Review : Maybelline Smooth Shine Free Face Powder

Heyyloww every body!

Let me tell you a little secret : i actually set a challenge for myself to post one entry *well, not me lah, but the combination of #Undecided's and mine* EVERY DAY for a whole month. Did anyone notice that we posted something every single day? Maybe not haha. Like i said many times, i had a pretty mellow (and sucky in parts) September so i had quite a lot of free time to blog, #Undecided also had some (brief) bursts of blogging energies restored and posted quite a few entries, plus i hoarded a lot of entries that i could post anytime i want. Okay lah, just want to get that little announcement out of the way!

I'm writing another review right now, wow i'm so proud of my productivity LOLOLOL. I'm hoarding reviews so on days when i don't feel like writing (that's pretty rare lately! I'm on FAYAH!) i can just post one of my fruit of labor *whatever the heck's wrong with me today, what's with the words choices anyway... Probably side effects of my (attempt to) diet?* hahaha.

Okay lah, ley's get down to business! 

You do know Maybelline is like, my ultimate favorite drugstore brand, yes? It's been my favorite since the first time i began to develop craziness over make up (university days, yes i am a late bloomer. I did use powder and lip gloss when i went out in my high school days, but that's about it) and it stayed so until today. They are affordable (especially in Indonesia, the price's super crazy low! Seriously, i've never seen such low prices on Maybelline products anywhere else so far!), fun and oh-so-easy to access. You can find this brand pretty much everywhere in Indonesia.

As you might already know if you've read this that my Holy Grail mascara is from Maybelline. I also love their lip glosses (and now, lip balms as well. Gonna talk about that later in another post) and wear their eye shadows and blush on (even though the latter two i'm not too crazy about, they work just fine for me but nothing too special). What about face products? Oh yes, i LOVE Maybelline's face products!

From the title you should already know that i am going to yap talk about one of their powder, Smooth Shine Free Face Powder (i dunno if they re-name the product now because when i googled for the picture, most that came up was called Smooth Shine Free Pressed Powder. Hm...)

Photo courtesy of Mr. Google

The one in the picture above was in Medium while mine actually was in 01 Light (yes, my pale complexion demands me to use the lightest shades if i do not fancy looking like a crazy person...)

With SPF 18! Awesome! You know i'm always lazy to put sun screen on (that's why i prefer using BB Cream that contain SPF, add the SPF from the BB Cream with this powder, should be enough right :p)... I'm trying not to!!! But they're so uncomfortable!

Even though this was my first Clear Smooth face/pressed powder, it was not the first Maybelline powder for me. I've used up two or three of their Clear Smooth All in One (the one that contained foundation) before. Yes, i used to stick to one kind of things and repurchase them over and over again, i dunno when all of these craziness (on obsessing on wanting to try every products available on the face of the earth!) got to me. I don't think it started too long ago *sigh*. Sometimes i miss the simplicity of my make up routine back then, but most of the time i enjoy my new-found make up junkie self. Make ups are such fun things!

Came with a green round pact

Contained 9gr of powder, not that much, i've finished it in give or take a month and a half (if i use it every day)

It also has a pretty big mirror and came with a cloth-type puff

Packaging wise, it was very MEH. I wasn't fussy when it comes to powder cases (nowaways, that might change already though..) so i didn't really care. It wasn't fragile, pretty sturdy and easy to clean due to its glossy surface.

The cloth puff that came with it was... well, you know... very cheap looking. It wasn't very smooth either but not super harsh that it scrape my face or whatever (scrape??? OMG, i mean scratch hahahaha i'd sue'em if their puff scrape ma face hahaha). 

I didn't like it at all when i first tried it (i used my sponge puff and it worked better), but i actually only used this powder when i travel (it went to Europe, SG/JB/Jakarta/Bandung and Taiwan with me) and it'd be very inconvenient if i had to bring another case just for my sponge puff (because the powder case's pretty slim, my chubby sponge couldn't get in properly!) so i just make do. I guess i got used to it because when i tried using it with the sponge puff later, i found it to be bothersome and not as fast as using this humble cloth puff hahaha. I am such a creature of habit. 

Don't ask me why i didn't use any brush to apply ya, i am hopeless when it comes to brushes. I do enjoy using brushes to apply my foundie/BB cream now, but i still can't master powder brushes (not that i own any proper one)! 

I've finished this powder and in the end the puff was super dirty and fugly...

The consistency of this powder was really smooth and buttery for me. There were a little bit of fall off, but nothing too horrible (i dunno how they'd fare if you use brushes okay since i've never attempted to use brushes with this). They glide on super smoothly and the coverage was very good. I'd say this is one of the more dense kind of pressed powder that i've ever used, it had a medium coverage that can be build up to a fuller stage.

The color matches my facial skin, problem is... my face is naturally whiter than my neck, and i dislike powdering my neck so.... You know lah hahahaha. 

Like i said, i brought this powder whenever i travel, and i guess that's why i do not have a more detailed pictures on MY FACE. ZZZZ i knew i forgot something, now there's nothing i can do because the powder is FINITO, no more. The only best picture i could find was this :

Hahahahaha my face looked so silly, this i took to review the BLUSH ON! Haha

In the picture above, i used light BB cream (result without any base would be very similar, i just find BB creams help to make my make up lasts) and with Etude House's blush on my cheek. You can zoom in and you'll see that it was really smooth and managed to hide my pores. Yay!

It claimed to be keep shine at bay, personally i find no powder can do that hahaha. This one... well, it's not BAD, but of course my face became super dewy (okay lah, oily..) within two hours. It's not that this powder's no good, it's just that my oil's so mighty, no powder can keep them at bay *LOL*, i just flip out my Oil Control Films and everything's good again. Oh, actually i find Sari Ayu Bedak Jerawat to hold my oil better than this, will do a review on it too in the future (i know i know, i keep on promising reviews. I will eventually do all of them! Just be patient okay hahaha).  

I do love this powder, but i do find it a little be too heavy for every day usage. I prefer to use a lighter/less dense pressed powder or even loose powders on a daily basis (then again, i go totally make up free at least three days a week when i didn't really leave the house much). I used it daily on my travels, the longest run was on my Europe and JB/SG/Jakarta/Bandung trip when i used it every day for two weeks straight. It didn't clog my pores and didn't break me out, so... four thumbs up! (then again my skin is very unsensitive lah, so if yours is very sensitive, don't take my words on it!)

Other than travels (when i prefer more coverage than what a loose powder could offer because i want to save time dolling up. I don't have to worry about redness and tiny blemishes with BB cream+this on top), i'd use this on occasion when i feel like i want more coverage (yes, this is as far as full coverage goes for me, any more and i'd feel like i'm wearing a mask) like on a celebratory dinner. I also wore this to Ririn's Wedding, i already posted so many of my cam-whoring pictures in the outfit/make up post so if you want to see how it performed with full make up on, just check that post okay :).

I do not remember how much i paid for this, but Maybelline's stuffs are always so cheap and they have discounts all the time too (that's the cue for me to stock up on mascaras!). I just googled this powder's price and stumbled into Arum's post (it's in Indonesian though :), heads up for our international readers) and she said she didn't like the powder's smell. Personally, i had no problem with the smell :). I don't remember anything unpleasant i mean, that's a sign that i wasn't bothered by the smell. I just went and smelt the case hahaha. It smell... powdery to me, not nice or whatever, just... normal powder smell haha. So i guess it's a matter of preference whether or not the smell would be disturbing for you. I'd suggest you go and sniff the tester if you want to try out this powder, okay?

Anyway, i think this powder's price's around IDR 30.000 (i think i paid less, it must be on a sale. If you're an Indonesian and not in urgent need for a powder and just want to stock up, i'd say wait for your local supermarket to have a sale on them-in my experience that'd be once in a two to three months, they would have at least 20% off! That's why i don't really buy them when they're not on sale hahaha. Oh i think Guardian also have the +1000 get 2 promo for this powder all the time!), super affordable right!

Conclusion : This is a very highly recommended affordable pressed powder for people who are looking for more coverage than light pressed/loose powders that is easy to use and won't look cakey *unless you pile on crazy amount, then of course it'd be cakey lah...*. 

Not recommended for people who are looking for everyday, light powder (i don't think it's that healthy to put on pressed powder on my skin everyday, but that's just my opinion!) and those with oily mine of a skin like mine who are hoping for a miracle powder that would keep your face shine free all day (even four hours' already impossible lah with this), that's simply ain't gonna happen haha. Oh, also please keep in mind some people could be bothered with the scent also (but not me).

Would i repurchase this? Well, of course. Provided i've finished the mountain of powders i've accumulated (but honestly, it'd be forever lah because i am now always attracted to try all kind of brands that are available! #beautyjunkyproblem!), i am very satisfied with the performance of this powder!

Remember, as always, i wrote this based on my own experience. Result might differ for different skin types, but i'd still say this powder's worth (not worthed, seriously people, there's no such word as worthed in English dictionary -____- i promise you!!) a try!

Hope my long winded review didn't bore you haha, don't call me #Pink if i don't go into details (not ingredients wise, of course, i'm crappy at those!).

Oh yah! Three more days until i become officially thirty T.T, three more days for you to join my giveaway! Good luck!

Toodles!

#Pink