Foundation for oily...

[Wuxiapian]

... shitty, zitty skin?

I need something that'll stop the shine with minimal chance of breakout.

Tried mineral makeup, but find it too powderdy/ghost-like in appearance.

Just wanna look half decent, for a change!

Can anyone advise?

Muchas ta!

[TheDevilWearsPrimark]

I was going to suggest mineral make up hehe...

What skincare do you use?

I swear by Vichy Normaderm - it's amazing

[Wuxiapian]

Hi, TDWP.

My skincare routine: wash twice daily with water then apply Simple moisturiser.

That's it.

I'll use a liquid foundation if I'm going out. Any brand as long as it's "oil free".

I've spent lots of ££ trialling foundations - albeit the cheaper high street brands.

Are there any brands (for shite skin) in particular I should try?

[TheDevilWearsPrimark]

You need to address why your skin is shite, can you afford a dermatologist?

Also maybe try a serum rather than a cream moisturiser.

As for foundation - I always find boots No7 is good.

[Wuxiapian]

I've seen a dermatologist, TDWP. And tried various, pills/potions, to no avail. It's just one of those things, I guess.

I've accepted my skin'll never be perfect - would be nice to minimise the crapness of it, though.

Thanks for recommendations!!

[indigobarbie]

What about trying estee lauder double wear, you could get a generous sample from the counter to try it firstly. I have problematic oily skin too and I don't think that this foundation breaks me out, but it allows coverage build up to cover any areas you need to.
One thing which I have found helps me in lessening the oil production is using jojoba oil on my skin at night before bed time, just a few drops (got it from holland and barrett) and it stops the shine the next day, quite dramatically. I was panicking about being a bridesmaid last year and I actually put some on the night before I went to bed, washed with plain water in the morning and then got my makeup done. The girl used YSL perfect touch foundation on me, but it's fairly sheer, I did need help over the blemishes but my skin stayed non shiney all day! Miracle
Can I just ask if you have tried to not use a moisturiser for a while? I find I get all clogged up if I use one, that's why I find the jojoba oil pretty good. I know this does't offer any SPF but if you can find a foundation with one then this might help.
I too use Bare escentuals mineral foundation and find this my fav of the minerals, can be bought fairly cheap from ebay, if you could get colour matched in debenhams first? good luck

[MillyR]

I have very oily skin with large pores. I use Dr Brandt Pores No More pore refiner and Chanel Pro lumiere. This combination of products works for me. Before that I had YSL makeup which was a disaster.

When I can afford it I am going to try some of the other Dr Brandt products for oily skin, because the pore refiner has worked so well. When I am wearing it my face feels matt but in a soft and comfortable way.

You could go into Space NK and ask for a sample. I do think that oily skin needs a refiner or primer to make it matt, and then the foundation can be used for coverage.

[msrisotto]

Hi,

I have problem skin. Having been through millions of foundations, have settled for mineral as it doesn't clog pores. I haven't found it to make me look powdery - only if you don't brush it in properly? If it's making you look ghost-like, you've got the wrong shade for you.

If you haven't tried the oil cleansing method then google that, it's cheap and has worked miracles for a lot of people, it balances my combination skin out nicely.

[Romanarama]

I've just managed to clear up my skin by taking spironolactone. See this thread for details

I found some of the things on this site quite helpful too I avoid everything on her 'pore cloggers' list these days.

[Wuxiapian]

Thaks, guys.

indigobarbie, Jojoba oil - will check it out, certainly! How exactly do you apply it?
I can't go without using some sort of moisturiser. Tried it and skin felt awful - dry and flaky - from one extreme to the other!

MillyR, I do wonder if multiple-product use can have a worsening effect...

Msrisotto, oil cleansing? Cripes! You mean adding extra oil to your skin lessens oil production?? I am totally confused - it doesn't take much!

Romanarama, How long do you plan on taking the Spironolactone? I've been prescribed different creams/lotions, pills/potions and stopped trying in the end - the potential side effects were pretty frightening. My skin's not as bad as it was and I've got used to having zits. It's just sometimes, when you want to make an extra-special impression, dodgy skin kinda lets you down a little.

[Romanarama]

Don't know, Wu. It's a good question. The only other 'serious' med I've taken is roaccutane, which has much more varied horrible side effects than this. Tbh if my skin hadn't been getting worse I probably wouldn't have tried.

Have you looked at www.acne.org? It has some interesting help and advice, and message forums where people recount their experiences of different drugs. I read hundreds of messages about spiro to decide whether to continue or give up around a month ago.

There's also a basic routine: cleansing with a very non-irritating cleanser (I use cetaphil - there are some different ideas on the site), then applying a lot of Benzoyl peroxide gel 2.5% strength all over. In the morning you need to put moisturiser after this - again something very non irritating. For me this regime got rid of the little spots and blackheads pretty well, but not the cysts, which were very painful and unsightly. It's worth a try as very non-invasive. this is the page that describes it

Oil cleansing was a disaster for me, but lots of people love it.