Tried and tested: The facial oil Instagurus are obsessed with

If you've scrolled through your Instagram feed lately and happen to follow any beauty gurus, chances are this white bottle has made multiple appearances. You know the drill: A few drops of this oil mixed in with your foundation, and your base will look perfect and glowing. But does it work in real life?
What is it? The Farsali Rose Gold Elixir is a blend of oils - rosehip seed, pumpkin seed, vitamin E, lemon grass and orange peel, mixed in with 24K gold flecks to provide added brightness. Sal Ali created the oil for his wife Farah, so she could combine her make-up with beneficial skincare. The oil can be used as a moisturiser on its own, but its more popular usage is to help blend foundation.
Does it work? It looks fantastic on Instagram, on women with great skin sitting in front of flattering lighting, but I wasn't sure if it was a suitable fit for me. First of all, as someone with oily skin, I am always wary of trying new facial oils. Some work really well, others just cause break outs. Secondly, I wear full coverage foundation every day to mask my acne scars, so I was concerned that it would alter the coverage that my foundation provides. Thirdly, I wondered if a facial oil would work during the day (since it is usually a part of my night time skin routine), or would just cause my make-up to slip off.
Spoiler alert: It works.
How to use it: I have an issue with my foundation caking up by the end of the day due to dryness, but using this really helped keep that problem at bay. I used a few drops of the elixir on my face, along with my foundation and buffed it into the skin using a brush (Hakuhodo G5555 - great to get full coverage). I also tried using it with a beauty blender, but personally feel it doesn't work as well, as the sponge tends to soak in a lot of it. I do think that the gold flecks are a bit gimmicky and don't really do anything to provide brightness, but the oil on its own helped keep my skin hydrated all day, and helped me get more wear-time out of my foundation.
Where to buy it: A 15ml bottle of the Farsali Rose Gold elixir costs $35 (Dh128) and is available at www.farsali.com
ajhurani@thenational.ae