Neutrogena Shine Control Powder Mini Review

This powder claims to instantly reduce shine, last all day, and layer invisibly over makeup with a matte finish.

The compact is sleek and black with a matte finish and comes with a thin foam pad applicator. It's very sturdy and snaps closed securely with out being difficult to open. The mirror is nice and big and will stay in whatever position you angle it in. Aside from the crappy applicator it's nice packaging. Unfortunately the thin piece of junk it comes with is all that will actually fit in the compact. If you want a puff or a brush you'll have to store it separately.

Does it instantly reduce shine? Yup, sure does but unfortunately my skin instantly looks dry and flakey when I put this on. My skin looks really terrible and this alone makes me regret this purchase. My skin isn't dry, it's greasy and well exfoliated. It was quite a shock when I put this on.

Does it last all day? Not even close! In less than an hour my skin is oily and gross because this seems to slide off and clump up.

Does it invisibly layer over makeup? Nope, this gives a ghastly pallor suitable for goth clubs and Halloween shenanigans. While I do dabble in this look quite frequently it's not what I go for while working. It's pretty rare for powders to make me look paler.

Does it have a matte finish? Yes, but again it's more of a "dry lake bed" kind of finish. Not the look I want.

Unfortunately this product doesn't work for me at all. It's uncomfortable to wear and doesn't flatter. I see a lot of rave reviews for this but I don't recommend it in the least.

Neutrogena Shine Control Primer Review

I have some oily skin, particularly on my forehead and chin. My cheeks however are as normal as can be. My forehead becomes a completely disgusting oil slick to rival a deep fryer if I spend any time out of air conditioning in the summer and as you can imagine that looks really bad and drives me nuts.

Because of that I decided to give this rice powder based primer a try even though I don't usually wear primer with my BB creams. This primer feels drier than other primers and immediately gives skin a matte look. Out of the tube it's white and maybe a little bit gritty... other reviews have complained about this primer feeling really gritty and giving a heavy white cast to the skin, I haven't had these problems. Even with a tanned face I don't notice any sort of white cast.

SO... DOES IT WORK? Eh... I don't really think so. My face is just a little bit less oily but it's still shiny after 4 hours or so, not the 8 hours claimed by Neutrogena. This primer is supposed to control shine but I don't find that it does that. However, it does make my face feel a bit less oily which is a good thing.

One thing though, I apply this to my face before bed and wake up with out my face looking like I rubbed cooking oil on it. It's still shiny but feels considerably less greasy.

Any way, I guess the bottom line is this primer doesn't do much for shine but at least makes my face feel less gross. I probably won't repurchase because it's $12 for 1 oz