Reviews and Other Stuff

makeup

Favorite Oil-Control Blotting Papers

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.

 

best oil-control blotting papers

 

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 review

 

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 review herbal rose and bamboo charcoal

 

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.

 

boscia blotting linens in green tea and black charcoal

 

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.

 

Too Cool For School. Dinoplatz Dear Brachiosaurus Oil Blotting Paper

 

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?

 

 

Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet Vs Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua

Bonjour! Today, let’s talk about two of my holiest grail foundations. I bet they’re everyone’s favorite foundations too. They’re both made by Chanel. The Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet (now known as Ultra Le Teint Velvet) and the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua. Such complicated names, but with such amazing quality. They’re both “lighter versions” of Chanel’s two best-selling makeup foundation and both have SPF 15.

 

chanel perfection lumiere velvet review

 

What’s the difference between the two? In some sense, they’re both really similar, even the ingredients are similar, but they’re made for different purposes.

 

chanel vitalumiere aqua review

 

Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet (Ultra Le Teint Velvet) – This gives a soft velvety matte finish, that is very lightweight and oil-free. Supposed to be a “tint version” of Chanel’s long-wear fluid sunscreen foundation, the Perfection Lumiere. So expect this one to be also long-lasting like its predecessor. This one also gives full coverage, but not as full and thick as Chanel’s Perfection Lumiere. I consider this as my go-to foundation if I want to completely “change face”, ha! well, not completely, but good enough to make my face look blemish-free and anew. What I love about this is that you don’t need to put a lot on your face to get that full coverage. You don’t even need a special brush for this. Your fingertips will work just fine. Also, most matte foundations tend to make your face look flat, but this one doesn’t. It still gives your face definition while smoothing and covering the dark spots. A slight drawback is that you’re going be needing a lot of cotton balls or cotton pads to erase this product off your face. Even though it’s liquid and lightweight. It seems to be packed on pigments. When it comes to scent, this foundation has a slightly soapy scent compared to Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua. Overall, I think this is the best matte makeup foundation that will still make your face look natural, and they last around 12 hours on my face without looking oily. As someone with somewhat oily skin, this one is definitely heaven-sent.

 

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua – The lighter version of Chanel’s original and well-loved Vitalumiere. This is supposed to give a very light tint with a water-like texture. Although, I find that this formulation is very similar to Perfection Lumiere Velvet. They’re both very watery and have very similar scents. Perhaps this Vitalumiere Aqua has a little bit more of a floral scent. I prefer this foundation’s scent better than the one mentioned above. When it comes to coverage, at first I didn’t notice any difference. However, after a few hours, I noticed that my skin started to look oily compared to the one applied with Chanel’s Perfection Lumiere Velvet. For me, they last about 6 hours until I start to notice the oiliness. But I really like the look on my skin with this particular foundation. It kind of makes my skin look dewy or slightly luminous. So, if you’re going for that kind of look, try this foundation.

Overall, if you want a matte finish foundation without looking dull and flat, plus long-wearing and has exceptional oil-control, try the Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet. If you want a more natural, dewy, strobing kind of look, and has average to really good oil control, try Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua.