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Makeup for Every Skin Type

Your skin type is the single most important factor when choosing makeup. The wrong formula can emphasise texture, cause breakouts, or wear poorly throughout the day. Understanding your skin type helps you build a routine that works with your skin rather than against it.

💦 Oily Skin

Best Base: Oil-free, matte or long-wear foundations

Oily skin produces excess sebum, which can cause makeup to slide, oxidise (turn orange), or break down by midday. The goal is to control shine without over-drying.

  • Primer: Use a mattifying or pore-filling primer — silicone-based options create a smooth barrier between skin and foundation.
  • Foundation: Look for labels such as "oil-free", "matte", "long-wear", or "24-hour". Avoid dewy or radiant finish foundations, which can amplify shine.
  • Concealer: A full-coverage, non-comedogenic concealer minimises blemishes without clogging pores.
  • Setting powder: Bake under the eyes and press powder onto the T-zone. Reapply with a pressed powder throughout the day.
  • Setting spray: A mattifying setting spray locks everything in place and reduces shine without adding weight.
  • Avoid: Heavy cream formulas, luminising primers, and oil-based products that can worsen shine.

🌵 Dry Skin

Best Base: Hydrating, serum, or satin-finish foundations

Dry skin lacks moisture and can appear flaky, tight, or dull. Makeup on dry skin can cling to texture, emphasise fine lines, or look patchy — especially around the nose and cheeks.

  • Skincare first: Moisturiser is non-negotiable. Allow it to fully absorb before applying makeup. A hydrating face mist mid-routine keeps skin supple.
  • Primer: Choose a hydrating, dewy, or illuminating primer to add moisture and create a smooth canvas.
  • Foundation: Serum foundations, skin tints, and hydrating liquid foundations work best. Avoid powder foundation, which emphasises dry patches.
  • Concealer: Use a creamy, hydrating formula. Avoid full-coverage heavy concealers under the eyes, which can settle into fine lines.
  • Setting products: Skip or minimise powder on dry areas — only dust very lightly over the T-zone if needed. Prefer a hydrating setting spray over powder.
  • Blush: Cream blush applied with fingers blends naturally into dry skin and looks more skin-like than powder.

☯️ Combination Skin

Best Base: Balancing or natural-finish foundations

Combination skin features an oily T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin) with normal to dry cheeks. The challenge is managing two different skin needs simultaneously.

  • Primer: Apply a mattifying primer only to the T-zone and a hydrating primer to the cheeks — this is called multi-masking with primer.
  • Foundation: A "skin-like", "natural finish", or "balancing" foundation works across both zones. Avoid both extreme matte and extreme dewy formulas.
  • Application: Use a beauty sponge for a more skin-like, seamless result that doesn't over-deposit product.
  • Setting powder: Press powder only into the T-zone. Leave the cheeks powder-free or use a setting spray instead.
  • Blush: Either cream or powder blush can work — cream on the cheeks feels natural, while a touch of powder can help it last.

🌸 Sensitive Skin

Best Base: Mineral, fragrance-free, hypoallergenic foundations

Sensitive skin reacts easily to ingredients, temperature, and friction. Redness, rosacea, and reactivity are common concerns. Building a makeup routine for sensitive skin requires careful ingredient awareness.

  • Ingredients to avoid: Fragrance, alcohol (denat.), parabens, artificial dyes, and heavy preservatives can all trigger reactions.
  • Primer: Skip harsh silicone primers — choose a soothing, minimal-ingredient primer or apply foundation directly over a good moisturiser.
  • Foundation: Mineral foundations containing zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are naturally anti-inflammatory and often well-tolerated. Liquid formulas should be labelled hypoallergenic or dermatologist-tested.
  • Colour-correcting: A green colour corrector under foundation neutralises redness before it shows through.
  • Application: Use clean brushes and sponges. Bacteria on dirty tools can aggravate sensitive skin significantly.
  • Patch testing: Always patch test new products on your inner arm or behind your ear before applying to the face.