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Today’s post is actually the first guest post I’ve ever had on my blog and is by Kirstie from Behind the Scent. The post is all about her skincare problem solvers for oily skin. If you head over to her blog you can read my post which is all about my skincare saviours for dry skin.
Most of my life, my skin has been oily. If you’ve ever had oily skin, you’ll know how frustrating it can be. So many times I’d think my makeup was on point only to discover an hour later that I looked a sweaty mess. Just when I thought I had it down, something changed. There was a point over winter when I realised my skin just wasn’t getting as oily as it was after coming back from a whole day of wearing makeup, result! The downside? I found that my existing foundations just weren’t sitting well on my skin, clinging to dry patches on my forehead and cheeks.
The thing with combination skin is that it essentially combines every skin problem and throws it on to one face. I’m talking about 4 of my biggest combo skin bugbears: dryness, dehydration, spots and oiliness, but there are so many others I could have chosen: dullness, large pores, blackheads, the list goes on…
The Problem: Dryness
My skin was genuinely in need of nourishment for the first time in its life. The Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask (£23 full size) has been such a lifesaver over the winter, and it is still one of my most reached for products. It has such a soothing formula that is laden with oils like avocado and apricot kernel to deeply nourish the skin. It makes my skin look so healthy, and plumps it immediately. It is also great for restoring the skin after you have been unwell. It says use it twice a week but I sometimes use it daily in place of a night cream.
The Problem: Dehydration
When my skin is dehydrated, it can look really dull and lacklustre. Something I whip out to liven up my complexion is the Vichy Aqualia Thermal Dynamic Hydration Serum (£22.50). One pump in the morning, and two pumps at night before my moisturiser really plump up the skin and makes it look like I’ve been guzzling my 2L a day (which helps your skin even more!). The formula of this serum is based on thermal spa water and hyaluronic acid to deeply hydrate the skin in a very gentle way without being oil heavy. Using this serum in conjunction with the Origins mask means you are getting a double whammy of hydration without overloading the skin as they work in very different ways.
The Problem: Spots
One problem that can very easily occur when you do overload the skin is breakouts. I never had that much of a problem with spots when growing up, but this first half of 2016, my skin has never looked so bad. One of the products that I turn to when my skin is a mess is the La Roche-Posay Effeclar Purifying Cleanser (£11 full size). This is a really gentle foaming cleanser that is suitable for oily, blemish prone skin. I don’t usually like foaming cleansers, but this one almost turns into a milk when combined with water so doesn’t dry the skin out at all, and is great when I don’t want to use a rich, heavily scented cream or balm cleanser.
When I have a really angry spot, one of the best things to do is to dry it out. I’ve used a ton of tea tree based spot sticks, but by far the most effective thing is the Alpha H Liquid Gold (£33.50 full size). This is a glycolic acid solution with a high alcohol content, which I think is key. I’ve even used anti-bac hand gel in the past, which works a treat in an emergency. I dot the Alpha H Liquid Gold on my spots with a cotton bud before bed and by morning the spot is dry and can start its healing process.
The Problem: Oiliness
Even when my skin was oily, I didn’t use any skincare products to specifically mattify my skin because they usually strip the skin of its natural oils and exacerbate the problem. The only time I really consider oiliness is if I’m going to be wearing makeup. I’ll always make sure I choose a lightweight moisturiser, like the Liz Earle Skin Repair Light (£20.25 full size) which gives enough hydration without feeling greasy on the skin. Having oily areas means I have to be careful to choose the right base products. I always use a primer on my oily T-Zone. The Body Shop Instablur (£14) is amazing at taking away the shine, and I also stick to a matte foundation like the L’Oreal Infallible Matte (£7.99).
I hope these product recommendations have been helpful whether you have combination skin or suffer from any of these skin issues. Massive thank you to Fiona for letting me loose on your blog and don’t forget to check out her post on my blog which is her Skincare Saviours for Dry Skin!
Do you have any skincare saviours that we should both know about?
As always leave a comment below or you’ll find me on Twitter.
