Basic Mineral Makeup Routines For Your Skin Type

Spend enough time on an online beauty group, and you’re bound to see one acronym pop up a lot: YMMV, or “your mileage may vary.” It’s a fancy way of saying, “this may not work for you the same way it worked for me,” and with good reason:makeup is not one size fits all. 

Because of this, a single makeup product may have to be used differently, depending on whether a person has oily, dry, or combination skin. There are also products designed to suit certain typesbest, sincedifferent skin types have different needs.

Overwhelmed? Don’t worry! To help you get the most out of your products, here are three suggestions for developing a makeup routine that suits your skin type.

Oily Skin

Oily skinned girls need face bases that offer a matte finish and oil control.

As the name suggests, oily skin produces a lot of our body’s natural oil, orsebum. This sebum builds up over the course of the day, causing shine, makeup “meltdown,” and even clogged pores.

Because oily skin feels very “moisturized,” people with oily skin are often tempted to dry out the skin using strong cleansers and alcohol-based skincare. While this may temporarily get rid of the excess oil, in the long term, it has the reverse effect, tricking the skin into feeling “dry,” so that it ends up producingmoreoil, causing a vicious cycle. Instead, people with oily skin have to balance absorbing excess sebum with keeping their skin hydrated enough so that it does not feel the need to produce more oil. 

Because oil builds up on the skin over time, people with oily skin will often feel their makeup gets “heavier” throughout the day. To avoid this heavy feeling, choose makeup that services multiple purposes, and/or can be applied in thin layers, as close to the skin as possible. Oil-absorbing products, such asclaysorstarches,are a must.

WHAT YOUR SKIN NEEDS

• Oil control
• Pore blurring
• Increased makeup longevity

RECOMMENDED SKINCARE

• Alcohol-free toner to freshen up skin
• (OPTIONAL) Hydrating essence or thin gel moisturizer

RECOMMENDED BASE MAKEUP

• Lightweight Oil-controlling or pore blurring primer.
  
  
  Blur Classic Primer: Scatters light, blurring the large, visible pores common to those with oily skin.
  
  
  Blur++ Primer with SEBOCURE: Regulates oil production while keeping skin’s smooth and matte appearance.
  
  
• Oil-absorbing powder foundation
  
  
  Loose Mineral Foundation: Made withkaolin clay andrice powder, which naturally absorb oil and control further sebum production.

• Oil-controlling setting spray
  
  Stay Fresh Setting Spray: Seals in makeup, making it last longer while also helping to control oil production. With continued used, may brighten the appearance of skin discoloration.

Dry Skin

On the opposite end of the spectrum, people with dry skin do not produceenoughoil. This results in skin that feels “tight” is in need of extra hydration to prevent the topmost layers of skin from “cracking,” which can cause a dull and flaky appearance.

People with dry skin should reach for thick,occlusivemoisturizers. These add moisture into the skin while also creating a barrier preventing further hydration from escaping. They also artificially “smoothen” the texture of skin, preventing dry patches from flaking and affecting makeup application.

Because the lack of oil in the skin results in a lack of natural “shine,” people with dry skin often complain that it looks dull. Choose products with a combination of brightening and moisturizing ingredients to help counteract the dullness and restore the healthy glow.Face mistsare a great hybrid skincare/makeup product, and can be used to “add back” moisture throughout the day.

WHAT IT NEEDS

• Moisture retention
• Regular hydration
• Brightening

RECOMMENDED SKINCARE

• Gentle exfoliant, 1x a week.
• Creamy moisturizer (applied in thin layer before makeup)

RECOMMENDED BASE MAKEUP

• Hydrating and/or brightening primer
  
  Daily Defense+Color Correcting Primer w/ SPF 30: Featuring moisturizingtsubaki oil and a skin-brightening peach tint, our “DD+CC” primer soothes skin dryness while counteracting dull appearance of skin.
  
  
• Lightweight foundation
  
  Our Loose Mineral Foundation can be easily mixed with moisturizer to create a custom cream foundation with buildable coverage. It hasVitamin Eto help soothe skin and reduce irritation.

• Hydrating setting spray
  Flower Power Setting Spray: Made withroseandrose fruit extract, this setting spray helps lock makeup in place while also providing on-the-go moisture. Apply regularly throughout the day to keep skin fresh and hydrated.
  
  

Combination Skin

Those with combination skin usually are oily in the T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin) and normal to dry on the cheeks and parts of the jaw. This means that oily areas need sebum control and pore-blurring, while drier areas need lightweight hydration.

Like those with dry skin, those with combination skin also need moisture. The catch is, however, that “normal” moisturizers may turn their oily areas into shiny oil slicks. A middle ground would be lightweight products, or combination makeup/skincare that lessen the layers and help prevent the “heavy” feeling due to oil buildup.

Targeted oil control is especially important to combination skin. A pore-blurring setting powder sits on top of a more moisturizing base, allowing the hydrating product to do its work while still controlling shine. The powder format means it can easily be applied to specific areas on the face where it’s needed.

WHAT IT NEEDS

• Targeted oil control
• Lightweight moisture
• “A little bit of everything”

RECOMMENDED SKINCARE

• Alcohol-free toner to freshen up skin
• Hydrating essence 
• [Optional] Gel or lotion moisturizer applied specifically to dry parts of skin.

RECOMMENDED BASE MAKEUP

• Pore-blurring or Hydrating Primer
  Blur Classic Primer: Scatters light, blurring the large, visible pores common to those with oily skin.
  
  
  Our DD+CC primer offers lightweight daily moisture thanks totsubaki oil, which hydrates without building up shine.
  
  
• Lightweight foundation
  
  Our Loose Mineral Foundation offers lightweight full coverage with oil control. It can be worn on its own or mixed with a primer of choice to create a liquid/cream foundation.

• Oil-control setting powder
  Stay Matte Poreless Powder: Made with fine rice powder, our Stay Matte Poreless Powder blurs pores and can be applied to oily areas to reduce shine.