The 3CE Pore Silky Balm is a god-send.
Oh dear, I’m not sure you’ll be very friendly to your wallet after reading this post. Today I’m raving about a product I finally got to try – the 3CE Pore Silky Balm. If you need to know the verdict now, I’m telling you this is something you need in your beauty stash, stat!
{I’ve previously written reviews of some of my favourite products from 3CE, and you can read the one on their gorgeous lip colours here. One of them makes a cameo appearance above – you’ll notice the consistent white-on-black packaging.}
I first heard about this product because a friend recommended it to me. This is a product that makes you go, “Why haven’t I discovered this earlier,” once you start using it. The 3CE Pore Silky Balm is a solid balm in a round metal pot. It only comes in one shade – Ivory – but would fit various skin tones because each use only requires a minimal amount.
Once you screw the cap open, you’ll find a spatula to scoop the product with, a sponge and a transparent plastic protector which you should keep to ensure that the balm does not get dirty. As the balm is a little sticky in nature, dust can get stuck on the surface and contaminate it.
The spatula, sponge and plastic protector.
The often unseen – the bottom of the pot.
On the product website on Stylenanda, this product is described as a primer that fills up pores, has oil control, and helps to moisturise the skin at the same time. I’m not sure to what extent it really helps with moisturising the skin, since I do keep a regular moisturising skincare routine anyway, but it sure doesn’t dry it out.
You only need a tiny bit each time. I used a little bit too much of it once, and it actually made my pores and acne potholes more obvious after I applied foundation over. It’s as if you have foundation buildup in your pores, so you look really weird, and you can’t blend it out once you reach that stage – think tiny spots of beige. If you don’t know how much is too much, just try and play around with it to get a feel of what the right amount would be for your face.
Once you’ve got that done, you’ll fall in love with how velvety smooth your skin feels when the product melts onto it. It doesn’t turn creamy or liquid when applied, but rather, it gives a velvety powder finish. It definitely blurs out any pores and fine lines that you have, such that foundation goes on evenly afterwards. I checked out some blog reviews online before deciding to give this a go, and you can read them on Miss Rachelle Paris, My Sugar Coffee and Blog Your Heart Out. All these reviews also include close ups of the product when scooped out, and useful comparisons of the blogger’s skin before and after application.
I use this only on the cheek areas closer to the nose, on my nose and the area between my brows. That’s because these are the areas where my pores – and yours – are the most obvious, and therefore need the most evening out. The product doesn’t block pores and is surprisingly lightweight. Even when applied on my bare skin, it hasn’t given me any problems such as allergic reactions or breakouts. In addition to that, when worn for long hours, it doesn’t lead to streaking or caking of foundation.
Simply put, I am so glad I forked the money out for this. It’s currently priced at US$14 per pot, and since each use requires only a teeny bit of product, one pot will last for a really long time. You can get yours at the Stylenanda website.
To smoother looking skin,
Roxanne