|REVIEW| Removing Shine 2 - Althea Petal Velvet Powder Review

A WOMAN OF HER WORD
I kept my promise! HAHA I barely could because the last few days has been so hectic I hardly had a chance to touch my laptop. But thank goodness, I managed to get this ready for you in time. So, as promised, I'm back with another powder review! Can't believe it's already a week since my last post. Time flies, doesn't it? Well, enough with the small talk, today I'm going straight into the review without introducing too much because I already did in my W.Lab No Sebum Powder Review. Feel free to take a quick look there and come back here in case you're feeling lost! :D

Althea Petal Velvet Powder (RM16 for 3g)

WHAT IS A TRANSLUCENT POWDER?
This new powder that I'm about to introduce to you is the online beauty store, althea.kr's first brand product (excited or not? HAHA). It is a translucent powder that is inspired by Althea flower's soft and smooth petal. If you're new to makeup, translucent powder is a colourless powder, usually used either to bake the face (a term we normally use when we put a lot of powder on the face to set the makeup so that everything looks matte. The powder will be dusted off later when we're done) or to just keep the face shine free (if you tend to oil up). :D

Immediately after opening up: you have to remove the sticker before use.

INGREDIENT LIST
Let's again have the ingredients listed out before I go further. The Hibiscus Syriacus that you see in the list below is the infamous Althea flower, also known as the Korean Rose due to its special identity in Korea. Do you know what it is? Look for the answer is in this post!

(Skincarisma)

Silica, Mica, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Methicone, Hibiscus Syriacus (Common Hibiscus) Seed Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Maltodextrin, Fragrance

Note: Bolded are the star ingredients in the product whereas underlined are those flagged as 3 & above under 'Safety index'. Safety index ranges from 1-9 and the lower the number means the less hazardous. Those with asterisks (*) are more likely to cause acne than those without.

THE ONLY ONE
Being Althea's first brand product, it's the only Althea product you can find in the market. That makes it all the more special. Having been an avid fan of Althea for some time now, I was so happy when they first announced the arrival of this pink translucent powder! In spite of that, it is definitely not the first translucent powder to be in service to our oily noses and foreheads. But there's one thing that makes it stand out: it's incredible smell. A smell that certainly beats all those powders I've ever come across in the market.

From the side it looks like frosted glass, but the packaging is made of plastic and is transparent at the bottom. Despite that, the packaging is very sturdy and not flimsy at all.

TRULY ALTHEA
Containing oil from Althea seeds, this powder is full of antioxidants that protect the skin's barrier from dehydration and invigorate the skin for a beautiful complexion. It also has a floral smell that is sweet but never too overwhelming, probably just like the flower itself. I've never smelled one before but it's definitely on my "list of things to do" when I visit Korea myself! Not only Althea flower is the main ingredient featured in this powder, it is also Korea's National Flower. The flower looks deceptively similar to Malaysia's National Flower, which also belongs to the Hibiscus family but is in a bright red shade much darker than the Althea flower, we call it Bunga Raya (flower of celebration) in Malay.

OOPS JUST WENT OFF ON A TANGENT
Yes I finally remember you're not here to learn about flowers. So, like I did with the W.Lab babe, I put this to a 9-hour test as well. I used this as the last step of my skincare routine on top of the Klairs Mid-Day Blue Sun Lotion as I wasn't wearing any makeup for the past few days. I love how soft my nose always feels when I puff this on and it's just amazing! The powder also feels slightly lighter on my skin compared to the W.Lab's version although the difference isn't actually that discernible. However, compared to its rival, the althea powder does show up more prominently under flash. See for yourself in the picture below :D Both photos were taken with flash.

Left: Right after application (my lip tattoo is fresh and bright), my nose and forehead do look whiter due to flashback but definitely very matte, soft and smooth.
Right: Nine hours later (lip tattoo is almost gone LOL so is the powder), the powder is working great on my nose but is slowly losing it on my forehead.

WHO'S MORE LONG LASTING?
Can I give the answer: I can't tell? At first I really thought W.Lab would win as it has a much heavier formula with many more powders to absorb sebum (and I may have been aaaaaaa little bias, just aaaaaa little). Turns out, both scored similarly in the game of time. For both, my nose always starts to oil up a little after four to five hours of use and at the ninth hour it would become what you saw in the picture above. Nothing too oily but not entirely matte. Overall still acceptable to me who was once so helpless with my oily nose situation.

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The puff is white (which means it gets dirty easily) and much much softer + fluffier than the other brand I use.

IT IS NON-COMODOGENIC
Now it's testing time. Did you realise I didn't use any asterisk at all in the ingredient list above (Hehe, now I know whether you read it carefully or not)? That means on the usual occasion, it is suitable for all skin type and is not likely to cause any breakouts! I can totally testify to that because my skin stays clear (if not better) when I was using it for the past whole week! By the way, please always read the ingredient list before you buy a new product to minimise unwanted reaction, okay? You can refer to this Ingredient Cheat Sheet freely circulated by Biossance to monitor the things you put on your precious skin. I only want the best for you!

Without flash: The powder is on the right half of my hand. You can't see I've applied anything, can you?

With flash: the powder doesn't settle into fine lines as much as the W.lab one, probably due to its lighter formula. And again, the flashback is obvious.

This powder particles are super fine and have I mentioned it is cruelty free?

Look at how huge the holes are, it is much easier to pick up the powder than W.Lab's.

I think I've covered pretty much all the important bits. Did I miss out any point you wanna know about Althea's powder? Let me know in the comment section below!

PIN IT!

Since it is Althea's first and only brand product, the only place you can get it from is of course:

Althea - RM16.00

Having 3g for RM16.00 means 1g is roughly RM5.33. This is more expensive than W.Lab's 10g for RM23, making 1g only RM2.30. But if you prefer better smelling powder, this Althea one is definitely your first choice!

If you decide to buy from Althea, you can get RM20 off your first purchase from Althea by signing up using this link: https://www.talkable.com/x/wnCNUp. Only available if it's your first purchase though. :)

If this is not your first purchase, you can use Shopback to save some money when buying from Althea (save 7% for every purchase). Just sign up using my link: https://www.shopback.my/referred-signup-bonus?raf=OxeI66, and you'll be rewarded with RM5 immediately, followed by RM5 when you make your first purchase through Shopback. That's RM10 in total! It works in the form of cash back which you can cash out to your bank account. You'll can learn more on their website here.

Thank you for reading, see you in the next post!

I post new contents on skincare every Tuesday and Friday. Follow me on Bloglovin' so you won't miss it when my next review is up!

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The product is sent to me for review purposes by Althea. Check out their website on http://althea.kr. As usual, the review is 100% my personal opinion of the product after personally trying it out. Please make sure you consult whoever is selling you the product and ask for samples if you can!

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