Two years ago, I discovered that Mattify ULTRA was my Holy Grail face powder. Yet, ever the beauty junkie, I’m always trying every product I can get my hands on. A friend of mine swears by Mac Blot Powder, so I decided to give it a try because I was looking for a portable pressed face powder. Well, here is my experience with MAC Blot Powder vs Mattify Ultra Powder:
First, let me tell you that my friend who adores MAC Blot has near perfect skin, a slightly oily T-Zone, and almost invisible pores. She thinks that getting a zit the size of a pin head is the end of the world. I, on the other hand, am cursed with extremely oily, acne prone skin & occasionally develop cystic acne. Keeping my pores free of oil & makeup is a must.
We were headed to an amusement park, so my makeup had to withstand a 3 hour drive, heat, sweat, and several dousings on the Water Coaster ride. I used my regular foundation routine (Mattify ULTRA Powder first, then Clarins Ever Matte). Instead of using the Mattify ULTRA again over the Clarins foundation, I used the MAC Blot Powder in Medium. At first, my face looked nice and fresh, and it did a good job of concealing pores.
When our drive to the park was almost done, I looked in the mirror.
**Gasp** my face was crazy shiny.
I grabbed some oil blotting sheets and went to town. Automatically, I reached for my Mattify ULTRA powder, since it’s my go-to item for shine control. After a few minutes of frantically searching, I’d realized it had been left on the counter at home. This was a true disaster, because you can’t just buy the stuff anywhere, it has to be ordered online. When you have skin as oily as mine, yes this WAS a disaster! The only powder I did have was the MAC Blot in Medium.
I patted the MAC Blot over my foundation, being careful not to streak my makeup. The finish looked nice and fresh again, so figured I was good to go. After a few hours of roller coaster fun, we took a break to get some food. I caught a glimpse of myself in a metal napkin holder, and my face was reflective with oil. I did a quick touch up with the MAC Blot, but realized it was starting to feel kind of heavy and thick. On the White Water Safari Coaster, my face got pretty wet, but the water just kind of beaded up & dried by itself. I was impressed that it didn’t disturb my foundation.
After a while I was oily again, so I re-powdered. With no time to worry about makeup, we hopped back in line for the coasters and finished our day around 7pm. By this time my face felt like it was caked in powder. I couldn’t wait to wash it off. One look in the mirror confirmed my fears – I was greasy, blotchy & the powder had settled into my pores.
After I re-did my makeup, I used the Mac Blot to set it. I saw that skin oils had transferred from the puff to the compact, giving the powder an oily sheen. I scraped off the top layer to reveal the fresh powder underneath. During the time I used the compact, this happened repeatedly, so I started storing the puff upside down to prevent oil transfer.
Fast forward to 3 days later…
My skin was a mess – had at least 10 breakouts. I checked the ingredients in MAC Blot & found that it has Dimethicone (silicone) which always causes breakouts on me. I thought that only liquid products like primers & foundation contained this, so didn’t even think to check before using the powder. That’s probably what causes this powder to feel heavy and waxy. If only it didn’t clog my pores, I would love the stuff, because it helps my foundation to be more water & sweat resistant. But combine a hot sunny day + dimethicone + sweat and for the next few days you’ll be cursing yourself for ever applying this stuff to your face. It will be breakout city if you are acne prone.
**Why is Dimethicone (silicone) bad for your skin? Click here to find out**
Final Decision: MAC Blot VS Mattify ULTRA
Mattify ULTRA is the face powder I use every day & it never fails. I wear it year round, both under and over my liquid makeup. Although it doesn’t wick away water like the MAC Blot did, it absorbs way more oil, requires fewer touchups, and doesn’t feel heavy at all. After years of searching for the perfect regimen to keep my skin free of acne, I really value the fact that the ULTRA doesn’t make me break out. Ever since I started using it as a primer, I’ve hardly gotten any acne at all.
Out of this contest between two oil blotting face powders, I’d have to say that Mattify ULTRA wins, hands down. It’s a little less expensive than the MAC Blot too, which is always a plus. The purse size container of Mattify ULTRA is $14.49 including shipping on their website at http://www.mattifycosmetics.com and the MAC Blot was $24 at Macy’s.
Mattify ULTRA
Pros:
Super oil absorbent
Feels very light weight on skin
Doubles as primer & setting powder
All natural, no parabens or chemicals
Does not contain Mica or Dimethicone
Cons:
Loose powder, tricky to apply on the go
MAC Blot Powder
Pros:
Sets makeup for water resistant wear
Pressed Powder, transportable & easy to use
Cons:
Not so great at absorbing oil
Contains Dimethicone, which clogs pores
Looks heavy & waxy after a few applications
Not 100% Natural Ingredients & contains parabens