Having oily skin, whenever I hear the words 'glisten, sheen or dewey', I cringe inside. I'm not alone, there are always chicks looking for advice on how to deal with oily skin. While doing some clever internet googling, I came across a bizarre remedy I had never heard of before: using milk of magnesia as a primer to reduce oil and shine. 


On the scale of Preparation H to Peptol Bismol, this edition of Beauty Detective falls somewhere in the middle on the weirdness range (I'll admit I was glad the embarrassment factor when purchasing was significantly lower this time around). Milk of magnesia is also known as magnesium hydroxide but the term 'milk' is used to describe the texture of the product (it actually does look like milk). Milk of magnesia (available at all drugstores) is used primarily as a laxative and for digestion. Supposedly, the milk of magnesia mattifies the skin and keeps an oil free canvas that in turn, will help with acne. 

Step 1: Apply Milk of Magnesia 

I was thinking about using this as an online dating profile picture!

I took off my make up on one side of my face and applied the milk of magnesia with a cotton pad. I applied a thicker layer than normally suggested so you would be able to see what it looks like when dried. It takes about 1-2 minutes to fully dry and have a chalky feel and look to it when it does. If using this as a primer, you obviously don't need this much, however you could also use the milk of magnesia as a mask in the same way. 
 
Step 2: Moisturise

On the same cheek, over this layer I applied my regular moisturiser lightly, patting with my fingertips.  This gets  rid of the white residue. Over this, I applied my foundation. 

Step 3: Concealer, Blush and Set 

I finished applying my makeup on the same cheek, using my concealer, blush and setting with a powder foundation. This photo was taken about an hour after I had finished my makeup. 

The Verdict on the Milk of Magnesium Primer: I'm kind of into it. 

Milk of magnesia costs about C$10.00 for almost a litre (i.e. a lot of upset stomachs). That's a very inexpensive primer considering a drugstore primer will run you about C$15 for a much smaller bottle and a high end primer can cost up to C$40. I didn't have any problems with my makeup going on or the finish of my makeup. In fact, it looked better than the other cheek. A few hours in, my skin was still matte and there was no shine. The one thing I didn't like was the application process since it is a bit on the messy side but otherwise, consider me a milk of magnesia convert! 

Would you try this trick out?