I have terrible skin, and I cannot find a foundation that gives me a flawless finish. Help, please? (Long description of my skin/routine.)

Nov 2, 2013

David F.

To start off, I'll describe my skin. I have very fair skin with pink undertones. Although my skin is fair, my face is almost completely red, and, to me, looks a bit "dirty looking," even when it is clean. I have undereye circles and blemishes that pop up occasionally on my chin. I'm afraid even when my face does clear up of blemishes, I have rolling acne scars along my cheeks from bad acne I had as a young teen. My face is oily around the t-zone, and shines, but the skin on my cheeks, and even around my chin (due to the blemishes), nose, and parts of my forehead, is dry.

I have tried a variety of drugstore concealers (I live in a small town, and only have Wal-Mart to go to, and never decided to try high-end foundations yet due to a small makeup allowance), but none of them work. I have a variety of problems with each of them: the lightest color is too dark for me, or makes me look orange; the makeup around my t-zone will start to look like it's "running" or falling off; the makeup around my dry areas will look patchy, or flake-y. Whether I put a small or large amount of foundation or finishing powder on, my makeup will usually look cake-y. Also, no matter what foundation I use, I will always have some redness showing through. I can't even get an even tone with foundation it seems like. :(

Recently, I've tried the Covergirl makeup in the triangle-shaped bottles, L'Oreal True Match Liquid Foundation, Revlon Colorstay Liquid Foundation, the Dream Mousse foundation, both the matte and the foam versions, Hard Candy's Glamoflauge Concealer, and am currently using Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation.

My skin routine is this: Wash my face, use a Neutrogena cream cleanser for anti-redness, then use an Aveeno deotxifying scrub, then later on I wash daily with a Clearasil daily gel cleanser. Before I put my makeup on, I use a Neutrogena moisturizer for sensitive skin. I've used Hard Candy's Sheer Envy primer and L'Oreal's Magic Perfecting primer, and neither made a difference for me, whether I put my makeup on right after, or waited 5-10-15 minutes. I want to also add that I use my fingers to apply all of these things to my face.

Sorry for the long description. Any advice or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I will try a high-end foundation if you think it will work, or any other products. Thank you so much so much. :)

UPDATE: Thanks so much for everyone's help!

I found a cheap, comparable alternative to Bare Minerals, as mentioned by someone else. It is L'Oreal's True Match Naturale mineral foundation. It works like wonders on my skin! :D I never expected a powder to work like it does--I always expected little to no coverage or flakiness, but it feels and looks completely natural! It also covers up the redness like nothing has before! The best part is that it's buildable! I've never had that before! (As soon as I add the first layer I start to cake up, ha ha. :) Even my boyfriend had complimented on how my makeup looked, which he never does (and this was after I had told him I was even wearing any).

As for my face wash routine, I've stopped scrubbing my face and now use a gentle foaming cleanser at night, and wash my face with cold water in the morning. I am going to switch to a CeraVe or Cetaphil foaming cleanser when I have the chance, and pick up some Say Yes To The Cucumbers wipes to remove my makeup as others have recommended. I switched lotions and now use Aveeno's moisturizing lotion (the one for eczema with the light blue lid) under my makeup, and it's actually helped to smooth out the rough, flaky patches I had on my face. I am going to look for a toner sometime soon I think I will try witch hazel. ^-^

Now all I need is a concealer that I like for my undereyes and some blotting linens to help me control some shininess throughout the day. Thanks again so much for everyone's help! Especially Angel L. and Lexi K--your advice was the most helpful! Have a good day, all! :)

Nov 2, 2013

Angel L.

Please... I promise you, I have been there, please check this out... 1: cetaphil. ( Walmart brand is ok). 2:salicylic %2 toner. 3: ( very important) clinique yellow lotion) 4: bare minerals foundation. Don't scrub!! makes it worse!! Try it.. just a month... Bare minerals saved my skin.

Nov 2, 2013

Bare minerals is more on the pricey side but I agree with her. I always thought I'd never use a mineral foundation but bare minerals really covers your skin and makes it look flawless.

Nov 2, 2013

Alessia c.

I would use a scrub only 2 to 3 times a week. even if claims to be a gentle scrub it can still be too harsh for most. Overcleansing can strip your skin of its natural oils and your skin will produce more oils/sebum to compensate. if you want to exfoliate daily and like the feeling of a scrub you could try a facial scrub (if youre on a budget I recommend the olay prox brush).

I would also pay attention to the ingredients in both skincare and makeup products. research the ingredients. if you have acne prone skin, avoid anything with added fragrance. that can be irritating.


for a foundation you could try a sample of estee lauder's double wear foundation. it's medium to full coverage and they have a huge range of shades broken down into 3 categories according to your undertone (warm, neutral, and cool). it's my favorite foundation it lasts all day for me without having to retouch (if I set it with translucent powder because I also have combo to oily skin). you should get matched it's easier to test foundation out rather than buying a drug store foundation and having to guess your best shade.

Nov 2, 2013

You should get those oil absorbing sheets. You just pat it on your face and it removes any oil without taking off makeup so you can do that throughout the day. E.l.f makes some good ones and they sell them at Walmart really cheap like $5 or less

Nov 2, 2013

Lexi K.

Try this

At night, cleanse your face with a gentle foaming cleanser (CeraVe or Neutrogena)

For exfoliation, stop scrubbing your face! Physical exfoliation should only be done 1 to 2x a week. Instead use a chemical exfoliant like Lactic Acid, it's gentle and has humectant benifits. (St. Ives Scrub Free Exfoliating Pads, Silk Naturals AHA Toner. It works at a lower Ph so Make sure to wait until it completely dries before moisturizing your face. You can do this 3 times a week. And for the redness you can use an oatmeal mask

Apply Moisurizer, Try the Clinique dramatically different moisturizing gel. Or CeraVe Cream in the tub. After this you can apply a spot treatment to any acne you have, or before the Moisurizer. Your choice. A sulfur cream will work

In the morning, splash your face with water. It's not necessary to cleanse your face 2x a day. Then make sure to moisurize.

After that, apply sunscreen. A photostable, SPF 30, Broad Spectrum sunscreen. This is up to you. I'm still doing research on what brands are most effective/stable/visually appealing. So use what works. But never ever skip on sunscreen

Nov 2, 2013

Lia L.

I agree with Lexi K. Stop using scrub that often its bad for you. You should do it once every 15 days. I use to have combination skin like you and acne cleansing like salicylic just keep making it worst your skin will produce more oil to compensate actualy the oily front and blemishes is because of the response of the skin to replace natural oils. Use a gentle cleanser and a good natural moisturizing with SPF. And like Lexi says an oatmeal mask helps a lot for redness, also you can mix some water in some oatmeal and the water will become sticky , put the sticky not the oats in your skin for the night. I don't use foudation because it looks cakey in the front and flakey at the sides just like you. Well what I use is a BB cream like garnier combination/oily skin. sime times I mix a drop of concealer with two drops of moisturizer and use it as foundation. And always carry on some oil absorbing sheets. And use loose powder instead of pressed powder. For the scars use a green clay mask that also balance the combo skin and pump dry blemishes. Hope it helps.

Nov 2, 2013

Bethan L.

Bare minerals!! It not only covers but also saves your skin, since using it my skin has got so much clearer!! Get the READY collection as it has more coverage! Xx

Nov 2, 2013

Bethan L.

And as for skin care routine, I live in England and don't know if this sells where you are but I have very similar skin and have been using the simple range which has not only cleared it but not upset it! Xx

Nov 2, 2013

Karen L.

Is the bare minerals good for reeeeally oily skin? I have I feel it'll make skin 10x Oilier :/

Nov 2, 2013

Jenny F.

I'm super fair, like really. Finding foundation is such a challenge. My skin is also pretty sensitive. Something I've noticed about my skin is that a lot of primers tend to break me out, so I kind of just gave up on those. Rather than using primer to keep my makeup in place, I just use a setting spray.
But an important thing to get rid of your acne is to figure out what works for you. Check the labels on the back of your face wash and look at the active ingredient. Most are salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide. A higher percentage will work a lot stronger, but they'll also dry out your skin. So moisturizer is super important. Test around, see what works for you. I would suggest washing twice a day, morning and night. And in the morning wash with cold water. It helps, trust me. As for using scrubs, try using one every other day. St. Ives Apricot Scrub is literally so amazing. It helped my skin a bunch, it'd recommend trying it. Then after using a face wash and maybe a scrub, use a toner followed up by moisturizer. Make sure the toner is alcohol free or it'll dry your skin. For moisturizer, I seriously recommend Garnier Moisture Rescue. It's literally the best thing ever.
For makeup, I don't think you need to go high end. Lots of drugstore products work just as well or even better. Keep trying! Covergirl stuff has never worked for me, so I'd suggest just skipping that. I don't know if you can find this at your Walmart, but you could look online otherwise, the foundation I use is NYX's Stay Matte But Not Flat. The lightest shade is perfect for me, and it gives a beautiful finish. To cover redness, use a green concealer followed by a regular one to cover the green. If you didn't know, green neutralizes red. Once you've got your concealer and foundation done, set it all with a powder. Maybelline and Revlon have good pressed powders. Never sweep the powder onto your face, always press it. If you sweep it across your face, it could move your foundation rather than just keeping it in place. Then finally, use a setting spray! I use one by NYX, but I know ELF has a cheap one that does the job. Then just continue your makeup routine as usual, and if you get oily throughout the day, just use a blotting sheet to get rid of that excess oil.

Pro tip: Never sleep with makeup on. Ever. It builds up into your pores and clogs them all up, making you break out like mad. They say every night you sleep with makeup on, your face ages a day. Scary thought! So make sure to always remove it at night. And even better, remove it as soon as your home if you don't have plans!

Nov 2, 2013

Lisa S.

Alright I had the same problem but now I get tons of compliments on my skin and makeup now. First, I received a clarisonic as a gift and it has by far, been the best thing for my skin, if it ever dies on me, I will get a new asap! I use the acne cleanser from avon, and cetaphil. I wash my face twice a day and NEVER EVER EVER EVER wear makeup to bed, trust me it is horrrrrrrrible for your skin! After washing in morning and night I then immediately moisturize my skin with spectrum extra virgin coconut oil (yes, the stuff you cook with) and mix with clean and clear dual action moisturizer. I then prime my skin with rimmel londons primer (there is two but they both do the same thing) wait about thirty sec. to a min. and then I apply hard candys glamoflauge with a foundation or complexion brush (eco tools is fine, but elf cosmetics studio [black brushes not the white] is by far my most fav brushes and they are only like $3!) apply where needed. I then top with a mineral powder from merle norman (you have to buy in the store, so see if there is one nearby or look on ebay maybe) but it covers everything. I get sooooooo many compliments on it and I apply the powder with a kabuki brush from elf or eco tools. L'Oreal has a similar loose powder so you might try that, but make sure you blend really good so it won't settle into fine lines. But its the one that doesn't come with a brush and has a silver lid, I think its called hydra something but I hatteeee the powder with the brush, so try that. But the merle norman cost about $25 and last 3-4 months.

Now for exfoliating I only use baking soda and believe me, I have tried every high end and drugstore cosmetics out there and baking soda is my fav; only exfoliate once or twice a week. And about three times a month, I use queen helenes mint julep masque/mask, and it really helps blemishes and to brighten my skin just make sure to moisturize after.

Also, if the skin starts looking dull, use a highlighter, I reccomend hard candy doll face, to apply to cheekbones, and look on youtube to watch how to apply it.
And I also use the Flower blush duo to help brighten my cheeks:)
Hope I helped!

Nov 2, 2013

Lexi K.

^ Please don't use baking soda on your face. Its way too alkaline. It's not good long term. If you want a DIY exfoliator, use brown rice flour or jojoba beads.

Nov 3, 2013

Godiva J.

Stop clearasil RIGHT NOW!

Nov 3, 2013

Emily S.

Youngblood mineral foundation

Nov 3, 2013

Emily S.

Liquid

Nov 3, 2013

Jasmin L.

Neutrogenia foundation great for acne prone skin

Nov 3, 2013

Lisa S.

Liquid foundation just mask the problem, mineral helps it breathe. At first I thought mineral was terrible and wouldn't help cover but in the long run it works so much better.