Make shiny skin a thing of the past with these hero buys
Is that midday shine your beauty nemesis? Feel like you constantly battle with breakouts? If you haven’t got the best foundation for oily skin in your arsenal already, then listen up.
Dr Ross Perry, cosmetic doctor and managing director of Cosmedics Skin Clinics, has words of caution when it comes to pairing oily and or acne-prone skin with make-up. ‘Before thinking about make-up, review your skin regime. Getting the best cleanser and moisturiser for oily skin is key, so experiment to see what suits your skin,’ he says.
‘Don’t be tempted to ditch the moisturiser as your skin still needs hydration, but choose a formulation which suits oily skin,’ he continues. ‘Exfoliate regularly to remove excess sebum as well as dead skin cells.
‘Sleep, drink water, and eat your fruit and veg – do everything you can to improve your skin from within, making you less reliant on foundation.’
Next, evaluate what exactly you want from your foundation. A full-coverage formula will mask hyperpigmentation from previous breakouts, while something designed to mattify will keep your skin shine-free all day.
Oilier skin types often get along well with powder-based foundations, like bareMinerals’ offering, while a liquid will glide on seamlessly and can strategically lock in oil.
Without further ado, join as we run through the best foundation for oily skin below.
Best drugstore foundation for oily skin
L’Oreal Paris Infallible Matte Foundation, £8.99, Feelunique
Super duper mattifying, this one, and all for the bargain price of £8.99. Apply all over and buff from the centre of the face outwards for smooth coverage that’ll last all day, with no oily patches appearing around 3pm.
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Best foundation for oily skin with full coverage
Giorgio Armani Power Fabric, £42, John Lewis
The sister to the iconic Armani Luminous Silk, this foundation lasts for hours and hours, offers great SPF protection, conceals pretty much every blemish and dark circle and locks down any excess sebum production. It’s a real all-rounder and an absolute must for oily skin.
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Best foundation for oily skin with large pores
Surratt Beauty Surreal Skin Foundation Wand, £62, Net-A-Porter
This handy all-in-one foundation brushes on seamlessly, helping to minimise the look of pores and fine lines – and it’s perfect for just chucking in your bag for touch-ups if and when you need them.
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Best foundation for oily skin with acne
Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Liquid Makeup Cream, £28.50, Fabled
This lightweight, oil-free formula conceals blemishes whilst actively tackling them and preventing them from returning. Plus, its cooling sensation and skin-soothing ingredients help to calm any angry breakouts and inflammation.
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Best long lasting foundation for oily skin
NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation, £35, Fabled
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If you like your coverage to feel weightless, then opt for NARS’ water-like formula. It’s oil free and doesn’t bring on shine throughout the day, a little goes a long way, and gives such a gorgeous, skin-like finish that lasts for hours upon hours.
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Best powder foundation for oily skin
bareMinerals Original SPF15 Foundation, £28, Fabled
Nothing really beats the best powder foundations when it comes to oil control, and bareMinerals’ is a timeless favourite for a reason – the mineral formula is completely non-comedogenic, so there’s no risk of pores becoming blocked, and still only contains five ingredients. It’s an icon for a reason.
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Your oily-skin foundation woes are officially fixed. Shininess, be gone.
Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation, £34, Fabled
Double Wear is pretty full coverage, making it perfect for anyone who wants a completely flawless base – but it can be easily lightened up when mixed with a dot of moisturiser. What’s more, it mattifies skin and lasts all day and into the night, without smudging or needing any touch-ups at all.
Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation, £27, Harvey Nichols
A little goes a long way with Rihanna’s award-winning formula, giving a flawless, soft-matte coverage which you can tailor to your own coverage preferences. It glides onto the skin, and gives an airbrushed finish that’s perfectly in between matte and glowy - it just looks like skin. Believe us, the hype is real.
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation, £34, Cult Beauty
This foundation is indeed magic, and works for pretty much every skin type. We especially love it for oiliness - its semi-matte finish is down to oil-regulating technology - plus hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and SPF15 mean it gets to work on your skin throughout the day.
NYX Professional Makeup Stay Matte But Not Flat Liquid Foundation, £7, Cult Beauty
Who said you had to break the bank for a perfectly matte complexion? Not NYX. This oil-free formulation banishes shine, but nourishes the skin at the same time. Build up for full coverage.
Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation, £51, John Lewis
Now, this one was completely designed for oily skin. Oil-free, non-comodogenic, and it transforms from a liquid to a powder upon contact with the skin. It absorbs oil during the day, and actually reduces the appearance of blemishes, pores and scaring.
IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Oil-Free Matte SPF40, £31, Cult Beauty
OK not technically a foundation, but this isn't far off. It gives just the right amount of coverage and has the added benefit of covering up any redness caused by raging blemishes.
