Saturday, May 23, 2009

Combating Greasy-Looking Skin 101

Summer is fast approaching and that means that the chances of experiencing the greasy-face look is unavoidable. For people with normal to dry skin, this may not be as big of an issue, but for people with combination or naturally oily skin, this tends to be a major problem. Oily skin is more predominant and noticable during the summer purely due to environmental factors; when sweat combines with makeup, it melts together to create a nasty oil pot. To avoid looking overtly shiny from miles away, here are some tips that will reduce the greasy-look.

1) If you're wearing sunscreen or a moisturizer with sunscreen, which you SHOULD, look for formulas that are matte, non-greasy, and oil. Matte formulas like DDF's "Ultra-Lite Oil-Free Moisturizing Dew with SPF15" doesn't leave your face with that yucky, oily sunscreen film that tends to occur with most SPF products. Using SPF formulas that are oil-free and non-greasy will help to create a oil-free canvas. If you start with a greasy face under makeup, then you're bound to end up with a greasy face after makeup, so make sure you start with something matte underneath!

2) Buy a primer that is mattifying! Whether you wear foundation or not, a mattifying primer applied over your moisturizer will not only help to smooth your pores, but it will also create another barrier to keep the oily-look away. Smashbox, though there are other cheaper alternatives, has a mattifying primer called "Photo Finish Light" that is great for oily, acne-prone skin because it's oil-free and is 60% water based.

3) Use oil-absorbing sheets or cornsilk powder to touch up the oily areas of your face throughout the day. No matter what products you use, your face will more than likely get oily as the day progresses. Instead of applying more makeup to cover the oil, which won't really help in any case, use a oil-blotting sheet to take the oil away from areas like your nose, forehead, etc. This will not only save you time and money because you won't have to reapply anything, but it will also leave your makeup unbudged! Plus, oil-blotting paper is cheap, convenient, and readily available at any drugstore!

4) If you wear foundation, whether it be liquid, mineral, compact, etc., be sure to buy a finishing powder. Finishing powder will set your makeup and prevent it from budging, and it will also mattify your face. This effect ususally lasts for a few hours so you'll want to keep a container of this stuff in your purse for touch-ups.

Summer is a wonderful time and there's no need to be self-conscious, especially if it's over something like oil. An oily-face can easily be transformed into anything but greasy if the right products are used so try some of these tips out and enjoy your summer!

No comments:

Post a Comment