(Plus: A Valentine promo alert from the New York-based beauty brand, because, well, it’s V-Day next week, eek!)

I wish Maybelline’s White Superfresh, a new powder foundation that promises 12 hours of no retouching, was available when I was in my teens. God knows how oily my skin was—still is, actually, although it’s not as bad—and a shiny face and caked foundation on my T-zone were sad realities I had to live with back then (and sometimes, until now). So I’m very happy, not just for myself, but for young ladies out there who want to keep oil at bay and who happen to swear by Maybelline because your favorite makeup brand has come up with this new product that’s sure to become your next must-have product, after their volumizing mascaras and luscious lip colors (the promo is related to their lippies, by the way, found at the bottom of this post). Read on for my review before you head over to the nearest beauty counter.

White Superfresh boasts of what Maybelline calls Clean-touch Powder Technology, enhanced with Mineral Perlite which makes its sweat and oil absorption power five times better than regular talc. My first experience of this technology was at the media event, where they made us do the Fresh Test: We had to spray water on two powder compacts. On Brand X, the water just stayed on top, as it did not absorb the moisture and just caked—imagine this happening to your skin. Meanwhile, the water dispersed immediately after being sprayed on White Superfresh, showing how absorbent it was.

I decided to road-test White Superfresh on a particularly humid day filled with errands that would require me to walk around Bonifacio Global City. I already saw how well it absorbed moisture when I did the water test during its launch, but now I wanted to see how well it will hold up when I subject my oily skin to the outdoors on a cool and overcast but humid January day. Because I was going to walk around, I didn’t want my bag to be too heavy, so I wanted to leave much of my makeup behind—including my Superfresh compact. Twelve hours of no retouch pala ha? Ang lakas ng loob ko, I actually left home without the powder!

I was running late for my errands, so I skipped the sunscreen (not recommended, ladies!), trusting the sun protection provided by its SPF 34 PA+++, also so I can really observe its effect when applied directly on my skin. I did apply concealer under my eyes and on problem areas before applying another layer of Superfresh to even out my skin tone. I put my cream blush over the powder so my cheeks would have a bit of a dewy effect and not look so matte, which I noticed was the instant effect after patting on the powder using the sponge that came with the compact. Here’s a no-filter photo I took of my newly made up face:

Six hours and several walks around BGC later, I checked my face and it still looked so matte, like I had just put on makeup! The great thing was, it didn’t even look cakey. And when I got home from my evening event, my makeup was still intact even if I did not have to retouch again the whole day, no kidding. I was so amazed (and impressed), I took a photo:

The next day, I tried it again. This time, I put on my concealer before Superfresh, so I wouldn’t need to apply two layers and avoid having it look thick. Again, I put it to the test by doing errands all over Megamall, and then later walking to the TV5 office in Reliance St. in Mandaluyong (near Pioneer) in the heat of the mid-afternoon sun, plus the humidity and pollution!

The ultimate test? When I got to TV5, I bumped into Phil and James Younghusband—and bumeso pa sila! I didn’t even have the chance to check my face, much less wipe my sweat. Good thing my face actually remained dry and matte—zero meltdown!—even if I was sweating from head to toe (and dying inside)! Not the best situation to be in, but it could have been worse if I wasn’t wearing White Superfresh that day!

I have since been using White Superfresh daily, dutifully applying sunscreen before makeup application, and so far, I have been satisfied with the results. It’s staying in my makeup kit for sure. My only caveat, I guess, is to make sure you get the shade that’s right for you, because mine looked a tad too fair for my tan complexion, although it was still very presentable (I hope!). Or maybe that’s really the effect–White Superfresh nga naman! It comes in four shades, so you can choose the one closest to your skin tone: Light, Nude Beige, Natural (which is what I have), and Honey.

I also noticed that because it was so powerfully matte, my makeup looked a tad too perfect, haha! I like having a fresh, dewy look, so if this is also your concern, it might help to dab highlighter on your cheekbones and nose. Otherwise, if you’re young and your skin can still look naturally fresh and dewy, you can totally do away with the highlighter and just enjoy how light it feels on your skin.

If you’re the type who doesn’t like carrying a lot of stuff in your bag, you can definitely leave home without your Superfresh compact after you’ve applied it, because you won’t need to retouch. It provides light coverage, however, so you will need to apply concealer on your problem areas like I did.

If you want a powder foundation that gives you that 12-hour matte effect as well as great coverage, you might also want to try L’Oreal Makeup Designer/Paris’ Mat Magique. Click here for my product review. This is particular helpful if you need an effective oil-control powder RIGHT NOW because…

White Superfresh will be available in Maybelline counters nationwide starting February 28, so you’ll have to wait for it! It’s just P299—perfect for young ladies on a budget! With minimal use because of no retouching, you can be sure it will last several months longer before you need to buy a new compact.

Valentine Promo Alert from Maybelline:

This Valentine season, Maybelline New York gives Filipinas a chance to have an oh-so-sexy hunk as their V-Day date with a purchase of Color Sensational Lasting Lipstick or Lip Polish (P399 each) in red from February 1 to February 13. During the season of love, you simply need to show your receipt and you automatically get a chance to speed date with three hunks for three minutes each. It gets even more exciting, as you’ll get to choose your favorite hunk, receive a red rose from him, plus a chance to have a romantic dinner date.

Being ready for love doesn’t stop there. Maybelline will also be sending kisses through adorable lip pouches to girls who purchase P899 worth of Maybelline products from leading department stores or P599 worth of products from drug stores, along with a single purchase of Color Sensational Lasting Lipstick in red from February 1 to March 15.