Longing for that beautiful, dewy, fresh-faced makeup look, but ending up looking like a disco ball within 10 minutes of wearing it can be pretty disheartening, right? For those of us dealing with excessive oil production on the daily, illuminators, dewy foundations and highlighters can seem intimidating (and downright scary), but the tips and tricks listed below may just help you on your way to achieving your dewy-look dreams without your complexion resembling an oil slick by the end of the day!
1. Opt for a mattifying primer
Use a silicone-based mattifying primer only where you need it; this usually tends to be the central panel of the face, where us oily skinned gals tend to get the oiliest. A dewy t-zone isn’t really a good look for anyone, but just applying a mattifying primer only where you really need it will ensure that your face as a whole doesn’t look overly matte.
2. Mix your matte foundation with an illuminator, and apply with a damp beauty sponge
By using both, you really are getting the best of both worlds. Your matte foundation will ensure that any oil is kept at bay, but the addition of the luminizing product will inject that bit of radiance that dewy foundations offer. If you do have a lot of textural issues, or large pores that you want to diminish the appearance of however, we’d recommend skipping this step and following the next one instead as illuminators can exacerbate and highlight them. The reason we say to use a damp beauty sponge? Not only is bouncing an egg-shaped sponge all over your face quite fun, but it also prevents heavier, matte foundations from looking too heavy or cakey as it adds in moisture and blends the product more seamlessly in to the skin.
3. Use highlighters and luminizing products around the perimeter of your face, or where flattering
The outer portion of our face tends to produce the least oil, so concentrating luminizing products on the perimeter of our faces will ensure that while our skin still looks radiant and dewy, the areas that need to be kept mattified and oil-free, are. If texture and large pores on the highest points of your cheekbones are an issue, you can always just apply highlighter to the bridge of the nose, cupid’s bow and just above the arches of your brows for added radiance.
4. Swap your setting powders for setting sprays
Powder strategically in the areas that you need to, but when (and if) possible, try to opt for setting sprays instead of powders. In a sort of magical way, they do all the work of a powder, but are invisible to the naked eye. A few spritzes of a good setting spray will lock your makeup into place, and can even be used throughout the day to refresh your complexion!
Let us know how these tips work for you in the comments below.
Stay glam!
Jess Hall