As a lover of face glows and highlighters but with an oily-prone skin type, it can be quite a challenge to use some strobing products especially in the middle of the Summer. A couple of weeks ago, one sunny afternoon, I was all excited to put on my makeup. I thought I nailed my strobing technique and I was out and about thinking how glowy and naturally lit I must have looked. The weather suddenly became so intensely hot and humid that when I got to my car and glanced at myself at the rear-view mirror, I suddenly realized “What in the devil have I done?!” LOL! My face was glowy, true, but it was way too glowy that it looked so oily. It was like I slathered olive oil on my face. I thought “What? How could this be?” when I left home, I didn’t look like this, I even had a mattifying foundation on. Oh my, lesson learned, go easy with the highlighting especially if the weather gets really warm and humid, and if you have an oily skin type, well, you’re going to need all the help you can get, starting with a really good oil-control blotting paper.
Unfortunately, when that story happened, I forgot my blotting paper, Arrrgh…, and I usually carry a pack in my purse. I did have a pressed powder with me, but I don’t really like applying powders on my face without getting rid of most of the oil first. It just seems gross. So, immediately, I went to the closest beauty store I could find and did some panic buying of several oil-control blotting sheets. Since then, I’ve been obsessed with testing the blotting papers I purchased. I normally use the Too Cool For School Dinoplatz blotting papers, but I found out that there are several brands that are actually a lot better than this particular blotting paper nowadays.
The following are my faves:
Shiseido Oil-Control Blotting Paper (100 sheets: $18.50) – These sheets are large and have a slightly powdery feel. They have a very very subtle floral scent that is almost undetectable and they absorb the oil very well. They’re also mattifying and they come in a convenient easy “pull-out release” type of packaging, encased further by a small white envelope. These don’t disturb the makeup and they don’t disintegrate easily while being blotted on the face. I love these for their size and their ability to absorb excess oil very well without having to rub them on the face.
Tatcha Aburatorigami Japanese Blotting Papers (30 Sheets: $12) – These blotting sheets are expensive but they’re also very impressive. Their size is larger than average and each sheet has gold flakes. They may feel thin but they don’t break easily. Also, they’re soft and are extremely absorbent. In fact, these sheets are the most absorbent of all the blotting papers mentioned in this review. They can even absorb excess oil that most blotting papers cannot do, and they don’t leave your fingers oily. Since each sheet is large, one is enough to cover the whole face.
Too Cool For School. Dinoplatz Dear Brachiosaurus Oil Blotting Paper (50 sheets: $8-11) – These have been my go-to blotting papers for some time. The sheets are small and are really thin but the packaging is the most attractive of these. It’s so convenient to use because the sheets are housed in a compact type, complete with a mirror and a sticky sponge that grabs each sheet for easy dabbing on the skin. It’s great for not making your fingers oily but since the sheets are too thin and too small, it can be hard to see whether they actually absorb any excess oil or not. I’m sure they do because the excess shine from my face is gone, but then again, the sponge also gets oily and it spreads to the next clean sheets. So that’s something to consider.
Sephora Collection Blotting Papers (100 sheets: $8) – These blotting papers work well and they come in three different kinds; Natural Tea Tree, Bamboo Charcoal, and Herbal Rose. The sheets are not too thin so they don’t break easily and they’re square-ish. They’re also inexpensive and they get the job done, which means they absorb excess oil from the skin very well. The packaging is also cute and very convenient to use since there’s a flap with a sticker that pulls one sheet at a time for easy dispensing. If it wasn’t for their size, these sheets are probably the closest dupe to Shiseido’s.
Bamboo Charcoal – mattifying
Herbal Rose – nice powdery rose scent
Boscia Blotting Linens (100 sheets: $10) – Love these for the large sheets which are easy to grab and they feel very soft. They’re also very good at absorbing excess oil and they come in Green Tea, Clear, and Black Charcoal. They also don’t disturb the makeup since the sheets are very good at absorbing any excess oil and I love their refreshing scents. Also, I didn’t notice any oil transfer to my fingers whenever I use them, and one blotting sheet is enough to cover the whole face. However, they do have a tendency to break while being used since they’re a bit on the softer side and they’re so absorbent at the same time.
Green Tea – true and subtle green tea fragrance
Black Charcoal – slightly floral scent
Another blotting paper I wanna mention is the good ol’ drugstore favorite -the Neutrogena Deep-Clean Blotting Sheets. They’re cheap, easy to find, and they work. If it wasn’t for their small size, I’d say they’re also great.
Bottom line, I love all the blotting papers reviewed here, but if I have to pick my top three, they would be: Top one- the Tatcha Blotting Papers, followed by Shiseido’s for the second place, and third would be the Boscia Blotting Linens.
Do you use these at all? what’s your favorite blotting paper?