We spend a lot of time and money trying to put our best face forward. Since you can’t see a great personality from across the room our face is the world’s first impression of us. Unfortunately, some of the makeup products that we use to improve our appearance are actually doing more harm than good. By that, I mean leaving us with unwanted acne.
Traditionally, acne clients tend to have oily skin. Oily skin tends to look shiny about 2 hours after makeup application. People will apply powder to correct this, which can cause blackheads and acne. A better option would be to use a primer geared for oily skin. Jane Iredale Mineral Cosmetics has a cream to powder primer, Absence, that absorbs and controls excess sebum (oil), minimizes shine, extends the wear of the foundation as well as reduces inflammation and redness associated with acne.
Foundation , which can be a double- edged sword, is a little tricky. Foundation has the ability to even out the skin tone as well as diminish the look of blemishes . On the other hand it can also be the source of some of those unwanted little demons. When shopping for a foundation for acne prone skin read the labels. Some key words that you should be looking for would be: non-comedogenic, oil free, glycerin and hyaluronic acid. Stay away from products with ingredients such as cocoa butter, mineral oil or cold cream. I prefer mineral cosmetics for acne prone skin because bacteria can’t grow in a container of dry minerals as opposed to a liquid foundation. Remember not all mineral makeups are created equally. Just the smallest amount of a mineral in a makeup will allow the manufacturer to label the product as a “mineral makeup” . Look for a mineral line that’s 100% mineral powder. Jane Iredale Mineral Cosmetics produces a few mineral foundations that fit the bill. I like the PurePressed Base for oily skin because it gives a slightly matte look. It is oil free, non-comedogenic and it protects the skin. It even has and SPF of 20. The titanium dioxide and zinc oxide provide bacterial protection as well as calm any inflammation on the skin. If you feel that you need a little more coverage that a powder alone can provide a great choice would be the Zap & Hide Concealer. It’s a double ended blemish treatment stick. On one end you have the blemish balm that has ingredients such as tea tree oil and buckwheat seed extract that reduces swelling and provides antiseptic properties. On the other end is a pigmented camouflage for concealing the blemish.
After writing all of this , let me stress that makeup should always go on clean, hydrated or moisturized skin. There is no substitution for healthy skin !
Enjoy
Nikki
