Review: Smashbox Anti-Shine.

Happy Sunday! I hope you're all lounging around and enjoying a day off -- I know I am.

On to the review, if you know the slightest bit about me, you know that my skin is always a constant problem for me. I'm extremely oily, very prone to acne, I get the occasional dry patch, and I've got a bunch of acne scars. On top of that, I'm quite fair (About an NC10 in MAC), so, I've got my hands full. Getting my makeup to wear for more than a couple of hours is even a hard thing to do, that is until this little gem came into my life.

I picked up Anti-Shine my second week with Smashbox when I was looking to try to wear something for my long days of work (Trend Shows at Nordstrom can keep me in my makeup for anywhere between 9-12 hours and with my skin, that's never good.) Knowing I was sensitive to silicones, I wasn't interested in try the well-known Smashbox Photo Finish primer. I have tried the Original and the Light version, the Light version definitely being better since it's 60% water and contains much less silicone, however, using it for more than a couple of days in a row, my skin gets a little irritated.

Here's how Anti-Shine works. I'd say it's a primer, however, unless you're very oily, like myself, I wouldn't use it all over. Even in the Winter months, I only use this product on my forehead, nose, chin, and cheekbones. With that being said, it's more like a targeted treatment, similar to MAC's Prep and Prime Refined Zone Treatment, except this isn't designed to minimize pore visibility. This product is silicone free, so, it's safe for those even with fairly sensitive skin. The main ingredient that makes this product work is Magnesium Aluminum Silicate -- or in simpler terms, it's a refined version of silicia, which is a mineral that is known for it's oil-absorbing properties.

Back to being less sciencey, this product works. I can use this and not have to worry about touching up for at least 8 hours -- for oily skin, that's definitely saying something. I'd highly recommend this for at least combination skin to use on their nose as a base. Do be aware, less is more with this products. If you do use too much, you can get a very dry, rubbery feeling base.

Smashbox Anti-Shine is available at Sephora, Ulta, and Nordstrom counters for $27 (1oz).

-- Josh <3