>>>beauty banter: HOW TO FIGHT THE SHINE (AKA - KEEP YOUR FACE LOOKING FLAWLESS ALL DAY!!!) - PART TWO

Last week I shared my favorite tips to start a fight against 3pm shine – covering off skincare, as it is a two pronged attack. The careful and less is more approach to skincare needs to be taken to set the rest of your face up for shine free success. Below are my best bits of advice for making sure your makeup lasts the distance.

3. Foundation options

Seems like a no brainer but I think this is worth going over anyway. If you find you have a natural oil that peeps through your foundation I recommend using a foundation with more of a matte finish – this finish will ensure that you get a little more oil control because of the powders used in a matte finish product. Ask the sales assistant or do some snooping on line when pondering the purchase of a new foundation to see what skin type it is best suited for. A foundation that is hydrating for dry skin may not be best if you are on the oilier side. In fact if you seriously hate the shine I would consider avoiding hydrating foundations all together as you can get your much needed moisture from your moisturiser. I personally like Garnier BB Cream in the oily/combination skin formulation for sheer to medium matte coverage; and Lancome Teint Idole Ultra24HR if you like to cover up a bit more.

As for foundations that offer extra radiance and glow – proceed with caution, and even better, try before you buy! Generally “radiance and glow” can mean extra shine due to the mica particles used in them to give that glow. You don’t want to give your existing oily glow and more radiance than it already, so generously has. That said there has been some great new foundations launch lately that offer to fulfill your fantasies of flawless skin that I find to control oily shine very well. I expect these brands have realized the desire of us beauty birds to have a glowy but not shiny skin so have worked hard to develop formulations to fulfill this. Two great products for this are YSL Le Teint Touche Ecalt and Clarins Everlasting Foundation.

Another option worth exploring are foundations that specifically sell themselves on being long wearing. This category of foundations generally adhere to the skin really well so should stick for longer, keeping skin looking even. A great way I have found to judge how long wearing my “long-wearing” foundation really is, is to see how easily they wash off from my hand. If you really have to rub with soap then it should be a goodie (don’t worry, they do come off the face easily with a specific makeup remover). I absolutely love MAC Pro Longwear Foundation for medium coverage that lasts the distance – this one doesn’t have a matte finish so if you are oilier then try out Estee Lauder Double Wear Light, which has a medium coverage but more of a matte finish.
Regarding usage – take a less is more approach here much like your moistursier – try using less and dabbing all over the face first and then rubbing in to ensure you’re not overloading your skin with unnecessary extras (aka emollients found in foundation).

4. The power of powder 
This is your last line of defense and I promise you, it’s a solid one. I have complete faith in the endurance of my foundation when I have followed a powder process of first using a pressed powder and then a translucent setting powder.

 A pressed powder can be lovely to smooth out any edges and add additional coverage to your foundation – it will also ensure that your liquid foundation has something dry to set it so it doesn’t move around and slide off. To get the best result I recommend using a large fluffy powder brush to apply pressed powder in a light dusting all over the face, - again less is more, you only need enough to lightly set your liquid which is why a large brush is so great – due to its larger surface area it will cover more with less. When you use a sponge (often found in the compact) to apply pressed powder you will increase the coverage as you are pressing more firmly to the pan as well as the skin. A sponge will also disturb your liquid foundation more as you are quite literally rubbing over it again. Sponges are still great to have in your purse for on the go touch-ups or when you need lots of extra coverage but if you want to ace that base first thing, consider using a large natural bristled brush instead. I love MAC Studio Fix Powder for flawless matte coverage in a flash.
A translucent setting powder is the product that I think makes the most difference of all when fighting the shine – and they have multiple, glorious benefits beyond that. These powders add no extra colour or coverage so you won’t feel heavy or cakey as you might expect after having used two powders. (Do note though that if you are happy with the coverage and finish of your foundation alone, skip the pressed powder and start here).
Translucent setting powders started to hit the market about three to five years ago in response to HD filming techniques’ charming way of revealing skins every. last. flaw. A translucent setting powder will blur the skin making it look smooth and flawless. The texture is incredibly finely milled and light weight. Don’t be alarmed that they are white, as they are totally translucent (ie. see-through) so will not leave you looking ghostly pale. After using one of these powders all following products such as blush and bronzer will smooth over skin like a dream as you have just softened and smoothed the surface of skin they are adhering to.

Best of all and of the most interest to this particular post, these little tubs of white powder (not that kind) are truly magical in their ability to set makeup. They absorb oil and shine like nothing else. When my skin was an oil slick these powders kept my skin in check, by the end of the day my usual slick would less shiny slimy mess and more soft healthy glow. I can not recommend the use of one of these powders enough. The best way to apply these is either with a blush brush (dip in the tub and dab off the excess, usually the pots are quite small so be careful here) or, as you would you have it, with a puff. If you are super oily using a little more pressure with a velour puff to really press this onto the skin will ensure you are getting precise product placement and adhesion to the skin. I can’t go past MAC Prep and Prime Transparent Finishing Powder to keep my skin looking flawless and shine free all day long. NARS Light Reflecting Loose Setting Powder is also incredibly effective. These little pots look tiny and may seem pricy, but a little goes a long way and the product should last as long as your normal powder and I truly believe the investment is well worth it for the extra time and product you waste trying to fix your face later in the day in their absence. These powders both come in pressed versions – I have to say I prefer the loose versions as I find they do make foundation last longer. They are a little messier than their pressed counterparts but by being careful you will get the benefits. Can’t handle the mess? Get the pressed and keep it in your bag for (although hopefully increasingly less necessary) touch ups late in the day. Bonus tip: Dust a tiny bit of this under your eyes (after foundation or under-eye concealer) to set – this will dry down the area and stop your mascara and eyeliner smudging all over the place.

So there you have it! A plan of attack to fight oily skin from someone who has been there, done that and come out the other end shine free and smiling. May the force of flawless skin be with you.

Have any specific questions? Any great advice of your own? Let us all know in the comments!