REVIEW: Essence All About Matt! Powder
First off, I'd like to apologize for my absence from blogging for the past week or so. The end of October seems to be crazy at work every year, and this time around I had the added bonus of an iPhone in the toilet situation that has rendered me somewhat flustered. But here I am, my phone seems to be functioning as well as can be expected after a swim and three days hanging out a pantyhole foot inside a bag of rice and I've got a review that actually seems somewhat timely. It always seems like times of stress are times where I need a little midday powder pick me up to make me seem less shiny and out of my mind.
This product actually came recommended to me by a friend to whom I'm usually the one giving recommendations. She and I both share a love for all things Essence, so whenever one of us finds a real winner product from the line before the other it has to get the nod. I picked this up a couple of weeks ago now and I've been putting it to the test pretty vigorously.
Keep reading for my thoughts...
From the Essence website:
if you prefer pressed powder, this fine, compact powder is for you! it can be applied above foundation to mattify your skin and set your make-up. for a matt, natural and smooth complexion. it’s perfect when you’re out and about with your girls!
I own a few other loose powders of this nature, from E.L.F. to Make Up Forever and Laura Mercier, and no matter how great they are I really tend to find them inconvenient. For me, a pressed powder will always get the nod before a loose powder, if only because it's easy to toss it in my bag or in my desk and not have to worry about making a mess when I need a little quick touch up, but it can actually be really hard to find a powder in this format at the drugstore. Score another one for Essence!
First of all... How cute is this little compact? Now, granted, like most other Essence products it doesn't have a luxe kind of a look to it, but I find the clear packaging and simple text that have been featured on a lot of their products to be really enjoyable. This baby is sturdy, let me tell you. I would have no qualms about tossing it into my purse, because I feel like it could get bounced around loose in there and it's going to come out no worse for the wear. When it comes to a product like this, I'd much rather have something functional and sturdy - and yes, still cute - than something luxe and high end that I have to worry about getting scratched and ruined.
Of course, you can't really judge a book by its cover when it comes to makeup (no matter how often I do exactly that.) It needs to get the job done and I will very happily say that this powder really does its job. Though it can come off a little powdery if you swatch it on your finger, the powder feels very finely milled and soft and when applied with a nice, fluffy brush there's no powdery look on the skin. I would be a little bit careful if you're going to be doing flash photography, since these kinds of powders do tend to have flashback (though I haven't actually tested this one in that regard.) I find that the mattifying finish is quite lasting. I generally apply this around lunchtime and I don't find I have any significant shine on my normal to dry skin for several hours after application.
My one note would probably be that I'm not at all sure how this would work on women with deeper skintones. Both me and the friend who recommended it to me are quite fair and it works beautifully on fair skin, and I would guess that it would also be very nice all the way up to a more medium skintone. However, on a very deep skintone, I would definitely say that there's a good chance it would look ashy.
This really is a super short review, but I feel like I've said it all. This powder is pretty damn great and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a really affordable and effective mattifying product.
What products do you use to take care of midday shine?
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