I have suffered from excessively oily skin my entire life. I meticulously apply my makeup every morning, leave the house looking perfect and matte, and then 4 hours later at work I go to the powder room to just freshen up and notice a horrific scene… Almost all of my makeup is completely gone, my face is as shiny as a fishing lure and my pores are clogged with the remnants of my makeup and can be seen from a mile away. I have tried every product on the market, gone from routine to routine, and even attempted changing my diet. But you just can’t change your genes.
But I have learned how to battle this very pesky problem, and I will share with you my oily skin care regimen. Hopefully these tips will help you stay shine-free and feeling confident again!
Step one: have a skin care regime!
You have higher maintenance skin, and that blows from time to time, but it is important to take care of your skin! Make sure to use a good 3 step system (cleanse, tone, moisturize), a day cream to protect from the sun, a night cream to repair and a weekly mask- they make ones that help control oil!
You may think that because you have oily skin, maybe you don’t need moisturizer. You my dear, are wrong! Cleansing your face on a regular basis rids your face of bad, unwanted oils, but it also strips your face of the good oils your skin needs to protect and repair itself. Moisturizer helps to keep those good oils in, as well as protects your pores from clogging with unwanted gunk!
And remember to do this twice a day, morning and night, EVERYDAY! It doesn’t do your face good to leave your makeup and oils on your face all night! Recipe for acne, oil and other skin disasters!
Step two: stick with your routine for awhile before switching it up
We all know how exhilarating it is to go to the beauty store and pick out some new skin care products. You leave the store, clutching your latest purchase with enthusiasm, thinking to yourself, “Maybe this is it! The skin care routine that will work for ME!”
For a week straight you religiously wash, exfoliate and moisturize as directed and you still are not happy with the results. So maybe you go purchase a different line of products, or you loose that oomph and skip some steps every once in awhile. This is a TERRIBLE thing to do! Your skin is an organ, and it takes time to adjust to changes! Think of what happens to your digestive system when you switch to a new diet. Usually unpleasant symptoms will arise, but your body will be the happier for it in the long run.
Your skin is the same. It will probably revolt to any immediate changes in your routine or products. It’s going to be all like,”AH OMG WHAT IS THIS NEW THING THAT YOUR PUTTING ON ME!?! NO NOT MY PORES!?! OMG NO BUT I’M SO YOUNG AHHHHHHHHhhh!” And it is going to produce more oils in an attempt to slick all of that new stuff right on off. This is why it’s bad to constantly change your skin routine. In some cases, this is the only reason someones face is greasy. So take some time, a month or so, to see the long term effects of your new skin regime.
Step three: choose the right products for you
You have oily skin! Embrace it! And be conscious of it when you are selecting your products. Buy things that are oil free and are designed to keep you dry. And don’t be silly, you still need moisturizer!
Step four: use primer and a makeup setter
The perfect combination of products for me is Smashbox’s Photo Finish Foundation Primer, and Urban Decay’s De-Slick Oil-Control Makeup Setting Spray. I use my 3 step system, apply my day cream with spf and wait awhile for everything to soak in (apply my body lotion or blow dry my hair) then I use Boscia’s Green Tea Blotting Linens to pick up any leftover products and oils that my face did not soak in. Then I apply my primer, and 3 spritzes of the setting spray and then again give my skin a chance to let that soak in. The longer you give the primer a chance to do its job- the better (this is usually when I pick out my outfit, my makeup for the day or put the final touches on my hair etc). Then I apply my makeup normally. and add a couple more spritz of the setting spray! This combination usually works really well for me, and really helps to keep my oils at bay.
Step five: use powders and blotting papers to pick up oils throughout the day
There are really some amazing makeup powders out there to help us oily ladies out! My favorites are both by Smashbox, and really do a fabulous job, the Photo Set Finishing Powder and their Photo Set Pressed Powder. Use the powder in the morning after applying your makeup to set it, and use the pressed powder for touch ups.
A couple times a day I will also use my blotting papers to soak up any residual oils.
And there you have it, this is MY oily skin care regimen that helps me cope with my oily skin. I hope this helps to make your oily skin more easy to manage as well!
4 comments
I really enjoyed your article…I especially like your advie about using a primer…I never thought of that.
I’ve always struggled with oily skin but have also found a few products that really work for me. I like that you point out how important moisturizer is for oily skin- that was one mistake I made for years, not wearing it. I have also had a lot of success with Makeup Forever’s HD Powder- it’s an absolute gem! Another tip I’ve discovered over the years is Milk of Magnesia (yes the stuff for constipation)- apply some to a cotton ball and put a very thin layer where you get oily. You can do this as a mask and wash it off, or you can leave it on under your makeup (but I’ve heard your skin gets used to it so maybe only leave it on for special occasions). Hope this helps! Thanks for a great article 🙂
We are hearing a lot of MoM. Have to give it a shot and possibly feature an article on it in the future… Thanks Christina!
Wow Ashley thanks for the tip! We will have to look into this little unknown miracle!