This Mattifying Moisturizer Won’t Dry Out Your Skin

Certain beauty products — think NARS blush in Orgasm or Clinique's Black Honey lipstick — are so good, they're practically famous and have devoted, loyal followings. While we love many of these, we've been wondering why others have been quietly flying under the radar. With that in mind, meet our series,Cult Classics, in which we'll introduce you to the products you should really, truly know about (and try, like, right now). They're not brand-new, but trust us: They've got staying power. I have what I like to call the "oxymoron" of skin types. Throughout the year, whether it's sweltering outside or frigidly cold, my skin coasts between an oil slick and a flaky mess — most of the time, both at once. So this summer, I set out to finally conquer the contradictory textures working in tandem on my face. After copious research (in the form of MakeupAlley forums and YouTube reviews) I settled on Embryolisse's Hydra-Mat Emulsion. Embryolisse is a brand that I trust; its Lait-Crème Concentré has been my go-to nighttime moisturizer for over a year. So I decided to give the brand's matte offering a try. Luckily, I had a forgotten tube of it in my collection from a recent séjour in Paris. I cracked into it right away. Hydra-Mat does exactly what its name suggests: It hydrates while mattifying. Thanks to oil-absorbing ingredients such as cornstarch and nourishing ones such as shea butter and apricot oil, this product is everything my combination skin needs during the sweatiest time of year. I use it as my morning moisturizer (before moving onto my SPF and tinted moisturizer), and I'm happy to report that it layers beautifully under makeup. This cruelty-free product is also free of parabens, sulfates, and phthalates, and doesn't have that silicon-induced slickness that mattifying products tend to have. The best thing about this moisturizer is that it leaves skin matte — not flat — all day, so I can rest easy knowing that my oil is being controlled without sacrificing any glow. That's one less thing to worry about, right?

Embryolisse Hydra-Mat Emulsion, $40, available at Target.