Bioderma Sebium Mat Anti-Shine Cream-Gel

Winter is coming, and the days are becoming colder and drier, yet when the clock ticks towards 4 or 5 o'clock, my skin is inevitably slick-smooth (my way of saying oily as hell). This is most probably due to the harsh office recycled-air environment, and the most healthy way to combat oily skin is to make sure your skin is well-moisturized.

You may question, why put more hydration on greasy skin? It seems like you're just making the situation worse. The reason your skin is pumping out oil and grease is because it is trying to compensate for not having enough moisture. Think of it as your skin forming a protective barrier so outdoor elements don't suck even more hydration out of your skin. Therefore, by moisturizing, you are actually helping your skin and decreasing the amount of oil it secretes.

Now, this is all well and good and I'm all for healthy potions and habits, but sometimes, all you need is a quick fix. I definitely don't want to exit the office and go to a fancy dinner with a shiny face, even if I know that I'm helping my skin.

The obvious answer here is to powder up my face, but adding more makeup to an already made-up face along with all the grime I've collected throughout the day sounds plain disgusting and pore-clogging to me. My answer is Bioderma's Sebium Mat Anti-Shine Cream-Gel. This gel is a light, creamy product that sinks quickly into your skin, soaking up (and drying up) all the existing oil and helping minimize the appearance of pores. Like a quick-fix vacuum for your skin!

I apply this product on my oily t-zone and for a couple hours, my skin is shine-free and matte. On humid summer days, I would apply this on oily areas before I put on foundation, so it would act as a primer to prep and ward away shine. This gel is very effective, which also means that it can be drying, so if you have normal to dry skin, you definitely do not need this, and should not use this; it would probably make your skin flakey.

Overall: 4 / 5
Repurchase? Yes, but I'll wait until the summer rolls around again because I won't be using it much during the dry winter months.