

Cons: need to work quickly and in small amounts, can feel tight if too much is applied and/or make foundation look cakey

It's available at Sephora and the Smashbox website for $27 and comes in one color: neutral.

Image from: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21jjiIR9Q4L._AA300_.jpg

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