From The Straits Times    |

best product for oily skin singapore mattifying tinted sunscreen thumb

Image: Beauty A-list. Shop the product here (there’s a discount code at the bottom of this page)!

Trying new skincare and makeup is part and parcel of my daily routine. There are so many amazing products out there that all serve different purposes, but some days you just want to put as little on your face as possible. 

Once in awhile I try to “detox” by going back to a basic moisturiser with SPF, and no makeup. Unfortunately, my combination-oily, blemished and rough skin (a side effect of trying so many different things) makes it difficult to feel great about going barefaced too often. 

When BeautyA-List.com gave me the opportunity to review a few products, I chose this one in particular because I wanted to see if it really did all the things it claims to. 

Coola Mineral Face SPF 30 Unscented Matte Tint is a “natural BB cream” that has SPF30, claims to be mattifying, line-smoothing, and has a slight tint (the unscented part was just a bonus). It also contains Rosehip, Evening Primrose and Flax Seed oils alongside shea butter for hydration. 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
All those oil ingredients make it sound like it would be a oily BB cream, but it’s not. The texture is very light and moussey, a lot like The Porefessional by Benefit. Rubbing some into the back of my hand when I first opened it, I felt like it would make a great base for foundation. It had all the slip and smoothing properties of a great silicone-based primer. The tint isn’t as visible as a regular BB cream, but it’s good for neutralising some redness. I also noticed it wasn’t very hydrating and that I would have to use another moisturiser under it. Now on to the wear test.

THE WEAR TEST
I’ll admit that the first time I tried to use this product in my morning skincare-makeup routine, the product wouldn’t go on smoothly and I was immensely disappointed. The cream had started to peel off in little particles as I was applying it, much like eraser “dust” (I believe The Porefessional also has a similar issue). I ended up cleaning my face and starting over with a different product. 

Then I spoke to a friend who had used it before and she suggested the product was simply having a difficult time meshing with the moisturiser I had on underneath. She recommended using it on top of a face oil instead. 

After toning and using a face oil (I love the Kiehl’s Daily Reviving Concentrate for daytime wear), I applied the Coola sunscreen. It went on flawlessly! Just make sure you apply any eye creams beforehand. My face felt completely matte and concealer went on really easily. I felt no need to even wear foundation over it as the sunscreen alone had left my complexion looking pretty good. The only clearly visible mark on my face was a scab on my chin from a scratch. I just set my concealer with some finishing powder, did my brows, spritzed on some setting spray and was good to go.

After one hour: My t-zone gets oily really fast on a normal day, often in as little as 30 minutes. After an hour, my face still looked exactly the same. I was constantly tempted to touch my face because of how soft and smooth it was!

After four hours: Even with a regular primer and foundation, my skin tends to look super oily by lunch time. With this, I only noticed a slight sheen on the tops of my cheeks, forehead and my nose, but it didn’t feel oily at all. In addition to that, my imperfections still looked blurred and my skin tone appeared even. I was pretty much sold on the sunscreen at this point. 

After ten hours: My face at the end of the day had finally started to look oily, but it was still silky smooth to the touch and not overly greasy. I didn’t feel the need to wash my face before leaving the office like I do on most days, which is a huge deal. 

THE VERDICT
This product was great for a full day at the office. I love how matte it made my face look and how well it controlled the oil production throughout the day. The tint, while very light, definitely made a difference in terms of how even my skin tone looked with the sunscreen on. I do feel that if you’re going to be outdoors all day, reapplication of your sunscreen is important and a powder SPF might be a better idea. 

The addition of silicone is possibly the only reason I can imagine people not liking this product, though my sensitive skin didn’t breakout or react badly. Overall, I would recommend this product to anyone struggling with oily skin or even just an oily t-zone. 

Coola Mineral Face SPF 30 Unscented Matte Tint is available from www.BeautyA-list.com. They’re having a special Christmas promotion, with 20% off storewide until the end of December, plus free shipping and gift wrapping! Simply use the code “XMAS20” at checkout. Happy shopping!