My Teen Beauty Essential Has Had A Modern Makeover: Oil-Blotters Are Making A Comeback

 
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Most of my teenage years were spent attempting to tackle a shiny nose. I may have skipped over the major breakouts and greasy roots, but my one area of concern was an incredibly oily t-zone that never seemed to let out. As I was yet to discover the power of a great primer, my ultimate backpack essential was undoubtedly a pack of blotting papers that could quickly and effectively absorb any excess moisture. Rather embarrassingly, I can vividly recall being fascinated with seeing how much oil could be lifted away and monitoring the residue left on the paper surface; gross, but incredibly practical when your hormones are going into overdrive. Although now I’ve got that oily t-zone mostly under control, my complexion still needs a freshen up in the afternoon when oil starts to mix with makeup and cause a touch of slippage: nothing is worse than your makeup caking or separating on a warm summer’s day. Embracing the power of a primer and layering cosmetics effectively will get you so far, but for many of us there’s always the issue of a little excess lubrication around the nose and chin that we’d rather see the back of.

This summer makeup is definitely going retro, with many brands launching their own modern version of the classic oil-management technique that was blotting papers. For years I can remember struggling to track down a pack at all, but in 2017 there are plenty of innovations on offer to help rid you of an oily t-zone and keep your makeup in check.

THE SIMPLE ONE: Beauty Blender Blotterazzi (£16.00)
For a brand that have made their name from a uniquely shaped sponge, Beauty Blender actually have diversified rather successfully into new areas of beauty – including this ‘Blotterazzi’ that simply blots away any excess shine and ‘re-blends’ makeup to ensure it looks fresh. Made from the same material as the original blender, this comes packaged in a convenient mirror compact and includes two sponges that can be washed and re-used as many times as you like. Although it won’t remove huge amounts of excess oil, it’s great for a faff-free touch-up that’s effective and discrete.

THE CLASSIC ONE: Clarins Pore Perfecting, Matifying Kit (£33.00)
Like a grown up version of those 90’s blotting paper packs, this dual-action kit from Clarins includes oil-blotting papers to mattify skin and remove excess sebum, alongside a translucent powder to provide a soft matte finish. Together they ensure makeup is left looking and feeling refreshed, allowing you to get on with your day and not worry about any slippage. I adore the luxe feel of the compact, which is also incredibly discrete and can be re-filled once you use up the product inside (re-fills are cheaper.) Definitely one for those of us that loved oil-blotters the first time around.

THE CLEVER ONE: Murad MattEffect Blotting Perfector (£32.00)
A rather unusual wet formula, this liquid-to-powder compact contains ‘soft-focus mattifying spheres’ to absorb oil and minimise appearance of pores and imperfections, whilst marshmallow powder provides ‘touchable softness’ – which is a posh way of saying your skin feels smooth again. Proven to keep pore appearance minimised for up to eight hours and absorb excess oil immediately, you need only a little of this to touch up makeup and leave your look refreshed. Although it’s not as practical for on-the-go, it’s a great tool to have in your desk drawer for when you need to perk up your makeup.

Can you remember blotting papers from the first time around? Would you be tempted to re-embrace the trend, or give it a go if you’ve not tried it before?

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The Miracle Cleanser by Aurelia

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probiotic organic skincare

A lovely cleanser to add to your wishlist; Aurelia’s Miracle Cleanser. I am new to Aurelia, and I’m afraid I’ll have to do a bit of swotting up before I can even begin to tell you about “probiotic skincare” or “bioorganic ingredients”, but this cleanser impressed me immediately. It’s creamy and rich but still easy to remove and it doesn’t leave an oily residue behind after you’ve done your little flannel/washcloth routine.

I found this to be quite a powerful little product, really – I was surprised, because the packaging looks so pretty-pretty. I was expecting some kind of rose-scented number that would give a gentle, quiet kind of cleanse, but instead I opened the jar and was hit with the full-on smell of eucalyptus and rosemary! I can imagine that this would be off-putting for many; I don’t mind it. The smell reminds me a little bit of Liz Earle’s Cleanse and Polish, though the texture isn’t at all the same. Aurelia’s Miracle Cleanser is a soft cream – so soft that you think it might wash away too easily and be a bit flimsy. But it’s not flimsy in the slightest; you can get a good bit of massaging-in going on and I actually like to leave it on for a minute or so before removing, just to let it sit and stew.

organic cleanser review

For people who don’t like the oily texture of balm cleansers, the more creamy formulas are a really nice option*. I already love the Frankincense Cleanser from Neal’s Yard Remedies (one tube finished, another just opened!) and also Pai’s cleanser, which is a calming rose one. You can read more cleanser reviews if you click here – most cream or balm cleansers that I’ve written about will be suitable for all skin types, though I would test this Aurelia one first if you have very sensitive skin. As I said: it packs a punch. It doesn’t leave your skin feeling at all dry or stripped, it’s just that it seems to do a very good job of getting rid of the grime and it’s quite loaded up with essential oils which can be a bit much for some skins… Other than that, it’s light enough for oily and combination skin but rich enough to keep drier skin feeling moisturised and there’s none of that post-cleanse tightness that some products create.

Miracle cleanser? I’m always wary of the word “miracle” used on beauty products – it does tend to get thrown around in a carefree manner – and I can’t see what would justify its use here, either. It’s a very good cleanser, but I would have thought that you’d save the “miracle” label for some kind of resurfacing serum or plumping moisturiser – something that shows instant, remarkable results. There’s nothing miraculous about cleaning your face! On the other hand, I do like the mystery and intrigue that surrounds the word “miracle” – especially when it’s printed on a very lovely label on a dark-glass apothecary-style pot. I suppose it’s a bit like Charlotte Tilbury and her Magic Cream – Magic is a bit overblown as a description, but there’s something about it that makes you want to open that lid and see what’s inside…

Aurelia’s Miracle Cleanser is £34 from Net-a-Porter here or from Space NK**. I’ll be back soon with more info on Aurelia – I’ve also been testing a teeny bottle of their serum and the stuff is like skin dynamite!

*A very nice, very affordable cream cleanser (though the Neal’s Yard one is pretty well-priced!) is the Rose one from Una Brennan. You can see my write-up on that here.

**SpaceNK have their sale on at the moment and I spotted the amazing Laura Mercier Creme Brulee and Almond Coconut sets at half price! They are reduced from £60 to £30 here.

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