Oily Skin Sufferers

[meowmeow19]

A place for oily skin types to discuss the challenges, the benefits, medications, skin care routines, and makeup routines that make our lives a little less shiny!

[Georgiana]

You know, I used to have the WORST oily skin.  My make up would just slide off.  Then I read that oily skin is often caused by a too drying skin regime.  I switched to gentler cleansers, only washed once a day, and more moisturizer, and the oil has gone down A LOT!

My routine:

AM:

• Splash water on face (no cleanser)
• belif The True Cream Moisturizing Bomb
• Estee Lauder Touche Eclat Blur Primer

PM:

• (make up remover as needed)
• peter thomas roth Anti-Aging Cleansing Gel
• Cerave cold cream (slathered on)

 

I also do peter thomas roth chemical exfoliant 1-2 times a week and do either a My Beauty Diary or Innisfree mask 1+ times a week to "refresh" my skin :).    

I'm thinking about switching to Tatcha.  Has anyone tried their cleansers?  

Also, I have issues with face sunscreen that doesn't dry me out/slide off/or break out.  Anyone know of any good facial sunscreens?

[meowmeow19]

I love the Shiseido Extra Smooth Sun Protection Cream. They also make one that is oily free/sensitive skin. I'm guessing any of them are good. My girfriends and I went to the beach for the week and the drugstore brand we slathered 5x more frequent on our bodies burned while our faces covered in the Shiseido got a nice tan. It's the thing that sticks and won't break me out. I will say it will give a touch of white cast but not super bad. 

[meowmeow19]

I have PCOS so my hormones cause most of my issues with oily, acne prone skin. 

With the oil sliding down my face all day of course I got acne. Not just a little case but a huge case of cystic acne. Now in my teen years I had teenage acne that I fought and won with countless drugs such as Duo, Differin, Retin-A Micro, Antibiotics and the whole works. 23 came around and nothing was working and after years of failed attempts with drugs I almost threw in the towel until I started the acne.org regime. It saved me. Over the last 2 years I have customized it to work better for me.

Things that worked for me:

Cleanser: Avene Cleanance Gel - From France so it's a bit tricky to find but I buy mine prime on amazon. 300ml, 25$ last me 6-7mths
Moisturizer: Effaclar Duo (French version not USA) or the Acne.org lotion

Treatments: Glycolic acid (10%-20 strength) 2-3x a week, oil keeps dead, dried skin cells stuck on the face, we have a harder time getting them off.

Benzoyl Peroxide- For acne sufferers: Only thing that works. Don't get the 10% or 5%, 2.5% is all you need. I love the Acne.org one. Benzac didn't do well for me, even though it's prescription. 

Taking Vitamin D- It really helps

Foundation: Clinique Acne solutions foundation (great even if you don't have acne) it's not super matte, Perfectly Real makeup foundation by Clinique (I can't use this every day, especially in the summer but for a slightly dry day or for a shorter wearing time I love this).  And if you use a Beauty Blender and/or like a full coverage foundation Estee Lauder Double Wear, This stuff never budges and is pretty amazing on oily skin, even super oily. 

Foundation Powder: Bare Minerals (It doesn't last long on my face but it does make my skin better). Perfectly Real Compact Makeup by Clinique- I couldn't live without this stuff

Primer: Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer, Oh god I love this stuff but it will break the bank, I'm trying the Nyx Angel Primer to see if it's a good dupe, I will post back and give my opinion.

 

Things that didn't work for me:

Cleanser: Neutrogena Clear Pore Cleanser/Mask (this could take the finish off hardwood floors). Philosophy Purity (made my skin 10x more oily) Murad Acne Cleanser, Dove Bar, The Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash (My skin died from dehydration)

Treatments: azelaic acid- Finacea, Azelex (both Rx and did horrible stuff to my skin)

Foundation: Laura Mercier- tinted moisturizer both original and oil free (This stuff made me more oily than a old time southern bacon cookoff) Anything MAC- tried like half a dozen and all oil encouragers. Smashbox Halo Powder (just didn't work)

 

While being an oily gal sucks, we should remember that with proper moisturization we can hold off wrinkles longer than dry skin

 

[ShepherdontheRock]

I have an oily type of combination skin where I get hormonal/stress-related breakouts on my nose and forehead, and occasionally on my cheeks, as well as a shiny nose with a lot of tiny black heads. The problem is, I can't use too-strong shine/acne control products except as spot treatments because they can cause irritation/dryness. So...here's my current care:

Cleansers: I rotate these, but right now LUSH Angels on Bare Skin at night. Extremely gentle exfoliation, but doesn't dry skin out at all. Or Fresh Farmacy in the morning, which has a more mattifying effect.

Toner: Boots Organics Rosewater toning spritz. Also diluted tea tree oil on any spots.

Moisturizer: LUSH Vanishing Cream at night, Neutrogena SPF 15 by day.

Not daily: I've been using Biore pore strips- the problem is that sometimes, they don't always get the gunk out quite the way I'd like. I'm thinking of trying a different kind- or maybe the unflavored gelatin thing. I also do face steaming. And, as far as face masks, I use Origins charcoal on my T-zone, and Queen Helen Mint Julep on spots. Also like Earth Science papaya face peel, and LUSH Rosy Cheeks/Love Lettuce. But I also have had success with putting plain yogurt, yogurt+turmeric, yogurt+honey, yogurt+oats on my face. Yogurt mask=win.

Makeup wise, I try to keep it minimal. I do Make Up For Ever Duo Mat powder, and Urban decay setting spray, but maybe I should try a primer, since I always need blotting papers on my nose.

[Ofglen]

My skin is mostly oily but a little combination. I really haven't been seeing much dryness lately though, which is nice. I've found that the best thing I can do is less. Less is more with my skin. I'm currently using straight aloe vera gel (which I've been doing since last September and is a surprisingly fantastic gentle cleanser) on my Clarisonic (with a delicate brush). I follow up with First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream. I've learned the hard way that drying your skin out with harsh cleansers and forgoing moisturizers won't solve the oily, it will only make your skin overproduce.

For makeup wipes, I'm super lazy and I use seventh generation baby wipes. I wish they were wetter, because I sometimes have to use two to get it all off, and then if I wash my face after a little still comes off on the clarisonic, but I don't really have time to research baby wipes right now.... (not about to pay the price of real makeup wipes!) 

Here's the link for the aloe I'm using to wash my face. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Z941OW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

This is my holy grail foundation. I've been through a few bottles and I never plan on using anything else. It has great staying power on oily skin and doesn't cling to my occasional dry spots either: http://www.sephora.com/studio-skin-15-hour-wear-foundation-P292403?keyword=SMASHBOX%20Studio%20Skin%2015%20Hour%20Wear%20Foundation%20P292403&skuId=1349380&_requestid=432872

Treatments: Tea tree oil when i'm just treating small pimples. If it's a hormonal cystic mountain that's taking over half my chin, I bring out the Acanya. 

Also, I bought and use that Rimmel stay matte powder that everyone on the internet raves about, and I feel like its a very normal powder. It definitely doesn't keep me matte that long. Not worth the buy, tbh. It's a good powder, but it smells gross and I feel like it shouldn't be marketed as a matte powder. Whatever... 

[meowmeow19]

4 hours ago, ShepherdontheRock said:

Queen Helen Mint Julep on spots

I love this stuff. I think I can get it for less than 2 dollars

8 minutes ago, Ofglen said:

I'm currently using straight aloe vera gel (which I've been doing since last September and is a surprisingly fantastic gentle cleanser) on my Clarisonic (with a delicate brush)

I have always wanted to use pure aloe vera! I don't know why I haven't yet and I love my clarisonic but I couldn't use it at all when I was broken out, it just spread it about my face. 

[ShepherdontheRock]

Just now, meowmeow19 said:

I love this stuff. I think I can get it for less than 2 dollars

I have always wanted to use pure aloe vera! I don't know why I haven't yet and I love my clarisonic but I couldn't use it at all when I was broken out, it just spread it about my face. 

Hmmmm, I've used aloe vera when I had dry/itchy scalp and it worked wonders. Not sure what it'd do for my skin though.

[Ofglen]

4 minutes ago, meowmeow19 said:

I love this stuff. I think I can get it for less than 2 dollars

I have always wanted to use pure aloe vera! I don't know why I haven't yet and I love my clarisonic but I couldn't use it at all when I was broken out, it just spread it about my face. 

Check under the brush head of your clarisonic. Often people don't realize it but water gets trapped under there and mold grows, but it never shows up on the top of the brush, just underneath, which causes acne to spread. I had that problem once (it was so gross omg) and so now I rinse out the inside after every use. 

[meowmeow19]

It was more of a thing of spreading the P-Acne bacteria around, and inserting into the skin. I mean that brush does lightly scrape the skin and if you have breakouts you just swirl that bacteria right into those light lacerations. I'm more of a fan of chemical exfoliation than I am of physical exfoliation. 

[Ofglen]

Just now, meowmeow19 said:

It was more of a thing of spreading the P-Acne bacteria around, and inserting into the skin. I mean that brush does lightly scrape the skin and if you have breakouts you just swirl that bacteria right into those light lacerations. I'm more of a fan of chemical exfoliation than I am of physical exfoliation. 

Oh yeah, I can definitely see that. That makes sense. What chemical exfoliation do you use/how? I've never tried that.

[meowmeow19]

Just now, Ofglen said:

Oh yeah, I can definitely see that. That makes sense. What chemical exfoliation do you use/how? I've never tried that.

 

I love Glycolic Acid, you have to have a pretty high concentration 10% up, anything lower is a ripoff. Now my dermatologist pushed me to use azelaic acid and I hated it but she said that women of all ages love that stuff so much. Any AHA's or BHA's will do the skin good and if you wanna go hard ball do some retin-a. You must use a sunscreen! My grandmother worked in Insurance claims and a lot of problems happened when people didn't use sunscreen. It's pretty cool how that stuff works. Lifting all that dead skin off and getting the dermis to produce new skin cells and fill in those pesky fine lines. 

[donnal]

This has been my routine for the past year or so. It came about after a lot of trial and error. It's difficult because my cheeks and chin have always been "normal" while my nose and forhead have been extremely oily.  The moisturizers I use are generally made for dry skin, but they're the best combination I've found to keep me from breaking out which my skin is very prone to do.  Overall the oil has come mostly under control, I may only need to blot and powder once mid day most days. Maybe a bit more in summer.

 

Morning routine-

 

-1 Yes to Cucumbers face wipe to remove overnight greasies

-Rinse in the shower

-Perricone MD Pore Minimizer toner

-Clinique Smart Serum

-Lancome Bienfait Multi-Vital SPF 30 cream

-Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer

 

Evening routine(after removing all makeup)-

 

-Philosophy Purity Made Simple face wash

-Perricone MD Pore Minimizer toner

-Clinique Smart Serum

-Clinique Moisture Surge

-Algenist Eye Cream

 

Random Additions-

-Glamglow Youthmud mask once or twice a week

-Tarte Maracuja Oil on my cheeks and neck as needed in the winter as these areas can get dry when it's cold out

[meowmeow19]

On 2/2/2016 at 4:33 AM, donnal said:

-Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer

Ah! So i'm not the only one addicted to this hella expensive primer. I really wish I could hate this stuff.

[donnal]

4 hours ago, meowmeow19 said:

Ah! So i'm not the only one addicted to this hella expensive primer. I really wish I could hate this stuff.

I know! Its so so good! I try other things hoping I'll fall in love with something cheaper, but everything else always falls short.

[meowmeow19]

So I just tried the Nyx Angel Veil primer as a dupe for the Hourglass Mineral Veil and it's so good! It also cost 40 dollars less per ounce than the Hourglass one. My oily skin did well with it. 

[RosyDaisy]

Mario Badescu Special Healing Powder ishands down the best product for oily, sensitive, blenish prone skin.

[SledCat]

I love Paula's Choice Shine Stopper. This is the only skincare brand I have used, for years. Also, her BHA exfoliants work a charm, for my skin.

When I am wearing makeup, I use Mally's Evercolor Poreless Face Defender as my final step, instead of powder. I also put a dab of it on when I am walking my dog in the morning, too.

[meowmeow19]

I'm hearing more and more about this Paula's Choice stuff. I know she knows her stuff. Especially how certain products should be packaged. 

I'm happy to report i'm loving the NYX Angel Veil primer. It's my replacement for the Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer which is 55 dollars an ounce and this stuff is 15 dollars and ounce without a coupon or deal. It hasn't caused me to be oily/greasy or broken me out.

[SledCat]

Yes, @meowmeow19. It seems like a product can be the bees knees, but if it is packaged incorrectly, it degrades quickly.

The thing I've always liked about Paula's Choice is that she offers fair reviews of other brands, as well. I use her Beautypedia for all of my makeup recommendations.

[donnal]

On February 15, 2016 at 8:08 PM, meowmeow19 said:

I'm hearing more and more about this Paula's Choice stuff. I know she knows her stuff. Especially how certain products should be packaged. 

I'm happy to report i'm loving the NYX Angel Veil primer. It's my replacement for the Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer which is 55 dollars an ounce and this stuff is 15 dollars and ounce without a coupon or deal. It hasn't caused me to be oily/greasy or broken me out.

You can actually get the Mineral Veil in a two ounce tube for $72. Which is still crazy expensive, but does bring it down to $36 an ounce. 

 

That being said, I'll definitely be giving the NYX stuff a try when my Mineral Veil runs out in a couple of months.

[meowmeow19]

57 minutes ago, donnal said:

You can actually get the Mineral Veil in a two ounce tube for $72. Which is still crazy expensive, but does bring it down to $36 an ounce. 

 

That being said, I'll definitely be giving the NYX stuff a try when my Mineral Veil runs out in a couple of months.

I know, but it comes in that awful tube. I know it's something most people buy on the Sephora 20% off days. I have something similar in a tube and I hate using it just because of the packaging. If I ever feel the need to go back I will definitely get the big one and decant into something!

[Walking Cat Bed]

Clinique for the usual, Boscia for weekly masks.

The thing Clinique has for oily skin is a moisturizing gel, rather than the standard lotion -- the formula is different enough that it doesn't dry out or inspire too much oil production. It's a science thing that I don't quite understand. 

[Mela99]

I've had great luck with Pixi's Glow Tonic for controlling oil. My only complaint is the price and that Target is almost always out of it. I also use a Clarisonic.

[iweartanktops]

I always keep oil blotting sheets and mattifyer in my handbag for oil throughout the day. My favorite mattifyers are Peter Thomas Roth and Murad. I use e.l.f. blotting sheets ($1/pack at Target) first, and then the mattifying stuff. They're worth the money!

I'll post my skin care routine soon. My skin is finally clear so it's worth sharing!