I have a question for you. I *do* know the Monistat primer trick (screw Smashbox!), but it doesn't help me all so well due to my weird-ass skin. In summer, my face has more oil than Texas. In winter, it's so dry it visibly flakes, and I have tried everything short of dumping all my savings at a dermatologist to fix that. (Also, my skin only registers summer or winter. There is nothing else.) So getting foundation - REALLY tricky.
I know this is a tough one. But do you or any of your lovely readers have any suggestions on foundations that will work? I'm fine with having to need two. I just wanna stop looking like a dermatological example of what NOT to do.
My response:
I have a terrible time with foundations, personally. They all look awful and cakey on me and wear off unevenly. They emphasize my fine lines and get greasy (yes, I've tried the ones designed for oily skin). Bleh. I've given up on finding something full coverage that I don't hate, which is okay with me since my skin is fairly even. I've been using the Sephora Tinted Moisturizer (which I wrote about here), and it works great for me. I apply it with a foundation brush, spreading it more or less evenly over my face, and then I sort of buff it in with some Maybelline Mineral Power Finishing Veil Translucent Loose Powder in a swirly circular motion, with a flat top brush. (Both brushes are from the this e.l.f. set which is still $3 with a $30 purchase until tomorrow, Feb. 25.) That step both makes sure the coverage is really even and gives me a matte (but not powdery) finish.
The Sephora stuff isn't cheap, but it's a really good product for oily skin, AND it's moisturizing, so maybe it would help with both of your problems. I'd recommend going to a Sephora store, if you have one nearby, and asking for a sample. They'll give you several days worth, and you can figure out that way if it does any good before you invest.
But that's the only suggestion I have, since it's the only thing I've found to work for me personally. It's not full coverage, though, so if that's important, this isn't the right option. Your face is not my face! So here's where I ask for some more help from the crowd. Anyone out there have a similar skin type to Jen's? What have you found that works? What should she avoid?
Please give your recommendations in the comments!
Hmm, I would probably focus on skincare first, I'd stick with really really gentle, non-drying products - in winter you clearly need those, and in summer I would try those too - sometimes using overly harsh/drying stuff makes your skin overproduce oil to compensate.
ReplyDeleteDrugstorewise, I really love CeraVe Hydrating cleanser & CeraVe PM lotion, though of course your skin may vary!
Apologies if you already have your skincare figured out & you just need foundation help!
I have never found a proper foundation that works for me. This is what I've recently discovered that works like a charm. My skin when its dry straight up gets flakey/and scaley looking. Like I walk around with so much flaket dry skin around my nose I look like I just snorted a whole bunch of cocaine. That fucking flakey. The Aveeno Eczema Cream is the ONLY thing that keeps my face not looking like a reptile. And you dnt need a lot, its quite concentrated. Its often on sale at drugstores and if you don't have to use it all over your body a bottle just for your face will l ast you a long ass time.
ReplyDeleteThen I've been using either Revlons BB Cream or Skin79 Gold BB Cream. I haven't tried full coverage foundation in awhile because then I just had skin colored flakes and that's nagl. BUT the BB creams do offer me enough coverage that I feel comfortable. And i just can't bring myself to buy more foundation to try with the Aveeno but if I ran into a free sample I would be curious.
My skin is not nearly as dramatic as yours, but it does fluctuate from combo to super oily. When I'm at my oiliest, I find that primer and powder foundation is key! I am in love with Clarin's Instant Smooth Perfecter. It is stupid expensive, but the jar lasts at least half a year and it's the only primer I've used that really keeps the oil at bay and doesn't clog my pores. Bareminerals original formula is my favorite powder foundation, and it provides decent coverage. When my face is a bit drier, I really like Lumene's Illuminating BB Creme. My face gets chapped on my cheekbones and around my nose in the winter, and I like that it has a cooling effect when I apply it. It has more of a medium coverage, but it's buildable and iyou can also get it at CVS. I also recently found that if I don't use this with primer, even on a greaseball day, it still manages to last 10 hours with minimal wear. The one bummer is that it only comes in 2 shades, but if either match your skin, I highly recommend it! Actually, for when your skin is super dry, you might want to look into Innisfree's Troublefree BB Creme. I think I got mine from sasa.com. It's meant for oily, acne prone skin, but I find that it's wayyy too hydrating for that skin type. This one also only comes in one or two shade, but it adjusts pretty well and it has excellent coverage! I usually don't have to put on concealer when I use it. Hope that helps!
ReplyDeleteLots of options, thanks! (One thing I would add is to be cautious of things that give your skin a "cooling" or "tingling" feeling. That effect is usually caused by an irritating ingredient like menthol, which feels nice at the time because it acts as a counter irritant, but can cause skin damage and just make things worse in the long run.)
DeleteOh no! It definitely doesn't have that minty tingle (and I also just checked the ingredients to make sure there weren't any of those irritants and there isn't). When i said cool, I meant it had that nice, hydrating feel really moisture rich products have
DeleteAwesome. That sounds divine.
DeleteI have that same skin and the only thing I have found to help is taking a good amount of Noxzema (actually store brand) before I shower and rubbing it into my face until my face starts to rub off (yes I know how gross that sounds) rubbing until it feels smooth under my fingers. I do this at least once a week all winter and when I remember to in the summer. I find this works so much better than any official exfoliants and thoroughly moisturizing in the process. Then follow my normal routine in the shower.
ReplyDeleteAs a moisturizer after I get out of the shower I use Baby Magic (I use the pink stuff, but I think the unscented would work if you don't want to smell like a baby's butt).
I also find that powdered foundation works really well after this. I do use "primer" occasionally, but don't find it as neccessary anymore.
Since I know all of this sounds super juvenile, I am 34 and have been doing it for like 2 years.
I do use other moisturizers for both exfoliation and moisturization sometimes, but end up falling back on the Noxzema & Baby Magic everytime.
I really appreciate everyone's help here. Boopmynose, I know EXACTLY what you mean by looking like you just snorted cocaine. :) In winter, the best I've been able to pull off has been a tube of super-serious moisturizer with drops of jojoba oil mixed in. I use Cetaphil to actually clean my face, because I figure that if my skin's that weird, harsh is probably not the way to go. You guys don't wanna know what I have to do to exfoliate during winter. NO exfoliating scrub I have ever tried (and I have tried metric assloads) works.
ReplyDeleteBut, still, no matter what I do, foundation highlights the flakes in winter and slides riiiiiiiiiight off in summer. Best I've managed to find was Lorac, but that's a pretty penny, and the other problem is that I make Casper look like he has a tan.
Thanks for your help, everyone. *hugs*