Monday, April 18, 2011

Soothing Care (Monistat) Chafing Relief Powder Gel

If you keep up with the beauty blog world and MakeupAlley, you have probably heard about this powder-gel. And if you were like most people, you probably immediately thought of the Monistat for yeast infections and wondered if you were hearing right. Contrary to popular belief, this product isn't actually made by Monistat, but by Soothing Care, another product line from the makers of Monistat products. The package says "from the makers of MONISTAT intimate care," with the word Monistat the largest, so everyone just assumes it's a Monistat product.

Regardless of the name confusion, it's just a silky, silicone-based gel. It feels identical to a lot of other silicone makeup primers, such as Smashbox Photo Finish. The main difference? The price...a tube of this costs about $5.89 vs. $36 for the Smashbox.

Years ago, before I decided to give this stuff a try, I really disliked foundations. I always felt like they looked really weird, dry, and cakey on my skin, even with moisturizer. I settled on tinted moisturizer instead, but my oily skin really didn't need the extra moisture and the coverage was always less than ideal. Eventually, a friend of mine tried it out before me, and sent me a sample jar. The rest is history.

Before I start, I'll tell you that I am currently working my way through my 10th, yes, 10th, tube of this gel. So you can rest assured that this review is not based on a few days worth of use and that my opinion will most likely change next week. No, this review is based on a few years of use and consistent love for the product.

As soon as I finish moisturizing and giving it a few minutes to set in, I apply this primer, as I'll call it from here on out. You only need a little, it's very silky and spreads out super easily. I use about a pea size for each side of my face and a little less than that for my forehead. That's still more than most use, but I feel like that's about right for my skin. It sort of depends on your skin texture how much you personally will need.

Immediately, it mattifies the skin and smooths the look of fine lines and pores. All rough areas are diminished, and foundation glides on like silk. I can't say for sure if it helps my foundation to wear longer, but it certainly helps it wear better. It provides a barrier between the foundation and my extremely oily skin, so that it doesn't disappear and settle into pores.

Should you try this? If you are using an expensive silicone-based primer, yes. It's worth $5.89 to give it a try, since it could end up saving you lots of money in the long run. And if you're not using a silicone primer, still yes, because you need to try one! I was skeptical until I tried this, and now I could never live without it.

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