Morgan’s Boutique: Silken Matte & Oil Absorbing Stones Product Review

I am a hot, shiny mess by the end of the day. I admit it. My Italian and Greek heritage poses this problem for me by the end of the day, especially on those days where I have a full face of makeup on my skin. While I could blame my Roman and Spartan roots (I jest!), I have much more fun trying out new products to curb my forehead which doubles as a mirror come evening when I’m leaving my classes. I have a few parameters when it comes to trying products to put on my face: 1) They must be LIGHT! I’m not about piling on product. 2) It has to be gentle. With my oily skin comes the risk of breaking out if I’m using products with tons of foreign ingredients in them. 3) I don’t want it coming off of my face on to my sweater, hand, notebook, cat, etc if I touch my face during the day. All of this being said, here comes my third installment of reviews ala Morgan’s Boutique Finishing Powders. My fellow oily skinned ladies (or men!)–get a load of these!

If you are like me and don’t use foundation (mineral or otherwise), a finishing powder is your best bet for keeping your face looking fresh throughout the day. I prefer a matte finish to make makeup, so the first product I tried were the Oil Absorbing Stones. At first impression I was a little nervous using a loose powder, but my anxiety was lessened once I saw the ingredient list: Kaolin Clay. That’s it! One simple ingredient. I used it in the morning after applying my regular makeup and my skin stayed matte for hours. I leave for my class at 11am and by 3pm my face still felt smooth and silky. If you’re trying to cut oil in addition to keeping a matte look to your face, this product does double duty. I used a Kabuki brush to buff the powder on my face and tried it both under my makeup as well as on top as a finishing power. Either way, it worked for me, though I prefer to use it on top of my makeup. Sweep your brush in the pot, tap off any extra, and you’re ready to apply.

My next dive into the world of miraculous mattifying (Yes, I made this word up!) was the Silken Matte powder. Also a loose powder, this is a sheer white of clay and talc ingredients. Again, a simple ingredient list that works gently and effectively. I exclusively used the Silken Matte over my makeup, but you could use it as a primer powder if you’d like. The main difference between this and the Oil Absorbing Stones is your oil concerns. This powder provides you with a matte look, without the focus on cutting oil alone. Again, this powder goes on translucent and feels silky and smooth when applying. For my skin type, this powder required a reapply right when I left my classes for the day. Because the main purpose of Silken Matte is to make your face…well…matte, rather than cut oil alone I was fine with a reapply during the day. Being an avid eye shadow girl I noticed I did not have that annoying crease by the middle of day as I usually do without sweeping a finishing powder over my lids. This was a joyful surprise to see!

Overall, oily skinned ladies like myself are stuck in a limbo of figuring out which products will work to keep oil at bay and makeup from sliding off your face by lunchtime and avoiding products which make us prone to break out due to extra oil production. If you’re looking for a way to either stay matte or cut oil all together, either of these powders will work for you, and because both go on translucent your skin tone does not matter. Best of all, each of these products are under $10.00 for the small pots. A product that won’t break the bank OR cause breakouts? Rally, ladies! They have been discovered!