Friday Faves: Mattifiers

This week’s Friday Faves post is all about my favourite mattifying products. My skin isn’t oily – my skin is an oil slick! Some days it’s so bad that you can see little beads of sebum on my nose and the shine - oh, the shine! Unfortunately I still haven’t managed to find a holy grail product that keeps the oil and shine at bay, but this lovely lot make sure it’s not so bad.

  LOTIONS & POTIONS                                                                                                             

  MURAD T-ZONE PORE REFINING GEL*                                                                                                              

I’ve been meaning to review this for quite some time, but I absolutely love this stuff. I apply it underneath my moisturiser and it helps hold the shine off for a few hours. Unfortunately I’ve found that the longer I’ve used it the less effective it has become. However it makes an excellent base for my moisturiser and also my makeup. A tad on the pricey side at £45 though.

  MONU PURE CONTROL MATTIFYING LOTION                                                                                                 

Great lotion, great size. I don’t have anything bad to say about this product. It feels slightly powdery when you apply it and makes my skin feel a little tacky so it’s the perfect base for applying makeup. Again, it doesn’t stop the oil slick but prolongs a matte finish. At £14 it’s very affordable and will last absolutely ages.

  MURAD OIL-CONTROL MATTIFIER SPF15*                                                                                                        

I’ve mentioned before that I don’t usually tend to use SPF daily, I know, I know, no lectures please. I do however use it when I’ve had an abrasive treatment the day/night before to protect my skin from the sun. The awful thing about SPF lotions is that they can be quite heavy, so it’s difficult to find moisturisers containing SPF that don’t make my face look like a deep-fat fryer. It’s not what I’d reach for daily, but perfect for me after microdermabrasion or a glycolic peel. Quite pricey at around the £33 mark but great if you use SPF.

  GOOD THINGS MIRACLE MATTIFIER MOISTURISER                                                                                    

This smells gorgeous! Subtle blackcurrant without being overpowering or sickly. It’s not the best mattifyer, but it’s a lovely light moisturiser so doesn’t send my skin into oil production overdrive. It’s the cheapest lotion of all of them though, coming in at an insanely affordable £8 for a massive 100ml tube.

  BLOTTING PAPERS                                                                                                                 

When my mattifiers can’t hold off the shine I use blotting papers to dab away the excess shine.

  PAUL & JOE BLOTTING PAPER                                                                                                                              

These papers aren’t the best blotting papers, I tend to use them every couple of hours but not if my face is really shiny. They don’t really pick up much oil so they’re better for minor touch ups. The papers are very papery (go figure, haha) – by this I mean not entirely absorbent. I’d say they’re slightly overpriced at £10.50, but the compact packaging is just too cute.

  PRRETI OIL CONTROL FILM*                                                                                                                                

These babies are the daddy of blotting papers. I reviewed them here and they’re still my favourites. They’re not papers, they’re more like plastic sheets that absorb all of the excess oil on my face. The packaging has nothing on the Paul & Joe compact, but the sheets are fantastic. And at $5.99 they're as cheap as chips.

So those are my Friday Faves – have you tried any of these products? 
What do you use to keep the shine and excess oil away?

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Murad Christmas Kits - Perfect Balance

I recently attended a Murad Blogger Event and got to hear some top skincare tips from the man himself – Dr Murad. But not only did we get some great ips, we also got to see what’s new in the house of Murad – The Murad Christmas Kits.

There are five different kits available, all of which aim to treat different issues, so there’s something for everyone no matter what your skin type. The products inside also massively exceed the kit’s price tag so they’re great if you just want to test a few things without bankrupting yourself!

I chose the Perfect Balance Kit*, which contains:

T-Zone Pore Refining Gel– 60ml
Blemish Treatment Concealer in Medium – 2.6g
Oil-Control Mattifier SPF 15 – 10ml
Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture for Eyes – 3.5ml

Altogether these products are worth almost £90, but the kit retails for just £42.50 – which I think I pretty darn good.

T-Zone Pore Refining Gel – I’ll be doing a review on this soon as it’s special enough to warrant it’s own post. First impressions are fantastic though, so watch this space.

Blemish Treatment Concealer – Unfortunately I got this in medium so there won’t be any sort of review on this. However you can see the concealer in action in my Difference IsClear post. The concealer also comes in light (pale beige) and dark (coffee coloured) however, not as part of the set.

Oil-Control Mattifier – Again I’ll be reviewing this separately. But I’m liking it so far.

Hydro-Dynamic Ultimate Moisture for Eyes – I’m not a big eye-cream user, but I like the fact that it’s in there. The full size is fairly expensive so this is a great way to try it.

Bottom line: At £42.50 it’s still on the pricey side, but considering what you’re getting it’s definitely worth it. It’s a great Christmas gift for a loved one or just a treat for yourself!

Murad Christmas Kits are available to buy now on the Murad website, prices start at £36.
The other kits available include, Complete Renewal, Hybrids, Hydration Sensation and Radiance Rescue.

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The difference is clear ...

The #TFWOC Project has really got me thinking about how underrepresented ‘WOC’ are in the beauty industry. Don’t get me wrong, things have improved massively over the last few years and it’s rare to find a high-end brand that doesn’t stock a huge range of tones in their foundations and powders (apart from Benefit, you guys can stick your bloody Hello Flawless! *sulks*).

Although it’s still not enough.

I went to a Collection 2000 event recently, and was shown the new foundations that they’re bringing out – none of which cater for dark skin. Rimmel, Bourjois, and L’Oreal (amongst many others!) also do not cater for WOC and I think it’s just a little ridiculous.

But I decided to do a little experiment, ‘Mohammed and the mountain’ style.

 Yes, that’s me. White. Haiii Hello Flawless.

I used Murad BlemishTreatment Concealer* in Medium, and Vichy Dermablend Ultra Corrective Cream Stick. Both of these products are available in 'dark' shades, albeit somewhat limited ranges. Nonetheless, Murad and Vichy, give yourselves a pat on the back.

Unless things start improving, this may become my daily look – and trust me, it’s 10x scarier in real life. My mum pretty collapsed when she saw ‘me’.
 Beware; I may just be lurking under your bed …

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