About Jaclyn Mussehl Expertise I can answer questions about makeup and skin care, including: reducing shine, the pros and cons of different formats of makeup (such as cream vs. powder), choosing the right makeup for you, sun protection, tips for application, and how to control acne. I am willing to help people of all ages, and I am especially interested in helping teenagers, because I know that *I* could have used some makeup help when I was younger - it would have saved me from looking silly on more than one occasion.
NOTE: I do not work for any cosmetics or skincare companies.
Experience Experience in the area I am a graduate student in my mid-20s who has always been interested in makeup. Through a lot of trial and error, as well as from reading books and magazines, I have learned a lot of tips and tricks about applying makeup. I have suffered through oily skin and breakouts ever since puberty, so I am well experienced in dealing with these problems (which can only be treated, but not cured).
Organizations belong to I do not work for any cosmetics or skin-care companies. I just have an interest in makeup.
I apologize for the fact that I frequently list myself "on vacation." I'm going to graduate school right now while working full-time, so if a lot of work piles up and I think I'm going to be too busy to answer questions for a while, I have to list myself as "on vacation" - otherwise I would leave people waiting too long to get an answer to their question.
Question Hi, my name is Mandy and I'm 14 years old. I've had mild acne for about three years now and have never used makeup before. Do you have advice for some one with oily skin? Thank you very much for your time :)
Answer Hi Mandy,
I know just what you're going through because I've had acne and oily skin since I was a teenager (I'm 25 now). Oily skin is caused by hormone levels - some people find that after they get into their late teens and 20s, their skin gets less oily because their hormones have calmed down. Others (like me) don't grow out of it. You may end up being one of the lucky ones, but for now, there are things you can do to treat the acne and oiliness.
First, understand that it's not possible to "dry up" the oil. Lots of makeup and skincare products promise to dry up oil on the face, and it isn't possible. The only thing you can "dry up" is water, and oil is completely different from water. The other thing that some products promise is the ability to make your skin stop producing oil. That's not possible either. Like I said, oil production is caused by hormones, and it starts beneath the skin. There are no products you can put on your face that will make your skin produce less oil - just like you couldn't put anything in your mouth that would stop it from producing saliva. (However, there are ways to *absorb* the oil and prevent it from showing up on your skin as much, but more on that later.)
This is why I don't recommend using toners or astringents. These products claim to make your skin less oily and fight against pimples. A lot of toners and astringents contain alcohol, which is really bad for your skin! Sure, it has a tingly, drying effect on skin, but like I said, a drying effect won't stop oil production. If anything, the alcohol irritates your skin, making it produce more oil in an effort to heal itself. If a toner or an astringent tingles, that doesn't mean that it's "working" - it means that it's irritating your skin.
An important thing to do is wash your face twice a day - in the morning at night. (Never go to bed with makeup still on your face, because that's just asking for acne.) After washing your face, you might also want to try using a benzoyl peroxide cream on your pimples, or whatever parts of your face tend to break out the most. Benzoyl peroxide works by disinfecting the pores, making pimples less likely to form. However, it does have a side effect of being somewhat drying to the skin. (But it's not the drying effect that fights pimples, it's the disinfecting effect.) Try to look for a benzoyl peroxide product that is in a 5% concentration, rather than 10%, which can be too drying. A good one to try is Oxy Balance Sensitive Skin Acne Treatment, Vanishing Formula. How often you use it is up to you. I would try every other day and see how your skin responds. If it seems too drying, you can try using it every other day. Or, if your skin seems fine with using it once a day, you might want to increase it to twice a day. It all depends on what your preference is and how it makes your skin feel.
If you use a moisturizer, use one that is designed for oily skin - other types of moisturizers can be too greasy. In fact, people with oily skin don't necessarily need to use a moisturizer at all. As an option, people with oily skin can just put moisturizer on any parts of their face that are dry, and leave the oily parts alone (those parts of the face make their own "moisture," after all).
As for what makeup to use, if you want to try eyeshadow or blush, I would recommend using the ones in a powder formulation, rather than creams or sticks. This is because creams or sticks are a bit too greasy for oily skin, and tend to slip or smear over time. For the rest of your face, you could try just using a face powder all over, or you could use foundation. For oily skin, I would recommend "matte" foundations, which are designed to absorb some of the oil on your face and have more staying power than other foundations. If you use a matte foundation, you don't need to use a powder on top of it, because matte foundations dry to a powdery finish. Too much powder on the face can make the skin look dull. (Some amount of natural shine on the skin is normal, even for people with dry skin.) Some good matte foundations to try are:
Maybelline EverFresh Makeup SPF 14
Almay Amazing Lasting Makeup
Revlon Colorstay Lite Makeup
But even the best matte foundations won't hold perfectly on someone with oily skin, and as the day goes on, the oil on the face may start to show through. Luckily, there's something you can do about this, and it doesn't cost much. I read in a book ("The Beauty Bible," by Paula Begoun, which I highly recommend) that Milk of Magnesia (the stuff you drink for constipation) can actually absorb oil when applied to the skin. The author recommended applying a thin layer of Milk of Magnesia to your skin and letting it dry before you put on your makeup. I tried that, but found that the Milk of Magnesia, which is kind of thick, was showing through the makeup. So I came up with my own routine.
What I do is buy a small bottle of Milk of Magnesia. I dump out about a third of the bottle, and fill it the rest of the way with water. (Now I have a mixture that is 1 part water, and 2 parts Milk of Magnesia). Every morning I shake up the bottle and use a cotton ball to apply the mixture to the oiliest parts of my face, which in my case are my nose and cheeks. I wait a minute or two for it to dry, then apply my makeup as usual. This *really works* and keeps my face shine free all day long.
