Share: Tell us what you love and hate about Blotting Powders!
my answer: It’s not a product I use often, as I don’t get too oily until 10-12 hours after wearing makeup. I usually just use a pressed powder as my blotting powder, so I don’t have too much to say here!
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It’s hard for me to find a blotting powder that doesn’t turn ghostly white or super yellow on my skin, so I tend to just use a super light layer of my baked powder foundation if I ever get oily.
I really love MAC Blot – it does its job effectively and invisibly and doesn’t build up or go cakey or too try looking (mind you, I only use it on my T-zone and only when I’m oily). Essence All About Matt is also a good product but not quite as perfect as MAC Blot (mind you, for the price difference, I can forgive Essence and would expect better from MAC to justify the significantly higher price).
I LOVE Essence All About Matte! I don’t get “oily”, but I do a fair share of walking, and perspiration is my bane… What I love most about it, is although I have drier skin, I also have visible pores, and AAM actually diffuses their appearance. I typically find mattifying products to emhasize my pores, but to find one that also minimizes them, for under $5, I have no desire to look further!
Thank you! I’m going to try the AAM powder now. It sounds like a winner!
Love them. And need them. My skin is oily, so without a good mattifying powder I turn into an oil slick after a few hours.
Yes me too. I love Nyx’s blotting powder and Too Faced’s Cocoa Powder Foundation.
Which products do you recommend?
completely sheer so you can used it and not cakey and good job for shine control but that it,while I used it sometime I still don’t know what to say when my friends ask why blotting powder is different from press powder LOL
I have dry skin so I don’t really need them, So nothing to say from me!
Mac Blot has worked well for me so far, as long as I’m not wearing liquid/cream to powder foundation.
I have dry skin everywhere, but my nose tends to get oily as the day goes on. I use a pressed powder to blot with about twice a day.
Ive loved the Clean & clear blotting sheets from the time I tried them and actually never bothered trying anything else because theyre just so darn good!! I wouldn’t call them an essential item but I have reached for them many a time at work!
Those are the BEST!!!
I don’t mind them if I use it sparingly. If I use it multiple times a day just ends with a super cakey face!
I’m basically a walking oil slick and I have yet to find a powder that really works long-term for me. I’ve tried every combination of primers, moisturizers, setting sprays, long-wear foundations in every form and finish, but since I work long hours with few opportunities for breaks and often around hot lights in big crowds, my skin is always a greasy dripping mess by the time I finally make it to a bathroom.
However! I remain optimistic (maybe delusional?) so if you have any recommendations, throw them at me! I’ve tried UD De-slick, MUFE HD, Jurlique Citrus Silk, and Nars Light Reflecting, which was probably my favorite, if still a bit lacking. And I’m still not entirely sure what the difference between finishing/blotting/setting powders are, but in any case, these are the ones I got specifically because they were supposed to help control oil, so I hope it counts!
I have no specific product to say, but something that pops into my head is to make sure you’re also addressing hydration, in your effort to control oil. In the past the logic has always been that, if you’re oily, to avoid anything that adds moisture, but dehydration can exacerbate oiliness. Just a thought 🙂
How does MUFE HD compare to NARS Light Reflecting? I’m trying to choose between to the two but am afraid of NARS’ “light reflecting” properties – I don’t want to look shiny! So really interested of why you prefer the NARS!
The IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Silk Anti-Aging HS Micro Powder has worked best for me. It seems like I’ve tried most of the stuff on the market in the mid range prestige cosmetics and this has worked fairly well. For mid day touch up it gives me about an hour and a half of matte versus 45 minutes.
Same here, with the exception of the Jurlique, I’ve tried everything you mentioned above. They’re all useless and make me look cake-y. I’lll have to go steall some napkins at Starbucks since people keep raving about them, hahaha!
Even at age 48 I am seriously oily so I am extremely thankful for these powders…they are a must have for me. My current Fave is the one by It Cosmetics and it is amazing, although a little goes a long way. I have just discovered this line and am loving it so all you older ladies looking for a good powder should check this one out for sure.
Never had the need to use one, so although I have tested a few in different occasions, I never owned one for myself nor do I have one in my kit, as I find no need or purpose to have one on shoots!
Rant: I didn’t know blotting powder and pressed powder were two different things, so now I feel old and out-of-touch. 🙂
Rave: I don’t seem to need blotting powder, as I’ve gotten by so long without it, apparently. I use BareEscentials loose mineral veil and blotting papers.
I usually get pretty oily within 5-6 hours of putting on my makeup, so I always blot with oil-absorbing sheets then pat on some DiorSkin Forever Invisible Retouch Powder.
I prefer blotting papers because powders tend to clump on my skin and look even worse and more patchy.
I have used MAC Blot with good results, these days I prefere using blotting papers and do a quick touch up with some pressed powder if/when I need to. Most of the time the blotting papers are enough.
I use SEVERAL oil absorbing sheets (the plasticy ones) on my oil slick of a face, then retouch with a finishing powder (my current fave is Cargo HD).
Blotting powders are amazing for those with oily skin!! I hate powdering even more when my skin’s already feeling oily because it feels like the powder is just sitting on top of the oil and it doesn’t get rid of the oil at all. I love the clean and clear blotting sheets because you get a lot of use out of one sheet!
I couldn’t imagine not having blotting papers and MAC Blot Powder in my life. I keep a pack of blotting papers in my purse and in my car to use throughout the day. I’m 40, but I continue to produce a considerable amount of oil, especially in my T-zone.
I’m a huge fan of the Boscia Blotting Linens (typically the Black Charcoal or Green Tea) which are very effective and do not disturb my makeup. After using a sheet, I’ll typically pat a little of the MAC Blot Powder over my face.
When I was younger, I adored the Papier Poudre version in Rachel (these have a fine coating of powder), but are near impossible to find in a retail store.
The Bosica blotting linens are a god send. The green tea ones work amazingly and smell SO good! A total must-have in my makeup bag.
I have only begun to have oil issues recently – for years my skin was normal to dry. So oil control is a bit foreign to me!! I’m interested in MAC Blot after reading the comments 🙂
Slightly unrelated I suppose, but Christine, which powder do you prefer for blurring pores and keeping shine at bay, the Urban Decay Ultra Definition Loose Powder or the Guerlain Les Voilettes Translucent Compact Powder Mattifying Veil? Which is the best powder? Thank you!
I don’t really have any issues with shine, so I can’t really say. Guerlain’s is slightly more effective, but the difference is very, very minimal between the two. I use them interchangeably!
Mally’s Poreless Face Defender works well for me. Just blot it lightly. I also have heard to use a brush to blot it on but have only used the sponge so far. Will try the brush method today.
My only rant is that I wish my HG blotting powder (MAC Blot) came in a more hygenic compact with a seperate space for the sponge because once it gets caked with powder and oil I don’t like putting it back into the compact on top of the product. I flip it upside down so the oil from my face doesn’t get into the pan of powder, but a compact like the old Maybelline Dream Matte powder with two compact compartments would be ideal.
Also, be sure that you are blotting the oil off of your face with a tissue or blotting sheet before powdering or you end up pressing the oil right back into your skin which can clog pores and make your makeup look cakey.
I never use blotting powders or papers, as my face is more of a desert 🙁 When I was a teenager, I tried both, but even then I didn’t need much in that line. In hindsight, I should probably have been looking more at moisturisers!
Blotting powders aren’t really my thing, even though I’m oily! I prefer using blotting papers or sheets.
I have recently discovered Tatcha blotting papers. They have no powder, so I don’t get that cakey look I try to avoid. It’s difficult when you have oily skin, and your skin is aging (I am 51). I have tried many a blotting paper, from powdered to oil absorbing, and right now, for me, the Tatcha seems to be the best for my skin. I am always trying new things, but I am thinking these are going to be my favorite for a long time.