Rimmel Stay Matte powder - Review

I've said it before, and it bears repeating here: I have oily skin. At least, my T-Zone is oily. Annoyingly oily. While I haven't found a perfect skincare solution (really hoping my Clarisonic can help me with this), I have found that powdering my face is the best way, at this point, to keep the shininess away. Trolling through Target, I happened upon their small selection of Rimmel products, and this gem caught my eye.

Rimmel's website claims this powder will keep you shine free for 5 hours. I'd agree with that. I like they don't stretch that to "all day," or try to skirt the time issue altogether. At the same time... 5 hours isn't long. I typically apply my make up at about 5:00 AM, and take it off anywhere from 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM, depending on what I'm doing in the afternoon. I'd be much more impressed with the longevity of this product if I was still matte by the end of the day, but, I can't knock Stay Matte for not living up to my dreams.

Stay Matte retails for $3.99 at my Target (and I assumed it'd be the same at yours). For the price, you get 12 grams of pressed powder. It comes in 3 shades, and I selected Transparent 001, which is, obviously, transparent (hence, no swatch). It's housed in a plastic compact, with a removable lid. This brings me to my only complaint about the product - it'd be a nightmare to travel with. The whole idea of a pressed powder is that it's easy to transport, and not messy to use. The lid on this powder comes off extremely easily, which would eventually end up with me, a broken powder, dirty purse, and an angry face. I wish they sold this in a standard compact.

Previous to picking up Rimmel's Stay Matte powder, I was using the Maybelline Fit Me powder. I have a MAC Blot compact floating around in my purse I should break out and use, to compare Stay Matte to Blot. I have noticed this powder doesn't really like to be layered. What I liked about MAC Blot is the fact I don't have to blot, I can just use my kabuki to apply it. Stay Matte can get a little mask-like when doing this. This is a minor complaint, though, and can easily be avoided by not reapplying, which is really easy to avoid.

Overall, I'm impressed. I haven't tried any of Rimmel's other products, but I like this quite a bit. I may need to pay a little more attention to this line in the future.

MAC Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder - Review

Being an oily-skinned gal, I'm always looking for a good mattifying powder. Because I have large pores, I also want a powder that will help disguise or minimize them. I've had reasonable luck with MAC face products, and when they released their finishing powder, which is supposed to help with both of these concerns.

From MAC's website:

A silky finishing powder that provides an invisible way to set makeup. Reduces shine while optically minimizing the look of pores, lines, imperfections. Available in one universal colour that suits all shades. Wear over makeup or on bare, moisturized skin.

That sounds all fine and dandy. For $23, you get 8 grams of white powder that applies without color. The jar is short, and very sleek, like most of MAC's packaging. This powder is very silky feeling, and moves/flows very nicely. Unlike the Makeup For Ever HD powder, this powder doesn't leave any sort of white cast to the skin, which is awesome. It also didn't cling to any dry areas.

Regrettably, it doesn't do anything for me. I've tried over, and under my foundation. I've tried using it over and under my foundation at the same time, too. My face ended up looking greasy within hours of first applying. Yes, I can blot, and many people do, but I don't want to. I'm the kind of person who wants to apply and then forget about, my make up. While some people may not mind touching up, I just don't want to. With regards to my pores, well, they still looked huge. In no way did they appear smaller or diffused.

I really wanted to like this powder, but, it doesn't work for me. I won't repurchase, and can't recommend this to girls who, like me, struggle with oiliness.