Erno Laszlo Shake-It Tinted Treatment Review

I stumbled upon the Erno Laszlo Shake-It Tinted Treatment on the Dermstore website. It seemed similar to my beloved, yet discontinued, Clinque Pore Minimizer foundation. However, Shake-it is described as "A tinted moisturizer liquid with a matte finish." Still, I was intrigued. So after reading many positive reviews, I ordered it.

When it arrived, I re-read the product description on the Dermstore website, which says, "Erno Laszlo Shake-It Tinted Treatment is a unique liquid formula that goes from clear to tinted when it's shaken. It primes and provides breathable coverage while camouflaging imperfections for a flawless complexion. Calcium and glycerin hydrate for soft and radiant skin as citric acid encourages skin cell renewal."

My skin is acne prone, I have some visible pores in the t-zone and I do get shiny on my chin a few hours after applying my makeup. I'm always on the hunt for products to help my skin look flawless. But isn't everybody?

So, I applied all my normal skin care and then proceeded to shake up the Shake-It. I got Shade 0, which is for fair to light skin tones. It has a clear, watery substance on the top, and the pigmented powdery part is on the bottom.

Shaken together, the product is a thin, tinted liquid.

I swatched it on my arm, which is NW15. Here it is inside without flash:

Inside with flash:

Outside, no flash:

Here's what it looks like after it's buffed out:

When I applied it to my face, I used my fingers to pat it on over my t-zone and blended it outwards. Then I let it dry for a few minutes. After it dried, I buffed it out with a Real Techniques Stippling brush. It gave a very sheer finish, kind of like loose powder on its own.This is what it looks like without any other makeup:

I am NW20 with a lot of surface redness. It's not giving me any coverage, but it does help reduce shine and make my pores less visible. 

I also read that you can touch up with Shake-it. So I applied it later in the day to see what would happen. Well, it disturbed my make-up and made the entire area where I applied it look very uneven and cakey. Not pretty. So that application technique was a fail.

However, I liked the effect when I used it as a make-up primer/pore minimizer. So I continued to use it for the rest of the week. As the days went by, I noticed my skin was feeling tight and dry. I do use some prescription acne products, but have been on them for a few years, so my skin has acclimated. This tight feeling was new.

I did some research on the ingredients. Denatured alcohol is the second ingredient. While some alcohols, like glycols, are helpful, others can be harmful and can break down the skin's barrier function. I found this info on the Paula's Choice website. Denatured alcohol that is high on the ingredient list can have a detrimental effect on the skin. Now, I know some people feel that the info that Paula Begoun includes is skewed to back up her products. But in this case, the details she provides definitely support the feeling that I was experiencing - dry, tight skin.

So even though Shake-It reduced the appearance of my pores and provided a matte finish, the moisture loss that I felt in my skin was not worth it. Others with oily to very oily skin may have a different experience. For me, I am sad to say, Shake-It wasn't a good fit.