Dermalogica • mediBac Clearing Mattifier • Skincare - Face

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tinadang14 on 4/9/2013 12:57:00 AM more reviews by tinadang14

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Tan, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

When you first put it on it feels great & matte. I use it after toner & also put on BB cream or matte primer, and I still end up having to blot 2 hours later. Definitely helps with the acne control though! Worth it if you don't mind blotting more frequently than other products.

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lymasouza on 4/5/2013 3:43:00 PM more reviews by lymasouza

Age: 30-35   Skin: Oily, Olive   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

I got a sample from this product and I have to say I didn`t like it. It doesn`t apply smoothly on my face and when I apply foundation on top, it starts peeling and flaking like flour. It is crazy I never saw any product doing like that. I wonder if this sample I have is off because it is really funny that a product with so many good reviews just does not work for me.

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Applepie80 on 10/5/2012 2:45:00 AM more reviews by Applepie80

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

Worst mattifier i ever used.. This stuff broke me out even though I applied a thin layer on my T-zone. It made me oily within 2 hours. Now gotta use treatment for the broke out due to this stuff... ZZzzz

I prefer my chanel's t-matt.

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buttonsnachopogo on 7/16/2012 7:53:00 PM more reviews by buttonsnachopogo

Age: 44-55   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

This is a great primer!!! I use it on my t-zone. I ran out and used another primer on my t-zone and boy did I break out!! This primer is too strong for my cheeks so I use the Avon primer which I love too on my cheeks. The dermalogica primer is expensive but you only use a little and it is worth the cost. This primer has salicylic acid in it. But if you put a salicylic acid lotion on and then a regular primer on ; it still doesn't work like the dermalogica primer works.

To me the primer looks just the smashbox photofinish primer. I don't think it mattifies much but it does help your foundation go on smoother, look smoother and last longer

I don't know what I would do if this product were discontiued because I don't know of anything like it.

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Aix83 on 4/16/2012 2:43:00 AM more reviews by Aix83

Age: 25-29   Skin: Other, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Brown    

The first primer I ever tried was benefit that gal and it was horrible and
Left me totally oily and didn't
Mix well with other products. The next primer I tried was Laura mercier oil free primer and it did nothing. The next primer I tried was smash box photo finish oil free primer which is consistently rated the best by beauty magazines. Although this primer made my
Makeup last longer and make makeup application easy it also broke my skin out with cystic acne and left other parts of my skin dry. This product by dermalogica is expensive and I do not think it should be called mattifyer because it does not make my
Skin less oily or more oily. I think it should just be marketed as a primer. As a primer it is fabilulous. I helps clear up my skin, goes On smooth and makes my makeup last all day. Pricey but a tiny bit goes a long way. I also mix it with Clinique ddmg which allows me to use even less and still see great results. Sorry for the 4 reviews in 1.

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2010jesslee on 4/7/2012 8:43:00 AM more reviews by 2010jesslee

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

Another great product that I will purchase after I tried the sample! My makeup last so long after I used it as a primer, really smooth canvas it made, plus no break out after I tried it now for 3 days. I hope it won't break me out after long term used. But now I am getting quite confident with Dermalogica's products now. So impressed with it, I have tried so many different primers but it didn't work for me even the high brands one. I hope this is the end of searching for primer! It didn't dry out my skin even it contains salicyclic acid, and silicone didn't cause pimples, awesome!

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walkaholic on 12/28/2011 10:15:00 PM more reviews by walkaholic

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Medium, Neutral   Hair: Black   Eyes: Black    

This makes the face very smooth, and is a great make up base. I like to think that it prevents makeup from clogging my face in the day. However, it has 2% salicylic acid. If you are also using the Medibac overnight gel, it seems like too much strong treatment for the face. I reserve it for occasional use only.

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*TOP REVIEWER* littlemj on 12/10/2011 1:53:00 PM more reviews by littlemj

Age: 30-35   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair-Medium, Warm   Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

NC25 Chinese, acne prone skin.
Smashbox Photo Finish oil free primer made me breakout, and this did not after sampling it, so I bought the full sized bottle. It was nice to have when I wanted some star power for special occasions.

I pulled it out for holiday parties, and the silicone feel is really nice and my makeup looked like it would sit nicely on top. Returning home, I startled myself by noticing a grayish cast to my face... moving on.

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Kurbiskonigin on 11/19/2011 11:25:00 PM more reviews by Kurbiskonigin

Age: 19-24   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Cool   Hair: Black, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

The best foundation primer I've used hands-down. It keeps my semi-oily skin matte and natural looking all day, and keeps my dry spots moisturized and protected to prevent further drying out. It lasts for 8 hours+ on me without getting shiny again, which can be fixed with powder. It keeps my foundation lasting beautifully and really improves the texture and overall appearance of my skin when wearing makeup. It does not break me out like most silicone-type bases! So, it has the same slip and smoothness of a good silicone primer without the itchy reactions, splotchiness, and break-outs I get with my sensitive-oily skin.

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*TOP REVIEWER* bagpuss21 on 10/10/2011 11:31:00 AM more reviews by bagpuss21

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Medium   Hair: Blond   Eyes: Blue    

I wanted to try this so got a sample first and loved it...i am 70% less oily now...i stopped using moisteriser and just wash my face and apply this....a little swiped over my t-zone, swiped and not rubbed in...then apply my foundation and i'm good to go. when i wash my make up off at night i can see the difference, my pores look clean and my skin looks great...it really does help your skin while its on under your makeup.

Love it !

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jazmine97 on 1/18/2011 7:24:00 PM more reviews by jazmine97

Age: 18 & Under   Skin: Very Oily, Fair, Cool   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I've been using this for a couple of weeks now and I have to say, I love it!

Now a lot of people are complaining that it doesn't keep the oil off for the entire day. Well simply reapply. It takes only a pea size to cover most or all of the oily areas of your face. I know on the package it says to apply before moisturiser, but I find it works better if you just do what you'd normally do in the morning and apply the solution after you've moisturised and throughout the day if you need to. Although this is a pretty damn expensive solution so it'd probably be best to combine with blotting papers.

I noticed no adverse reactions on my skin, in fact it really helped clear up my cheek acne! Any time I look in the mirror and I notice I'm getting oily, I'll just put some on and it literally instantly mattifies. Shine is completely gone. Woah.

And it doesn't even dry out my skin either. It keeps it nicely balanced. I would say after applying the effects last for probably 4 hours max. But I don't mind this as school only goes for 6 hours and I can always reapply.

I do hate the cost though, it makes me very sparingly use this and make sure I don't waste any money because this stuff is literally $1.70 every mL. It's a real pain. If it was half the cost I think I'd love this stuff a lot more.

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*TOP REVIEWER* girrl65 on 10/25/2010 11:41:00 PM more reviews by girrl65

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Olive, Warm   Hair: Black, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Green    

This stuff is awesome! I have been using Smashbox photo finish primer, but I got a sample of this and decided to use it since I have an ongoing battle with breakouts. I am not sure how much this did for that, but the primer part is excellent! I put it on under full foundation at 8am this morning and didn't take it off until 9pm tonight. I only powdered my face twice today, and that is because I am super anal about my foundation looking flawless. My face never really got shiny or tacky. I think this stuff works better than my Smashbox primer!! I plan on buying the full size as soon as I can!

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silvermouse on 6/2/2010 4:06:00 AM more reviews by silvermouse

Age: 25-29   Skin: Oily, Tan, Warm   Hair: Black, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Black    

I bought this due to the great reviews that it got and the general reputation of Dermalogica as a brand

I must say I am a bit disappointed, I've used it for a week now (to be fair, the tube looks like it's going to last for ever!), applying a thin layer to my T-zone as recommended on the packaging. I then apply moisturiser to the other areas (where I get a bit dry in winter). My skin feels velvety soft and smooth for about 5 minutes before I start to notice a bit of tackiness (is that a word? I mean where my skin isn't powder dry) and by mid morning it's like the Exxon Valdez all over again on my face. Honestly, it doesn't seem to be doing anything.

I think it would make for a pretty good primer but there's so much on the market that does similar things that it's not really worth the price.

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CrystalDreams on 1/14/2010 10:14:00 AM more reviews by CrystalDreams

Age: 19-24   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

I first tried a tiny sample tube of the clearing mattifier after it was highly recommended to me by the head facialist at a salon that I visited. Although I didn't notice any immediate change, I continued using this product as I had run out of primer and it seemed to make a nice base.

Did I notice any reduction in oil/shine? Some. It wasn't a MASSIVE difference. I could make sure that I don't become shiny by not putting on any moisturiser before my make up or not spritzing with fix+ when I finish so I wasn't too bothered by the oilies to start with... (I usually have to blot perhaps half way through the day).

I'm glad I didn't review this product right after I started using it. If i had, I too would probably have given it a mediocre review. I guess it doesn't work so well for everyone... but on me, the clearing mattifier has, over time, most DEFINATELY reduced breakouts! I didn't notice it at first- it's more of a long term thing... but my skin is definately clearer than it was before I started using it. To give you an idea, my skin was ok though I did suffer somewhat from clogged pores and I'd get a few very small little bumps which would stay under the skin forever (not breakout though) on my forehead and sometimes on the cheeks. This stuff has cut down the number of little bumps by heaps- I'd guess maybe by 75% or so? I still do get the occasional pimple during that time of the month, but my skin is SO much better than it was.

Honestly, it was a slow change. I hardly ever break out now and if i I do, it's typically because I've been poking at my face and irritated whatever tiny bump I was paying too much attention to.

I ran out of my sample tube several months after I first started it. Once I figured out this was what was clearing up my skin, I used it more excessively. I've since bought a full sized tube- it's expensive, but in my opinion, worth it. I use it all over my face now as a make up base, but you don't really need much. I squeeze out about 5mm of the stuff for each side of my face, then forehead and nose/chin. Can't live without it now!

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iamtheanonymous on 10/15/2009 6:01:00 AM more reviews by iamtheanonymous

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Olive, Warm   Hair: Black, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

This is one product I'm glad i didn't look at reviews on MUA before buying, as scrolling through I've seen a couple of negatives for this. It works amazingly well for me, to the point that I tell friends, if you have to get ONE product from Dermalogica, this is IT. It is by far the best oil control product I've tried, just putting this on near-instantly mattifies my face. My skin is acne-prone and combination, so it's moderately oily in some areas where I tend to breakout. Even on the worst oily days, this just mattifies without drying out my skin. In the beginning, I would use too much (by too much I mean a pea-sized amount) and it over-dried my skin (peeling, flakiness). I gradually decreased the amount, like the tube says, use a REALLY THIN layer. I normally use about half a pea-sized amount which is enough for all of my oily areas. Definitely avoid areas which aren't oily because I've found it drying on my more 'normal' skin areas. Downside: it doesn't work when used under makeup.

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zeptokitty on 8/1/2009 2:45:00 AM more reviews by zeptokitty

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Red, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

Although i have problem skin prone to breakouts, the medibac line has not worked for me in general. I have finally determined that my skin does NOT like Salicylic Acid. Mattifiers always seem to do nothing but dry me out in some spots and make other spots oily. I have the same problem with Smashbox Photo Finish.

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MsTripleChoc on 6/28/2009 11:14:00 AM more reviews by MsTripleChoc

Age: 30-35   Skin: Combination, Dark   Hair: Brown, Relaxed, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

For me the key to using this product is not to use too much or too little, as both will result in my normal shine coming through.

When i get the amount just right, this product works well, but not as good as the shine control lotion.

I did notice a small cyst appearing on my chin when i initially started using this, not sure if this was the result of a blocked pore.

Needless to say i wont be purchasing again.

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TallulahBelly on 6/15/2009 12:45:00 PM more reviews by TallulahBelly

Age: 25-29   Skin: Very Oily, Dark   Hair: Black   Eyes: Brown    

It must sound shallow, but this product has probably changed my life! I have incredibly oily skin, and would normally be an oil-slick by the time I got to work (I'm not exaggerating). I've tried dozens of mattifying products, none of which worked, and most of which caused allergic reactions. I can now make it through to lunchtime before blotting, and it means I'm not constantly finding opportunities to wipe down my nose and cheeks for oil if I can't find a tissue (yes, gross).

The Dermalogica Mattifier is very mild - hardly any odour at all, and is a really good base for makeup, i.e. a primer + moisturiser in one. And it's not as harsh or drying as some other products I've tried.

I'm now on my third tube - although it is very expensive, it does last for a long time as you only need a tiny bit each time. I'd say I would average about 3 tubes per year (with daily use), and for the peace of mind it gives me, that's pretty good value.

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shazzer65 on 5/28/2009 4:07:00 PM more reviews by shazzer65

Age: 44-55   Skin: Oily, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I freaking LOVE this stuff! I have super oily skin and hormonal breakouts. Such a fun combo. I've tried quite a few primers/mattifiers (and skincare products) over the past couple of years, with little to no success. I started using this when I got the MediBac starter kit, and it does a great job in terms of controlling oil without irritating my skin and/or causing breakouts. My nose gets a little shiny after a few hours, but it's preferable to looking like I had a head-on collision with the Exxon Valdez. The full-sized tube looks like it will last a long time, but if I ever run out, I will definitely buy it again!

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*TOP REVIEWER* Remykat on 4/23/2009 7:31:00 PM more reviews by Remykat

Age: 25-29   Skin: Combination, Olive, Warm   Hair: Brunette, Curly, Medium   Eyes: Black    

YET ANOTHER EDIT: When mixing this with my liquid foundation, my t-zone is clear all day and the color doesn't slide off. It won't work as well as a primer, but when mixed, it is something awesome. Better than Smashbox Photo Finish.

EDIT: I've updated from 2 lippies to 4. Turns out, the stinging sensation was from combining this with 2 other salicylic acid products. When used alone, this mattified for hours(!) and did not cause discomfort. Be careful with mixing it with other acne fighters though, and use it only on the most oily of areas.

***ORIGINAL REVIEW: Tried to like it, but can't. It goes on like velvet, mattifies for some time, but I've got one complaint: stinging (and not just right when you put it on-- it tingled for hours after! WTH?)

I also suspect that this product is responsible for a small smattering of new whiteheads arounnd my cheeks. I'll give it a little more time, but I won't be repurchasing.***

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