Problem: I have extremely oily skin (even though I use a good soap and toner,
plus Tazorac on problem areas). My foundation (I've tried many, many) always
looks greasy after as little as an hour. I use loose powder over the
foundations, which are all of the oil free variety.

Q: If I quit wearing foundations and powders, will my skin get better and less
greasy? It seems like my face is greasy no matter what but I would like to
stop wearing foundation/powder altogther for a more natural look. I am
basically asking, will my skin adjust eventually to not wearing foundation? Is
foundation bad for your skin and makes you secrete more oil?

And as a PS: I have never EVER found a foundation that matched my skin because
it would either a) turn orange on me from the oil and b) my skin is different
colors on my jawline than on the rest of my face and I have freckles.

TIA for your thoughts!! Should I get an AHA or BHA lotion maybe? I do not
moisturize my face except for at night I use Clinique TT sometimes.

Kristin

I have the same problem. I've had a lot of success though wearing powder
foundations. Right now I'm using one that is made by Aveda (Dual Base) but
there are several other makeup lines that feature similar products. I know that
my skin felt better and certainly looked less oilier after making the switch to
powder foundations. They provide good coverage, don't make your skin oily, and
I experienced fewer breakouts after switching about two years ago.

I have had incredibly oily skin in the past. I switched from liquids to
powder foundations such as MAC StudioFix, which I like alot better. I am
using a sample of the Jane Iredale Loose Powder and am really liking that.
As for the oilies...my skin always is oily with or without foundation. You
could try blotting papers from Clean and Clear or Covergirl to help decrease
the glow during the day.

--
M~Elizabeth

To thine own self be true
"Valmont32677" <valmont32677@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20031009152700.16270.00000568@mb-m19.aol.com...

I've had the best luck with using Smashbox Antishine instead of foundation, but
with only 3 shades available (light, medium, dark), it may not be easy to
match. Luckily, I can mix the light and medium and get a good match in the
winter, or use medium alone in the summer.

Stephanie

Valmont32677 wrote:
Short Answer: In my experience, oily or dry skin is more or less
heredity. Cutting out the foundation step in your make-up routine
will have no permanent or long-term impact on the natural
oiliness or dryness of your skin (until, at least, you and your
skin get old enough for mom-nature to take over.) As a person with
naturally oily, break-out-prone skin, I can testify that my skin
has started the "aging" process" and has changed for the better
little-by-little, over the last 12 - 15 months or so. I still
have to keep an eagle-eye on product ingredients for potential
pore-cloggers, but it's been less of a concern than it was just
a short while ago. I hope this answers your question at least
a little.

My skin is much the same. I also use tazorac gel as well. I have found that
Karin Herzog egyptian powder is the best, it is loose powder. It doesn't smear
off, it stays put all day. For concealer I use Neutrogena, thehy make a great
cheap concealer.
And, I don't think there is anything we can do that isn't drastic to change the
oilyness of our skin.
Also Karin Herzog makes a really great oxygen cream that cleans and
moisturizes. My skin has never been so healthy feeling.

In addition to all of the other good advice already offered, you might want to
try a Milk of Magnesia (MoM) mask each morning whether you use foundation or
not. Just blot on plain MoM with a cotton ball, let dry (about 10 minutes),
rinse off with cool water, proceed with the rest of your makeup application as
usual. The magnesium in MoM absorbs oil and holds back the greasies for a
pretty long time.

HTH.

EMiriamD

"No fashion is ever a success unless it is used as a form of seduction."
-- Christian Dior

Thanks for the tip! I will try this tomorrow morning. Well, I am glad to know
I'm not the only one with really oily skin. I'm in my 20's so I have awhile to
wait before Mother Nature will "help" it. I also take a hormone replacement
with a lot of Progesterone in it and my doctor says that that will make my skin
worse. I know when I was on Depo my skin was horrible!
Kristin

"EMiriamD" <emiriamd@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20031009211335.08672.00000094@mb-m11.aol.com...
This might be a silly question, but would it be possible to do the MoM
technique and still use moisturizer? If so, in what order would it be
incorporated in the MoM and makeup routine? I need some shine control, but
I can't go without moisturizer.

-- Madolyn

Well it sounds like you're pretty young and your skin is just acting
normally
Oil prevents wrinkles and makes your pores less visible. There's nothing
wrong with it as long as you keep your face clean and don't touch it with
your hands
wear some sort of suncreen for oily skin when you go out
Unless you have blemishes you don't really need foundation and if you look
all right without it just wear mascara and lipstick
Biore makes different cleansers for diffrent skin types I used to have oily
sking when I was younger now I wash my face (1) when I arise (2) in the
shower before I leave for practice (3) Maybe once after practice to apply
make up to dance, and (4) after practice/dancing
I've been using the Biore soap for severla years and use Dr. Bronners 16 in
1 peppermint castille for shower -- works good for oily skin. Available at
health food stores



"Valmont32677" <valmont32677@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20031009152700.16270.00000568@mb-m19.aol.com...

I have pretty much the same results as everyone else. I am a 20something with
very oily skin and regardless of what type of foundation I use (or if any), my
skin is stilly very oily/greasy/shiney. Wearing powder does help but I still
need to blot several times throughout the day and I have tried every oil
absorbing "primer", every long wearing makeup with always the same results.
Like others have said, I chalk it up to genetics and there's not much you can
do about that. I just always make sure I have my trusty Studiofix compact and
oil-blotting sheets in my purse! I could have worse problems!

Regards,
Amy

I too have to blot my face several times a day to keep the shine down. However
my skin is still very very oil. I think i'll try the MoM mask soon.
Another thing that I have found is Witch Hazel. after washing my face in the
morning i just use one cotton ball with WH in it. Just wipe all areas once,
not any more than that, you don't want to destroy that natural layer that
protects.
My skin is tricky, because i still have to moisturize even though i have
really oily skin. The best treatment I have found is Karin Herzog, I saw
improvements the first day of using Vit-A-Kombi 2 oxygen cream. It is a really
amazing cream for thick, oily skin. It is expensive but it last for a long
time, and it just heals and corrects your skin beautifully.
I have had a lot of trouble with my skin as far as breakouts go too. The
stuff from the derm are so harsh for our oily skin, and I would definately
suggest testing KH.

jam wrote:
I've got a dermatologist appt in a couple of weeks
and I'm going to ask about tazorac. I hope it isn't
too harsh or drying; I've tried all 3 Retin-A types:
the greasy one, the micro-one and the alcohol-based
gel. Each of them had skin-surface side-effects that
off-set any of the benefits I might have been getting
from the medication.

Tazorac is wicked stuff, esp in the winter time! The key is using just a
little! If you use too much, you can really dry out your skin. I use it all
over in a very minute amount cuz I have superoily skin. I find that I can't
use it every day, or I get cracks in my skin. FWIW & YMMV.
Kristin

Tazorac comes in a cream base and a gel base. My derm originally had me on the
cream base and recently switched to the gel base. Gel base is good for me, but
if you're concerned about overdrying, you might want to make sure your doctor
prescribes the cream base for you.

Also, if you're seeing the derm for breakout issues, have you ever tried Duac
Gel? I use it every night after Tazorac, and I hate to jinx myself here, but I
haven't had a pimple since I added Duac to my regimen in late July. That's the
first time in about 22 years I've had clear skin for longer than 2 weeks max.

Stephanie

I've never done it myself but seems to me I would do the mask first, then
proceed as usual; in your case that would include applying moisturizer.
Couldn't hurt, might work! Give it a shot and report back, please.

EMiriamD

"No fashion is ever a success unless it is used as a form of seduction."
-- Christian Dior