The Beauty Parlour - T-Zone Oil Control Mattifying Moisturiser review

This is a product that had been sitting on my shelf for an extremely long time and it was only recently I tried it out for the first time. In the past I made the dreadful mistake of thinking I didn't need to moisturise my face as it had enough 'moisture' as it was. However, I soon realised it was all about finding the right moisturiser for my particular skin type and this would help to keep the skin supple and hydrated.

My skin is awfully oily and I have had to invest in a number of products to take that shine off my face. This is one of those products. How I despise those of you with normal skin! I picked this up, as I said a while back in my local Savers store at around £2.50-£3.00 for 100ml, not bad at all. I heard that Superdrug also stocked this line of products but at a much higher price (£7.99), however I am unaware if these are still available in these stores. I just had a quick check on Amazon and came across the product for £9.50! 

What The Beauty Parlour says: 
"Our mattifying moisturiser maintains moisture levels throughout the day, gives long lasting shine control with Witch Hazel and fights bacteria with Neem and Quassia Bark extract."

First impressions:
I couldn't believe the similarity between this product packaging to the 'Soap and Glory' range, but without the same price tag. The next thing that I noticed was how wonderful this moisturiser smelt. It has a very refreshing scent that I honestly do not know how to describe. It is very sweet and natural smelling.

When I first applied a little splodge onto the back of my hand it had a thin, water-based, gel-like consistency, which spread very smoothly. I did notice that you only need to use a small pea-sized amount to cover the whole of the face, to me that is exceptionally impressive. 

My experience:
I tend to now incorporate this moisturiser in both my daily routine and my nightly skin routine, to great results. Obviously throughout the day my skin becomes progressively more oily, which isn't helped by the makeup on top, but I definitely notice that it helps control my skin during the day. I was most astonished after I had used it before bed and then woke up to a smooth, matte face eight hours later! It has clearly been most effective when I don't use makeup or any other product on top of it but it was still much better than going without it.

Pros: 

• Affordable 

• Lovely, fresh scent

• Light, gel-like formula that won't clog pores

• Spreads easily and glides smoothly across face

• Plenty of product (100ml) 

• Pea-sized amount covers whole of face

Cons:

• Not as effective throughout the day if makeup is worn

• Not sure if it is as easily available now and that ups the online price 

Bottom line - Should you buy it?

This product easily gets a 4.5/5. It never clogs up my pores, my skin always feels soft and refreshed after use and the scent makes me look forward to using it. With some products that don't smell too appealing I often get put off from using it and I end up seeing the application as a chore. However, this product makes me want to apply it and see the initial and later results. I would strongly recommend purchasing this moisturiser especially if you have oily/combination skin. Do have a hunt around Savers and Superdrug to check if they stock the brand before purchasing online. I'm not enjoying the prospect of having to repurchase online for over triple the price though!