Okay so I'm totally addicted to oil blotting papers, Abura-Tori Gami is the Japanese word for them.The history of Abura-Tori goes back a few hundred years, when it became popular with young women in society. At that time the paper was placed on top of gold and beaten with a hammer. It was soon discovered that its cleansing properties were very gentle and left the skin looking beautiful and shine free. Nowadays we have hundreds of brands that make and distribute little packs of the ancient Japanese beauty discovery yet they simply call them oil blotting papers or tissues and sometimes if they're feeling fancy they call them oil blotting linens! Well,the name really isn't that important to me but these little sheets of happiness mean alot to me so much that I actually start to feel anxiety when I begin to run out or if I don't have any in my purse,uh oh,panic! Why, you ask? Well,I used to pile on the pressed powder all day long, every couple of hours ugh, I've tried them all too...from M.A.C. to Maybelline,I've tried primers as well, many of them, all shapes, sizes, brands and prices. Never a huge difference in oil control or even a slight one and by the end of the day my face would be a mess,shiny yet flakey patches,pores exposed due to primer, or powder building up in them(I know, gross, sorry),cakey around my nose and on my chin, so I obviously had t-zone oilyness, my cheeks are dry but my forehead, nose and chin get very oily halfway through the day and I get very frustrated. It was embarrassing and looked pretty unattractive but my Mom says that's why I don't have wrinkles, nature's youth serum is uhhh...sebum? Ick! Okay well that's great but there is a way to let the natural oils stay without the face looking like an oil slick and that would be...dun dun dun... Abura Tori, yay!
So back to my story, eventually a good friend of mine who's a "natural" girl, barely wears any makeup, except for special occasions,I've always done her makeup when we've gone out at night and she wants to go from hippy to vixen because when she tries to put it on it looks like a child got into her Mom's makeup bag,no bueno! But thanks to her I discovered the papers and they changed my life! No chemicals,mattifying,non comedogenic/wont clog pores and doesn't disturb makeup,lets powder just do it's thing and stay put. My skin is so much better now too I dont need to put anything on it anymore, only if I feel like it, kinda cool, eh? Anyone who has oily skin should try these, they are even good for men, my 17 year old son grabs some from me sometimes.
So here is a list of some that I've used, I promised a friend of mine that I'd blog about it so this is a promise kept...from my favorite to just okay and/or good,but most of them do the job just fine. :) You can find all of these on ebay most of the time so prices vary, I'm just giving you the average cost, or what I remember paying for them, others are at Amazon,Sephora, Ulta,and other places that sell cosmetics,your best bet for the Japanese brands is definitely ebay.
1.Toshido Natural Facial Blotting Papers- Best price $2.99 for 200 sheets! No scent, very light,natural unbleached papers, no powder on them and comes in a white and green floral mirror case,pretty packaging,super inexpensive,can get them on ebay,from Japan so can't read the package but it's pretty self explanatory.Currently in my purse and I'm liking them alot!
2.Palladio Rice Paper Powdered Blotting Tissues- $4 a pack. These unique, oil-absorbing two-sided blotters are made with natural rice which is much gentler for the skin compared to pulp.With added rice powder to eliminate shine and to leave skin feeling and looking smoother.The matte side (without powder) is for blotting to absorb the excess oils and the powdered side is for finishing. They have a light powdery scent and do contain parabens so if you are sensitive to parabens I wouldnt even try these.They come in in Natural,Translucent and Warm Beige,I prefer the Translucent,no color, I love these!
3.ELF OIL ERASER Absorber Blotting Tissue Papers - $5 for 50 sheets, 5pks of 50 for $16.50, that's like 5 months worth for the average user.Has a teeny bit of powder on them which is nice, not scented but has a fresh clean smell to them, hard to explain.I used these for years until I found Toshido, still would.
4.Kyoto Bath & Body- $6 for a pack of 40 sheets, a slight sandalwood scent but very faint,absolutely gorgeous packaging,one of the oldest and most traditionally made blotting papers. Made from pulp,natural.
5.Shiseido Pureness Oil-Control Blotting Paper-$13.99 for 100 powder coated sheets. For major facial shine, they work like magic. It has a powerful oil-absorbing ingredient, Hydroxyapatite, provides the power to absorb sebum, as well as lipid peroxide.I wouldn't use them alot only needed a couple times a day, so use as needed along with basic blotters. Scent is slightly medicinal, but not offputting, does the job.
6.Kose Selecty Princess 7x Super Oil Blotting Paper- $4.95 for 80 sheets. This Japanese brand is awesome and I love these sheets when I can find them, they work great they claim to have "super sebum absorbing power, as much as 7 times stronger than a normal blotting paper" and the packaging is also really cute, doesn't really have a scent to it and they are pink sheets. I find them on ebay from time to time
7.The Body Shop Blotting Tissues TEA TREE OIL-$8 for 65 sheets Triple-action organic Community Trade tea tree oil controls oil, combats existing blemishes and prevents new ones without over-drying skin, I like to use these when my skin is acting moody.
8.NYX Cosmetics Blotting papers- $4 for 50 sheets, 100% pure organic pulp, no scent, mattifying.
9.Papier Poudre Oil Blotting Papers-Rachel 1 Booklet-$2.75 for 65 sheets, one of the first I ever tried over 20 years ago, actually contains kaolin which naturally absorbs oil, these make your skin look really good and don't interfere with makeup at all.
10.Anna Sui Oil Blotting Papers- $15-20 (depending on seller, etc) on ebay, it comes in the Black Rose carrying case w/mirror, beautiful, the refill pack is only $6.99, Purple face blotting paper with butterfly prints!! Refillable,the refill is even pretty, classic Anna Sui rose prints.Smells slightly rosey.
11.Paul & Joe Oil Blotting Face Paper-$13.00 for 100 papers/sheets in carrying case and $2.50 for refills, slightly expensive but good, basic white paper blotters, cool mirrored paisley or floral print case.
12.Watson's facial Oil Blotting paper- 3 pk(300 sheets) for $7. They are pretty good, the packaging is adorable comes in a different pastel color for each pack and they are double efficiency,both sides of each sheet are usable, so they go a long way, they arent very natural looking but do the trick and very inexpensive.
Okay, so there you go, a few that I've tried in order of happiness with them but there are so many others out there,and more that I've tried, I might post another one soon because this was just the tip of the iceberg or rather the tip of the nose...or the chin maybe...hmm okay enough with the corny dorkiness, hope this helps those of you who like me suffer from the oily bo-hunk tzone from hell.
