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Rant & Rave: Blotting Powders

Tell us what you love and hate about...

Blotting Powders

Since I have normal-to-dry skin, I don’t like if they highlight dryness, and I tend to prefer lighter-weight options since I don’t need a lot of oil control/absorption!

— Christine

20 Comments

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Rachel R. Avatar

Rant: Most of them don’t work great for super-oily skin. They often get cakey and/or crease, especially around my nose.

Rave: They’re better than the alternative of having a super-shiny face! They can leave a nice finish on the face. They create another barrier against oil, so my blush, etc. stays on better and doesn’t oxidize and change color. They can be used under foundation as a primer.

Mariella Avatar

I find them very helpful in the hot, humid days of a southern Ontario spring or summer (especially at school – many places aren’t air conditioned or the a/c is old and inadequate). They keep my T-zone from looking like an oil slick and help my foundation retain the fresh look it had when first applied. I don’t like when they turn cake-y or sort of “peel” off my foundation as I apply them.

Susan Avatar

Shisedo’s Pureness oil blotting sheet are the BEST! I had very oily skin when I was younger, but I didn’t like to constantly powder my face. These sheets would lift the oil without leaving a heavy powder behind.

Lea Avatar

Never used one; I stick to blotting papers from Shiseido. They take away the shine without adding any more make-up or causing any caking.

Annette Avatar

Love: they’re a viable solution to removing oil from face without removing makeup. a lot of them aren’t meant to add color or unnecessary extra product.

Hate: the formulas are often mattifying without considering the lack of dimension it leaves to a face. some are very finicky about application, if you apply it wrong it just sits on top of your oiliness or makeup. Very easy to look unnatural

Susan Dowman Nevling Avatar

I don’t use blotting powder at all anymore. I do carry blotting paper in my handbag.
For those who are oily, I’ve been there and understand the issues. I became progressively drier as I became older. I’ve also stopped sunning and notice much fewer wrinkling on my face as compared to my peers. My hands are comparable to others though.

Stephanie Avatar

Rant: Since my skin is on the dry side and I’m not 25 anymore, blotting powder is not something that I use. Any type of product that accentuates every fine line on my face and makes my skin look even more dry than it is already is something I tend to stay far away from.

Rave: It works for some people with oily skin?

Wednesday Avatar

One of those products I wish was around 30 years ago. They had powder, of course, but it was a cakey mess for the most part, not at all as effective at blotting oil.

At this point: don’t need anymore. Instead, I use the lightest matte finish powder I can find, but only in summer when I need a bit of help. Winter: barely even use powder.

Heather Avatar

I’m very dry, so I dislike ANY powder except a light finishing powder to help set my bb cream. 🙂 When I’m somewhere humid, I do occasionally use blotting paper (instead of powder) on my nose.

Anne Avatar

As someone with dry skin I’ve never used them aside from blotting sheets in high school, even though I sweat and get a bit oily in the hotter months. My oily-er skinned friends don’t use them either as they don’t like them (either they break them out, aren’t effective, draw attention to “problem” areas on their face, etc).

Kelsey Avatar

I bought a blotting powder once. My nose and forehead looked great but I had dry patches on my cheeks I didn’t even know I had! I’m not really into buying 2 different powders, it’s too much fuss in my opinion, so I have to deal with an oilier forehead and nose. Sigh.

Deborah Avatar

I don’t have as much of a problem with shine as I did when I was younger, but I sure wish this product was available back then! I absolutely love NYX Cosmetics Blotting Powder, Light, 0.28 Ounce in a compact. I have one in several handbags and a few backups in
my powder room.

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