When it comes to dewy vs. matte skin, I've always been on team matte. I will "bake" with translucent powder, use mattifying primers, gels, and blotting papers to no end to avoid that dreaded T-zone shine. That's not to say I don't love the glowy, highlighted, natural-looking skin now trending. One look at Naomi Campbell on the red carpet or a Glossier ad will instantly have me reconsider. The thing is, I think my naturally oily skin type could never pull it off.
How I'd think I look:
How I'd really look:
That's why I've gravitated toward the airbrushed, shine-free finish of beauty vlogger tutorials–despite the growing popularity of dewy skin that's started picking up among beauty insiders like celebrity makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes. Her Instagram is filled with enviably glossy skin–especially on eyelids (one of the areas I dread getting oily most!)
"Everyone's doing it," she told me, pointing out the recent uptick in highlighter launches, "I've always loved the freshness of it, the way it looks. I think the shine looks really beautiful–the skin looks like life is in it."
I told her about my oily skin woes, but she insisted I, too, could pull it off. "For someone who is oily, I wouldn't highlight anywhere near where you would develop oil throughout the day," Hughes said, sharing that her favorite way to get dewy skin is by using Weleda Skin Food, "If I had oily skin, I would just put it on the heels of my palms and push it into the cheekbones. With physical gloss, it's hard to overdo it because it's about texture."
When I mentioned getting inspired by the ultra matte skin as seen on vlogs, she told me, "Instagram is what made me long for glowy, fresh skin. The fresher something looks, the more I like it, based on the fact that so often what we see on social media is so heavy and cake-y." It's true. And I've definitely started feeling a bit of matte skin fatigue after seeing social media tutorials doing identical looks, but I still couldn't shake the insecurity over my incessant oil glands.
True to form, Instagram is where I saw a post about Murad's MattEffect Blotting Perfector ($39), which launches this month. I was sold right away because it was unlike the tons of other mattifying products I've tried. It has a cushion compact that releases a translucent, pink liquid formula created with green clay extract and marshmallow powder. Yes, MARSHMALLOW POWDER!
It's the first time I've heard of that ingredient, which Murad tells me "could really absorb oils without leaving the skin feeling dehydrated," and is "specifically designed to absorb sebum rather than water, preventing skin dehydration." I had to get my hands on it immediately.
My usual go-to for afternoon T-zone shine was loose translucent powder, but that is not the neatest (ask me about the time I tried applying it on a moving subway car)–plus, it requires carrying an extra brush around. Murad's Blotting Perfector is exactly the quick fix I needed. Just one squeeze onto the applicator, then a few dabs on my T-zone and chin, is enough to banish any trace of oil. The liquid is cooling, calming, smells sweet, and, as Murad promised, left my skin feeling moisturized.
Magic!
Of course, this doesn't solve the deeper issue of why my skin gets so oily by the afternoon. New York City dermatologist Kavita Mariwalla, MD tells me that's likely because I'm using too many drying skincare products at night: my routine includes Tretinoin, Clindamycin wipes, and a sulfur-based face wash, all to treat acne.
"Everything you're doing is great for oiliness, but then midday, your skin's going to go back, wonder 'why are we so dry?' and it's going to produce oil to compensate for the dryness," she told me, "You're going too much the other direction. All of a sudden, you're pushing yourself into the dry skin category."
There was good news, however, that might convince me to embrace my oily skin more, "When you have oily skin, believe it or not, it actually helps you age much less quickly," Dr. Mariwalla told me, "So, it tends to stop wrinkles—you don't get as dry, sallow, and crepe-y when you're older. Granted, you can get breakouts and yes, your pores can get a little thicker, but you'll won't get the same type of surface aging that you do if you have dry skin."
Worried that my newfound favorite blotting tool might take away those benefits, Mariwalla reassured me, "You're just wicking away the surface of it, which is fine because topical things like blotting papers and translucent powders are not going to shut down those oil producing glands," she said, "What it's doing is just removing the excess sebum from the surface of the skin so that it doesn't look oily." So, I'm free to keep blotting away. Good–because the Blotting Perfector has officially earned its place in my beauty bag.
