Oily skin girls, stand up! Let’s be real, you don’t want to be talking to a friend or colleague and notice they're distracted by the shine from your face looking like your makeup is dripping off. Or you decide to skip foundation altogether because you’re frustrated with not finding foundations that work well with your oily skin.
As an oily-skin girl myself, I’ve tested so many foundations on the market, so you don’t have to! Before we get into the foundations themselves, let’s talk a little about oily skin and some good practices. Having oily skin can be challenging, as it tends to produce excess sebum, which can lead to shine, enlarged pores, and acne breakouts. However, with the right foundation and makeup application techniques, you can achieve a flawless and long-lasting look.
How to Apply Foundation on Oily Skin: Good Practices
Start with a Clean Canvas: Properly cleanse your skin before applying makeup. This will create a clean canvas for your foundation to adhere to and help prevent clogged pores.
Set with Powder: After applying your foundation, set it with a light dusting of translucent powder. This will help absorb excess oil and keep your foundation in place for longer.
Remove Makeup Thoroughly: At the end of the day, make sure to remove your makeup thoroughly using a gentle cleanser or makeup remover formulated for oily skin. This will help prevent clogged pores and breakouts.
Practice Good Skincare: Consistent skincare routine is crucial for managing oily skin. Use oil-free and non-comedogenic skincare products, including cleansers, toners, and moisturizers, that are specifically formulated for oily skin to help regulate oil production and keep your skin balanced.
AND DRINK YOUR WATER!
5 Starter Foundations For Oily Skin
Jumping into my five top recommended foundations for oily skin. Between having oily skin myself and working on clients with oily skin, here’s what I’ve seen to work from the ones I’ve tried.
Teint Idole Ultra 24H Long Wear Matte Foundation
This foundation has a natural matte finish which is perfect for oily skin. I love it because it’s lightweight and not cakey. This is my current favorite that I’ve been wearing faithfully for EVERY occasion. From an everyday makeup look to a night out on the town.
Soft Matte Complete Foundation
NARS
I recently used this foundation on a bride, and the application plus the finish eliminated the stress of being oily and having to touch up throughout the day! Imagine dancing the night away and realizing your foundation didn’t move. Since foundation is the base of a makeup look - it is crucial you’re using a good one.
Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation
Fenty Beauty
The name says it all! This soft matte long-wear foundation saves the girlies. I mean, who doesn’t love everything Fenty Beauty anyway? The key to this foundation is making sure you grab the right shade and that it matches your undertone.
ColorStay™ Longwear Makeup For Combination/Oily Skin
Revlon
If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly foundation option, then this is your match! From the application to the amount that comes in the bottle, you can’t go wrong. One thing I love about this line is that it calls out if the product is for "combination/oily skin" or "normal/dry skin." When shopping for this foundation, grabbing a shade from the “combination/oily” skin selection is the direction you want to go.
Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 Foundation
MAC
Lastly, MAC has been around for a long time, and there are people who stick with MAC once they’ve found something that works. This was the same for me! When I first started building my makeup kit, I ran straight to purchase this foundation. Not only did I work at a MAC store for some time and learned about this foundation, but other artists raved about it as well. They have a large range of shades to choose from, and having a foundation with SPF is a plus! The finish is like satin and perfect for us oily skin girlies!
I could go on and on. The trend with all of these foundations is that they have a matte finish and are typically lightweight. The key is to avoid heavy or creamy foundations, as they can make your skin look greasy. Ultimately, everyone's skin is unique, so it may take some trial and error to find the perfect foundation and makeup routine for your oily skin, but these foundation options are a great place to start. Don't be afraid to experiment with different products and techniques to find what works best for you!
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While an evolution is a natural progression that happens as businesses grow, a rebrand is a total change. Lola tells xoNecole, "A total rebrand is necessary when a business’s current reputation/what it’s known for is at odds with the business’s vision or direction.
"For example, if you’ve fundamentally changed what your product is and does, it’s likely that your brand is out of alignment with the business. Or, if you find your company is developing a reputation that doesn’t serve it, it might be time to pump the brakes and figure out what needs to change.
She continues, "Sometimes you’ll see companies (especially startups) announce a name change that comes with updated messaging, visuals, etc. That usually means their vision has changed or expanded, and their previous branding was too narrow/couldn’t encompass everything they planned to do."
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The Brand Doula was born in 2019, and its focus is on putting "the experiences, goals, and needs of women of color founders first," as well as brands with "culture-shifting missions."
According to Lola, culture-shifting is "the act of influencing dominant behavior, beliefs, or experiences in a community or group (ideally, for the better)."
"At The Brand Doula, we work with companies and leaders that set out to challenge the status quo in their industries and communities. They’re here to make an impact that sends ripples across the market," she says.
"We help the problem solvers of the world — the ones who aren't satisfied with 'this is how it's always been' and instead ask 'how could this be better?' Our clients build for impact, reimagining tools, systems, and ways of living to move cultures forward."
The Brand Doula has worked with many brands, including Too Collective, to assist with their collaboration with Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty and Balanced Black Girl for a "refresh," aka rebrand. For businesses looking to rebrand, Lola shares four essential steps.
1. Do an audit of your current brand experience — what’s still relevant and what needs to change? Reflect on why you’re doing the rebrand in the first place and what success would look like after relaunching.
2. Tackle the overall strategy first — before you start redesigning logos and websites, align on a new vision for your brand. How do you want your company to be positioned moving forward? Has your audience changed at all? Will your company have a fresh personality and voice?
3. Bring your audience along the journey — there’s no need to move in secret. Inviting your current audience into the journey can actually help them feel more connected to and invested in your story, enough to stick around as changes are being made.
4. Keep business moving — one of my biggest pet peeves is when companies take down their websites as soon as they have the idea to rebrand, then have a Coming Soon page up for months! You lose a lot of momentum and interest by doing that. If you’re still in business and generating income, continue to operate while you work on your rebrand behind the scenes. You don’t want to cut existing customers off out of the blue, and you also don’t want so much downtime that folks forget your business exists or start looking for other solutions.
While determining whether the rebrand was successful may take a few months, Lola says a clear sign that it is unsuccessful is negative feedback from your target audience. "Customers are typically more vocal about what they don’t like more than what they do like," she says.
But some good signs to look out for are improvements in engagement with your marketing, positive reviews, press and increase in retention, and overall feeling aligned with the new branding.
For more information about Lola and The Brand Doula, visit her website, thebranddoula.com.
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