We’ve made no secret of the fact that we suffer from a T-Zone with more than it’s fair share of shine. However, one of our biggest makeup no no’s is repeatedly applying powder to keep your face matte. All that happens is your face becomes clogged with makeup, it can end up looking cakey and mask like. It’s also a bad move to repeatedly use your brushes or sponges on a shiny face, as you just spread oil and bacteria which exacerbates the problem.
Using blotting papers can help remove shine, but they can also lift off your makeup or leave a powdery residue which sits in your pores. So, what is the alternative? Is there a product out there that helps reduce shine whilst still providing coverage?
Well, we can now safely say YES!
Matte Miracle from Cosmetics a la Carte, is an oil absorbing gel which you apply over or under your foundation. It comes in three shades and you should try and match it as closely to your foundation as possible. We realise this might be slightly difficult with only three to choose from, but if in doubt, go lighter rather than darker for a more natural look. The texture is that of a light gel, so it blends in easily and as it is quite translucent when applied, the colour difference isn’t noticeable. As you can see from the pic below, it reduces redness and gives a smoother more even finish to the skin, but in a much lighter way than a foundation.
We recommend patting the gel on the T-zone and any other areas prone to shine, rather than rubbing. It then settles to an almost invisable finish, but with an instant mattifying effect. If you apply on top of your foundation, as a “fixer”, it doesn’t affect your base underneath and helps secure it in place .
Normally we notice a sheen across our T-Zone by mid-morning, but using Matte Miracle, we could go until mid-afternoon maintaining a smooth, matte finish. When we did start to notice a little shine, we dabbed a teeny, tiny bit onto the nose, forehead and chin and that made sure it lasted at least 12 hours without a hint of shine, something that we’ve not managed to achieve without a powder-based product before!
Matte Miracle has a pleasant lavendar scent, it feels very light and refreshing when applied, due to the gel consistency and we’ve found it quite soothing to use in this hideously cold weather! A little goes a long way and a 35g bottle will last us quite some time.
Obviously “Miracle” isn’t a word we’d use about any product, because everyone has different needs from their beauty products. If we could change one thing, we’d ask them to make it a little thicker and then we could use it as a foundation on its own – but then again, that would be a whole different products. We really, really like Matte Miracle, it does exactly what we want it to do, lasts all day, is nicely presented and it’s something we’ll be continuing to use every day. Definitely a #WeLove product!
You can purchase Matte Miracle from Cosmetics a la Carte, priced at £33 for 35g.
Have you tried any Cosmetic a la Carte products before? Or have you tried any other good oil absorbing products? Let us know, we love reading your comments.
Original article: Talk about a Matte Miracle!
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