Urban Decay De-Slick

As I mentioned in my previous post, I've suffered from oily skin for most of my life.  My skincare regimen mostly keeps pimples at bay, but the oil still means that I still need to freshen up my makeup every 3-4 hours.  In the past I'd actually re-apply pressed powder every time, which did mattify my complexion but also had the unfortunate effect of giving my face a caked-on appearance by the end of the day.  Rice paper blotters were thus a godsend when I first discovered them in the late 90's, but I'd run through a package too quickly to justify the expense on a student's salary.

It wasn't until last Spring that I discovered Urban Decay's De-Slick products, specifically their mattifying powder.

I won't lie, the $32 price tag actually made me gasp the first time I looked at the compact.  For a powder that acts only to absorb oil, that is a LOT of money.  Still, I was desperate for something new, and I realized that if I got 6 months of use out of the pressed rice powder it was going to wind up being less expensive than the $6/30 packs of blotting papers I'd been buying.  So I took the plunge and haven't looked back since.

To start with, De-Slick Powder absorbs oil in a millisecond.  Just swipe the applicator puff across the product, pat onto the oily area, and voila, no more oil!  The powder residue does stick around for a few minutes, but doesn't give the cakey too-much-foundation look of multiple applications of regular pressed powder. 

The compact itself is the standard Urban Decay purple plastic, and (I think) it's the case that gives the powder its purplish hue in the pan.  On the applicator and the skin it's white, which is perfect for my ultra-fair complexion, but might not work so well on darker-skinned ladies. 

Overall I'd rate this one a must-have if you have oil control problems, though women who have darker skin tones would do well to swatch it on themselves before making the not insignificant investment.