{Review} Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder

 

Here's a review I've been meaning to do for a while now. I've been a long time use of the Stila Sheer Pressed Powder in light. I love that powder, but it is tooooooo expensive ($28). So I've been on the hunt for a cheaper alternative. Around the time I finished my last Stila powder I was hearing a lot about the Rimmel Stay matte Powder on YouTube and thought I'd give it a try. Here are my thoughts :)

 The shade I purchased it in is 001 Transparent. I wouldn't say that it is completely transparent. I think if I apply this over a moiturizer or a primer, it sticks better and I do get a bit of coverage. If you have a deeper skin tone I would go with your actual shade as this stuff may leave a cast.

As you can see I've had this powder for a while and have used up a good chunk of it. I apply mine with a medium powder brush. I use a smaller brush to set my under eye concealer. This is approximately 3 months of use for me. I apply it once in the morning after doing my makeup, a touch up around noon, and another touch up around 4 or 5 pm.

 The swatch above is quite heavy, I just wanted to show you the consistency. It is a finely milled powder, and if blended in very well can be undetectable. The powder gives a very very matte finish. If you like you skin to look more natural, more satin finish, this is not the powder for you. This gives you a fully matte look. Sometimes I will spray a bit of toner after I apply this powder, just to have a more natural finish.

As far as lasting power goes, it keeps me matte for about 4 or 5 hours. I'd say this is a decent powder. It does what it says. It's also a no frills kind of a powder. I was satisfied with the effect, but after using my Stila powder for so long and having gotten used to that soft lit perfect skin effect this powder didn't feel as luxurious. The only negative I would have to say about this product is to be careful about applying too much. You can really build this powder up if you wanted to, but then it becomes very obvious.

Overall, a good budget buy :)

Info:

Price: $4. 96

Ingredients:

TALC, MICA, MAGNESIUM STEARATE, POLYETHYLENE, PETROLATUM, PHENYL TRIMETHICONE, DIMETHICONE, POLYBUTENE, ISOSTEARYL NEOPENTANOATE, ETHYLHEXYL METHOXYCINNAMATE,

TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, METHYLPARABEN, COCOS NUCIFERA (COCONUT) OIL, PARAFFINUM LIQUIDUM/MINERAL OIL/HUILE MINERALE, PROPYLPARABEN, PARFUM/FRAGRANCE, ALOE

BARBADENSIS LEAF EXTRACT, BHT, BUTYLPHENYL METHYLPRO -PIONAL, BENZYL SALICYLATE, CITRONELLOL, HEXYL CINNAMAL, HYDROXYISOHEXYL 3-CYCLOHEXENE CARBOXALDEHYDE, LINALOOL, BUTYLPARABEN, [May Contain/Peut Contenir/+/-:TITANIUM DIOXIDE (CI 77891), IRON OXIDES (CI 77491, CI 77492, CI 77499), ULTRAMARINES (CI 77007)].

{Review} Stila Sheer Pressed Powder in Light

Stila Sheer Pressed Powder in Light

Hey there! Today's review is for a product I absolutely adore. I've gone through probably two or three of Stila's Sheer Pressed Powder and I have yet to find a powder that works as well for me.

When it comes to higher end products that obviously cost more, I usually try to find cheaper alternatives, especially if I foresee myself repurchasing a product multiple times in the future. I haven't yet been able to find a drugstore alternative for this powder, but I was able to find it a lot cheaper than the $28 retail price. I was at the Cosmetic Market in NYC last summer (see the haul post here) and I found this powder for $6.99 and stocked up. I don't know if they still have it, but if you live in or around NYC or will be visiting sometime, it's worth checking out.

                                                                                                                                                            

Stila Sheer Pressed Powder in Light

The compact is a simple silver plastic case that has these cute little flowers on it. Not as chic as anything from from Chanel or Dior, but pretty. It's durable and doesn't show smudges or scratches easily.

Stila Sheer Pressed Powder in Light

Another thing I like is that the compact is reusable. There's a little hole in the bottom, you just poke a pencil or something and the pan pops right out. Stila no longer sells the pan refill to this powder alone, not that there was a big price difference between the powder with the case and the refill alone anyway. I figure even if I can't find the refill powder from Stila I can reuse this case because I've had plenty of powders in a similar size that the clasp has broken or the case is really bulky. I think I can just repot them into this case if I wanted to. I've gone through so many of these powders that I've got four or five of these empty cases lying around.

Stila Sheer Pressed Powder in Light

The shade I have this powder in is light. It comes with a thin little foamy sponge, but I toss it right away and just use a brush.

Stila Sheer Pressed Powder in Light (HEAVY swatch)

This swatch here is a very HEAVY swatch. I just wanted to show you how finely milled this powder is. The texture is very very soft and thin, almost translucent. I find that it applies as thinly as a translucent powder, but it does have some color to it. If I wear it alone, I can't really notice any difference, but it takes to tinted moisturizer very well and definitely ups the coverage level.

I love this powder for the finish it gives. It mattifies my face completely without looking cakey or powdery. It leaves my face with this flawless silky finish to it that makes my skin look a lot better than it usually is. If I'm ever going out or have a formal event, I reach for this powder without fail because I know it will look stunning in pictures. It last like your average powder does. I apply it in the morning around 6 or 7 am (when at uni) and then touch up around 1 pm and then again around 5 pm. Not great, but not horrible either given how oily my skin is.

Bottom line: try this powder!!! I've been using it for years and I love it more than any other powder I've ever used!

Info:

Price: $28


Ingredients: talc, polymethyl methacrylate, silica, zea mays (corn) starch, octyldodecyl lactate, isononyl isononanoate, pentaerythrityl tetraisostearate, cetearyl ethylhexanoate, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, avena sativa (oat) kernel extract, caprylyl glycol, hexylene glycol, ethylhexylglycerin, dimethicone, zeolite, nylon-12, zinc stearate, bht, phenoxyethanol, sorbic acid, [+/- mica, titanium dioxide (ci 77891), iron oxides (ci 77491, ci 77492, ci 77499), ultramarines (ci 77007)]

{Review} Revlon PhotoReady Translucent Finisher

So a few weeks ago I dropped my Stila pressed powder and it shattered :( So I went out and decided to try something a bit cheaper. I do still have my NYC Smooth Skin Loose Powder, but I needed something a bit more convenient and portable than a loose powder. I had a dollar off coupon for a Revlon item so I picked up their PhotoReady Translucent Finisher and while it's a good setting powder, I still don't get why there is GLITTER in it!?!?!?

All it is is a translucent pressed powder that is supposed to matte the skin and set makeup.

Notice that it doesn't say anything about it being illuminating or anything like that.

Now, from a distance it doesn't look like there's any thing in this powder other than well, powder.

If you look closer (and feel free to click the image to zoom in) you can clearly see glitter!!! To me that totally defies the purpose of the powder. I have oily skin. The last thing I want to put all over my face is something glittery.

A swatch:

I swatched it a bit thicker and if you zoom in you can clearly see glitter. To be fair, the glitter isn't that noticeable when you first apply. Unless you're out in the sun you probably won't even notice it. However, I do notice it when I see myself getting oily. By then the actual powder is gone and what sticks to my oily skin is the glitter from the powder. Then it is definitely noticeable. Revlon says the purpose of the glitter is to diffuse light in photography, but what I've always been told when getting pictures done is to avoid glitter/shimmer anything on the face because they tend to reflect light and in flash photography make the face look unnaturally light.

Now, just because it has glitter in it doesn't mean that it is a total fail. If it wasn't for the glitter then it would be a very very good setting powder. It goes on almost completely translucent, more transparent than other powders I've tried. Sometimes powders can sit on the skin, or attach to those teeny hairs on the face and look very obvious. I like this one because it is so finely milled that it is almost completely invisible. And it does keep me completely matte for at least 3 hrs, which isn't bad. It's not the best, but certainly not as bad as a powder I used fromAlmay a while back which actually made me look oily within an hour and a half. The powder itself is very very soft and does give the skin a smooth appearance.

If you have normal or dry skin this powder may work for you. If you have oily skin, I say be careful. You may not notice the glitter, but I have oily skin and I definitely did, in the pan and on the skin. For $12.99 retail, I expect a powder to be perfect. That's actually more than I pay for my Estee Luder Powder re-fills and they work better for me.

Pros:

-Very finely milled.

-Gives the face a smooth appearance.

-Mattifys for a decent amount of time.

-Is almost completely transparent.

-Doesn't emphasize hairs.

Cons:

-Has GLITTER in it.

-Is expensive for a drugstore powder ($12.99).

-Brush that comes with it is useless.

-Packaging is unnecessarily large/bulky (for a pressed powder).

Info:

Price: $12.99 (Pushing it for a drugstore product, I think.)

Ingredients:

Mica, Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Zinc Stearate, Silica, Dimethicone, Nylon 12, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Polyethylene, Octyldodecyl Glycol Grapeseedate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Saccharomyces Calcium Ferment, Saccharomyces Zinc Ferment, Saccharomyces Potassium Ferment, Saccharomyces Iron Ferment, Saccharomyces Copper Ferment, Saccharomyces Magnesium Ferment, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Lauryl Lysine, Dimethiconol, Methoxypropylgluconamide, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Lecithin, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis) Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract (Matricaria), Punica Granatum Extract, Macrocystis Pyrifera Extract, Nereocystis Leutkeana Extract, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Alumina, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbic Acid (A Preservative), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, 77492, 77499), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891)

Disclosure: The product featured in this post was purchased by me for the purpose of my personal use. If you have any further questions about disclosure, don't hesitate to ask in comments.