About This Boots Botanics Mattifying Day Cream and Mattifying Gel-Cream…

Remember when I had absolutely no self-control and bought a bunch of Boots skincare products when Walgreens/Duane Reade had that BOGO sale? My beauty blogger homey ThisThatBeauty had texted her loot and I immediately put my clothes on at 11 PM and drove to my local Walgreens (my local Walgreens is actually a two minute walk but I drove because I have a VERY wild imagination and “the killer” is not getting me, OK!).

So anyway, I picked up quite a few items (I’m talking a cleanser, an exfoliator, an eye cream, two toners, and three mattifiers) and spent like $45—one of my long-time favorite moisturizers alone is double that total price.

I LOVE the Boots Botanics All Bright Cleansing Foam Wash, All Bright Refreshing Eye Roll-On, and though I don’t really use toners in my routine often, I also liked the Botanics All Bright Cleansing Toner. But right now it’s all about the Boots Botanics Shine Away Mattifying Day Cream SPF 15 and Boots Botanics Shine Away Mattifying Gel-Cream. Well because that’s what this review is about…lol.

See more Oily/Combo skin posts here

First the Boots Botanics Mattifying Day Cream…

Official info:

All Day Shine Control, Hydrates & Protects.

Light weight formula
Non Greasy
Non comedogenic
Tighten pores

The lightweight formula absorbs quickly without greasiness to provide balanced hydration and lasting protection from shine. Visibly tightens pores. Non comedogenic. Active plant extract, Willowbark, is a natural source of salicylic acid, which helps refine skin texture and actively target imperfections.

Use every morning after cleansing.

I liked that this sinks into my skin right away and leaves no residue. It works pretty well for me in the spring but I definitely had more oil breakthrough than what I’d get with other mattifying products (see others I’ve tried here) so I’d only really use this on milder days—say no hotter than about 65 degrees. You might also like this is you have normal or dry skin that gets a little oily in hotter temps.

Now the Boots Botanics Mattifying Gel Cream…

Official info:

This ultra-light gel cream delivers balanced hydration and visibly tightens pores. This ultra-light gel cream refines and tightens pores and reduces the appearance of imperfections.

The clarifying formula delivers balanced hydration to troublesome skin, to reveal skin that is mattified and healthier looking.
Non pore blocking.

Oily skin is characterized by an over-abundant secretion of oil from the sebaceous gland. Excess oil secretion can cause shiny patches on the skin surface. It can also combine with dry, dull skin cells to clog pores causing blemishes. Some products or ingredients can cause irritation to the skin by being too harsh or trying to dry out the oiliness
The bark of the willow tree is a natural source of salicylic acid which helps to refine skin texture and actively target imperfections.
Our beauty scientists use active plant extracts approved by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, to bring you beautiful skincare that’s proven to work.

We’ve taken steps to reduce our impact on the planet at every stage in this product’s journey.
• Formulated without parabens
• People tested

So because this was a lighter formula than the day cream, it worked SO much better for me. Only thing is it doesn’t have SPF in it which was a bummer for me. I’m sure there’s a technical reason why it doesn’t have SPF (perhaps some ingredient in it doesn’t work well with sunscreen) but I much prefer to have my mattifying product also be a moisturizer with SPF so I wouldn’t use this because I’d need a separate SPF product and so many of my fave mattifying lotions (like Murad’s) already have SPF in it. It would be great for night time though—you know those really hot summer nights where it’s STILL super hot and humid out. Or if you plan on going out dancing on any night of the year and need to keep the oil in check.

Bottom line: These were okay—not really for my regular summer time routine (unless we get some weird mild days here in NYC). If you have oily skin like me, you’d probably only really like these to control oil during spring or fall or if you live in a climate where it doesn’t get very hot. I think if you have normal or dry skin that gets oilier in the summer, this might be an option for you.

Price and where to buy: (click below)