Urban Decay De-Slick Mattifying Gel & Powder

Whew it's been awhile since I last posted. It's been a busy month. Oops! But anyways...
 

Mattifying Gel & Powder- front



This past weekend I picked up the Urban Decay De-Slick in a Tube mattifying gel ($34.00 CDN) and De-Slick mattifying powder ($36.00 CDN). Luckily I had Sephora's $20 off a $40+ purchase VIB coupon, otherwise it would have been even more pricey!

  

Mattifying Gel & Powder- back

The gel promises to "banish greasy zones and take control of oil. Our lightweight gel keeps skin matte in any 'heated' situation. Performs anywhere and anytime - dab it on all day for touch-ups without ruining your perfectly applied makeup. Works great on naked skin or under foundation. Stay shine-free on the go. Just don't go out without it."

The gel is 20mL (0.67 fl. oz) and is a white gel. It dries to a clear matte finish. I wouldn't recommend using it as a mattifying face primer though. I didn't find it forms a smooth enough surface to spread liquid foundation on top. I think it would work if you put it underneath your regular face primer though.

The powder states that "this lightweight, shine-stopping powder blots oil and keeps shine at boy. Try De-Slick on naked skin or over makeup. Our formula contains super lightweight rice powder, so you won't feel it, but you'll see the shine-free results. AND it works on every skin tone from dark chocolate to palest porcelain, invisibly." 

The compact contains 11.4g (0.30 oz). The powder is a very sheer white powder and has a slight minty smell -  almost spearmint like.

I used the powder today (applying it with my EcoTools retractable kabuki and so far I'm liking the results. I still need to blot after the 5-hour mark but I did notice a difference in oil build up.

I didn't want to use both products at once, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to tell which one was working or not.

Tomorrow I'll try out the mattifying gel and hopefully it will be as good as the powder.

Dec 6th Update: Tried the gel over makeup today. Once I rubbed it in, my skin instantly mattifed! But my skin did feel tighter for a little while. And I noticed on my cheeks where I had put more gel, there was a white cast of powder. 

MAC Fix + vs. Model in a Bottle vs. Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray

Having oily skin, I'm always looking for new products to lock my makeup in for the day. Today I'll be comparing the three makeup sprays:
MAC Fix +, Model in a Bottle and Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray.
I originally thought MAC Fix + was a finishing spray but after watching EnKoreMakeup's informational video about Facial Sprays part 1 and part 2 I now know better and it's actually a setting spray. Why MAC would name the spray Fix + instead of Finishing + would be beyond me haha.

Basically there are three different types of sprays: a Refresher Spray, Setting Spray, and Finishing Spray. A refresher spray is more or less like water in a spray water and used to moisturize your face throughout the day and used for a quick pick-me-up. A setting spray fuses all the layers of your makeup together and a finishing spray locks in all the makeup and keeps everything in place.

I've originally been using MAC Fix + to lock in my makeup but realize that by mid-afternoon my liquid foundation (although set with a powder) would be half sliding off my face (it costs about $25 CDN for 100 mL/3.4 fl oz. and has a light clean smell to it. It drys quickly).
This started my research and search for a different product. I ordered Model in a Bottle online for $18 USD + $7.10 shipping to Canada (coupon code "FF20" by the way gives you 20% off the product). The bottle is 2.0 fl oz/60 mL and says it's good for 300 sprays. I couldn't use it for more than five sprays! The smell was overwhelming and super perfume-like! The website does warn that it has a smell but I didn't expect such a strong odor. The sensitive formula is suppose to have a lighter scent but I haven't tried it. For the original version, imagine the smell to be like an old bottle of perfume- that was what it smelt like for me. As well when I sprayed it on, it felt like my face was burning! The one perk I would give it is the bottle and packaging of the product. The bottle looks very slim and elegant.

With Model in a Bottle disappointedly rejected, I went to my nearest Sephora store to pick up the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray. It cost $35 CDN for 118 mL/4.0 fl oz. I must say this works a lot better for me as a finishing spray. However it claims to lock makeup in place for 16 hours. With my oily skin, I wouldn't say it lasts that long for me- more like 5 to 6 hours. The smell is definitely not as strong as Model in a Bottle and smells "fresher". However for $35, I would have appreciated UD to package it using a prettier bottle than just a standard spray bottle with a label on it. It also feels like the bottle just splashes your face with liquid. A lot comes out of one spray so use two to three all over and you're good to go! If you don't want to wait for it to dry, take a folder or something to fan your face haha.   

After using the three different sprays, my makeup routine now consists of after I apply my powder, I stipple Fix + on and then spray UD's All Nighter spray over top. It seems to do the trick for me and at least helps my makeup last longer than just the morning.