This Water-Powder Serum Kept My Oily Skin Matte All Day

When it comes to product innovation, in my eyes, there's no brand doing it quite like Danessa Myricks Beauty. That being said, while I am a beauty lover and a fan of the brand overall, my experience as a beauty editor has also made me one of the biggest skeptics you'll probably ever meet. This is why when the brand came out with a "water-powder" serum, my eyebrows raised so high that they practically levitated off my face.

The juxtaposition of those words has likely made your brain short-circuit, too — liquids and powders typically do not mix in cosmetic formulations. However, because I've had such a good track record with the brand, I had to give this serum an honest shot. Read ahead for my thoughts on the new Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Mattifying Water Powder Serum ($36).

Danessa Myricks Yummy Skin Mattifying Water Powder Serum

From

$36

$36 at Sephora

I won't lie: I went into this fully expecting the product not to work. However, once I applied it for the first time, I was swiftly silenced. This product comes out of the tube as a standard liquid serum, but when I put it on my face, by the time it dried down, it had a silky-to-the-touch finish, like a powder.

It was such a weird experience — my fingers glided across my face as if I had just baked for a good 30 minutes, but all I had on was the serum, which was pretty cool. I have a sneaking suspicion that the mattifying finish of this product has to do with the kaolin clay in the formula, as it seems to be suspended in the liquid of the serum somehow. That being said, while I am a big fan of clay masks, they have a tendency to get uncomfortable after they've fully dried. I believe that's the tight feeling that I was experiencing with this Water Powder Serum.

Still, I wear glasses, so I usually get a bit of oil pooling around the bottom rim of my frames (right by my nose), but with this product combo, there was no sign of oil anywhere. After about two hours, my face started to feel a bit less tight, for lack of a better word, but still, there was no sign of the oiliness that I usually see at that point in the day.

The serum has a sticker on the bottom that says not to shake it but just to press on the dispense lightly. One pump of the trampoline-like dispenser will give you enough product for about a third of your face if you decide to use the serum all over. I like to focus it on my T-zone and blend it out, so I opted for two pumps total before applying it with my fingers. To get the full powder-like effect, wait for it to dry down. Your skin will have a noticeably silky, satin-like finish, creating the perfect base before applying your makeup — especially if you have oily skin. I personally used it as a primer, but you can also use it on top of a full face to re-mattify the skin as needed.

To get the full powder-like effect, wait for it to dry down. Your skin will have a noticeably silky, satin-like finish, creating the perfect base before applying your makeup — especially if you have oily skin. I personally used it as a primer, but you can also use it on top of a full face to re-mattify the skin as needed.

The brand recommends using this product with other products from the "Yummy" line, so I applied the Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder ($36) in the shade eight on top of it. This made my skin almost uncomfortably matte.

Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder

From

$36

$36 at Sephora

On a different occasion, I tried the serum by itself and didn't notice that tight, squeaky-clean feeling. This makes me think it was the addition of the Yummy Skin Balm that dried me out, as it's another oil-absorbing product. With that, my recommendation is to make sure that your skin is thoroughly hydrated before using the Water Powder Serum (and if you have dry skin, proceed with caution). If you have oily skin, this product may make you want to throw away all of your oil-control primers — it works that well.

You can Buy the Danessa Myricks Water Powder Serum at Sephora.com, the brand's website, CameraReadyCosmetics.com, and Beautybay.com.

Rating: ★★★★★

Ariel Baker is the assistant editor for POPSUGAR Beauty. Her areas of expertise include celebrity news, beauty trends, and product reviews. She has additional bylines with Essence and Forbes Vetted.