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July 17, 2013

Compare the Pair: Essence All About Matt!* and Rimmel London Stay Matte

The Rimmel London Stay Matte powder is a super hyped up product in the beauty community. Everyone from make up beginners to Tanya Burr (Pixi2Woo) wears this product so almost a year ago I picked it up. A few months ago I acquired the Essence All About Matt! Fixing Compact Powder* and, ever since, I've been comparing the two. I find one to stand out as a clear winner, keeping my skin shine free for over double the amount of time as its rival.
 Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder | Essence All About Matt! Fixing Compact Powder*

"Up to 5 hours natural shine control with natural minerals. Helps minimise the appearance of pores."

"If you prefer pressed powder, this fine, compact powder is for you! It can be applied above foundation to mattify you skin and set your make up for a matt, natural and smooth complexion. Available in one transparent colour for all your skin types - so it's perfect for when you're out and about with your girls! RRP $5.35"
Essence Media Release

To see which is the winner for me and why I recommend it to everyone I know, keep reading! 

Before I get into this review, I feel the need to tell you a little about my skin, especially if you're new to Born to Buy. I had combination/oily skin. It's nowhere near as oily as it used to be but the oily skinned girl mindset runs deep so I still like quite a matte finish as a buffer for shine throughout the day. If you want to see how I managed to combat my skin, click here and here.

For me, the most important aspect of a product such as these is shine control. Whilst the packaging etc can be of importance, a product needs to do what it says it will before we worry about how pretty it is. For me, the shine control I get from the Essence All About Matt!* powder far surpasses that of the Rimmel London Stay Matte powder. The times I've worn the Rimmel London Stay Matte powder, I've found myself reapplying some sort of powder (whether it be translucent or a compact foundation) almost hourly. I found I was a lot shinier than I get with no powder at all, in my mind making the claims redundant. With the Essence All About Matt! * powder, however, I can confidently look in the mirror after 4-5 hours to see little to no shine, touching up with a compact powder for additional coverage more than shine control. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder | Essence All About Matt! Fixing Compact Powder*
Both powders claim to be transparent, however I believe the Rimmel London Stay Matte gives my face a white cast that's not seen with the Essence All About Matt!*. In contrast, the Essence All About Matt! powder applies transparent. This seems strange to me, given that the Rimmel powder is a skin toned transparent whilst Essence's is white. 

I apply these powders in the same way, using my Real Techniques Multi Task Brush and patting the product onto the skin to prevent disruption of the products underneath. If I feel I want additional coverage, I dust a powder foundation over either. I find I do this more with the Rimmel Stay Matte powder to colour correct the white cast. 

If I'm completely honest, I don't particularly like the packaging of either product. Rimmel's has a screw top lid which I find to be quite flimsy. It can easily be pulled off, rather than unscrewed, so I'd hate to be throwing this in my bag as a touch up powder throughout the day. Whilst the Essence All About Matt!* powder is a lot more sturdy with a flip opening, I really wish this compact had a mirror! That would make it the ultimate touch up mattifying powder!

The Rimmel London Stay Matte powder has 14g of product, whilst Essence's All About Matt! Fixing Compact Powder* has 8g. This isn't of great concern to me as both are very affordable but it's possibly something to make note of.

Rimmel London's Stay Matte Powder retails for $12.95 at Priceline and can be bought at Priceline, Target, Big W, Kmart and anywhere else that Rimmel can be bought. As I mentioned, Essence's All About Matt!* powder retails for $5.35 and can be bought from Priceline and Target.

It's no secret that I absolutely love the Essence All About Matt! Fixing Compact Powder*. I am, once again, so impressed that Essence has managed to create a beautiful product at such an amazing price and I recommend it to everyone I know. I have been disappointed by the Rimmel London Stay Matte powder which, to be fair, isn't hard when a product receives so much hype. There's just so many more expectations placed on a super hyped about product, don't you think? 

Have you tried either of these products? Have you had different experiences than myself? Let me know below! Also, comment below telling me what two products you'd like to see compared next! 

*This product was sent me for review, however all opinions are my own. I was not paid for this review.

Always look your best,
Sophie
x

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3 comments :

  1. I purchased the Rimmel product for my mum and she quite liked it!

    Wow, given by this review, I might have to check out the Essence product; I prefer "white" powders rather than "skin coloured" ones.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hmm although I absolutely love love love the Rimmel one (it just works for me, so I'm not complaining haha!) I might have to give the Essence one a go! I'm always up for trying new things :P
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  3. You make so many great points here that I read your article a couple of times. Your views are in accordance with my own for the most part. This is great content for your readers. compare products

    ReplyDelete

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