Cosmetics Review: How to Make Make-Up Last Longer On Oily Skin

This is not an advertorial

Hello, kittens! I just want to share some make-up steps that worked for me last week at the company dinner. FYI the event was from 4pm to 1am but I started prepping my face around 12pm. Quite pleased to say that with a few times of blotting and minimal touch-ups, my make-up lasted me the entire night. 

Allow me to give you a little intro to my skin before I start this Stuff I Swear By marathon post. Besides being oily, my face:

• Occasionally has acne when Bloody Mary is in town
• Has residual acne scars from hormonal uni days
• Has uneven tone
• Has some pigmentation spots from exposure to the sun 

Anyhoo, here are the tried and tested seven steps to make your make-up last longer on your oily skin:

1.  Exfoliate

Get an exfoliating facial a few days before your event, or make it a habit to use a facial scrub twice a week

Make-up looks better on a smooth face versus one with dead skin half-peeling all over (yes it happens to me whenever I skip my facial scrub)

I was lucky to get a free facial treatment (one of the perks of writing for a beauty brand!) a few days before the event. I swear I could see the effects immediately: brightened, smoother and bouncier skin.

2. Wash your face. Duh.

Long-lasting make-up needs a clean base. Use a gentle cleanser unless a reddish face is the look that you're going for. Harsh cleaners is a huge no-no because it can strip off the oil from your face, making your skin work overtime to produce more oil.

How do you know if a cleanser is too harsh on you? For me, my personal yardstick is this: if my skin feels too tight or dry after cleansing, then it's too harsh for me.

3. Tone

A toner  helps prep the skin to lock moisture and other products you may be using afterwards. Some may even help brighten and smoothen your skin.

I have been using L'oreal Paris Dermo-Expertise HydraFresh Anti-Shine Icy Toner for a few years now and I love how it makes my skin feel fresh. If the drugstore is out of it, I'll get L'oreal Paris Dermo-Expertise White Perfect Toner instead.

4. Employ some milk of magnesia magic

I've heard about using milk of magnesia to control your oiliness from years ago, but only got brave enough to try it after reading Sam's review here. I got my bottle of milk of magnesia, otherwise known as magnesium hydroxide, at a drugstore. You just need to dab it onto your face with a cotton pad. Re-apply on areas that are frequently oily, such as your T-zone.

Once the milk has dried up, you might see some powdery whitish patches on your face. Just rub them gently with a cotton pad to get them off.

5. Moisturise

Gently massage your moisturiser into your face, then leave it alone for 15 mins.

I use my fave non-oily and non-sticky moisturiser, which is the Follow Me Oil Control + Whitening Mattifying Moisturiser. You can check out my review here. 

6. Prime

I have my own DIY primer, thanks to Vivi who introduced me to V&N Pure Marine Collagen Powder. Just scoop a pinch onto your palm, then mix it with a few drops of water before patting it onto your face. Try to avoid your eyebrows and eyelashes when doing this.

If you spot any white powdery spots on your face once the primer has dried up, that means you are using wayyyy too much of the good stuff. Just wipe them off gentle with a cotton pad.

This primer really helps to control my skin from being oily and shiny, even when I use it on my bare face.

7. Base

I've been using two way foundation for almost ten years and I find it to be the most practical type of foundation: it's not as messy as a liquid foundation, it doesn't suffocate my oily skin like a cream foundation, and it helps to control shine. 

A few weeks ago, I discovered Revlon Photoready Two Way Powder Foundation and a test drive (without a primer) lasted me for about 3 hours before my skin became shiny. 

I like to wear my two way foundation wet, followed by a dry application. Just use a damp sponge to pat the foundation on your face. Once it has dried up, follow up with a dry sponge to pat the powder on.

By using both methods, it guarantees me a medium to full coverage. You can build up coverage with the wet sponge on areas that need more coverage.

The best bit about this is that I don't even have to use a concealer afterwards, which is a huge relief because I really have no idea how to use it!

Seven steps??? Are we done yet?

Not really, unless you want to head out with a colourless face!

After step #7, you can start putting on some war paint lol. If you're adventurous enough, feel free to use strong colours in one or two areas of your face (e.g. smoky eyes and a vibrant lippy shade).

Just don't go overboard and highlight every.single.area. of your face or you'll risk looking like a toddler who just discovered her mum's make-up stash. 

Have fun!

Geek Goddess

MIA

Today I realised with much horror that I have not written anything here for about a month now.

Eeeek.

It has been quite a busy period for yours truly. Here's a not-so-short recap of what's been going on for the past one month or so:

February 6 - 28:

La familia

• Flew across the pond back to Red Henna City after a long break with the fam in Camphor Island.
• Hosted my mum and my sis who came to visit for a few days. Mum insisted on dragging her across the pond, alarmed by how obsessed she had become with homework and exams.
• Locked myself out of my bedroom the night I was supposed to pick my fam from the airport. Perfect timing!
• Took the fam to iCity for the first time. Hello, sparking lights, overpriced snacks (a boiled frankfurter costs RM3, I swear I'm not even making this up!) and a pretty warm night!

Self

• I discovered the Suits TV series about two seasons too late. Lol.
• Finally got over my fear of destroying my new sewing machine and stitched a tablecloth as a test on Valentine's Day. Got hooked immediately and so I used it to stitch curtains for the living room. Kicked myself for having such an irrational fear of failure.
• Water disruption in my apartment, followed by power failure. Double mini tragedies. Urgh.
• Lost 2 kg, most likely due to stress.
  

Friends

• Obi-Wan, Cyn's dog, and our old office's mascot, had fallen sick.

March 1 - present day:

Self

• Gained 2kg.
• Thanks to my colleagues who kept asking about it, I finally realised that I did not have a dress for the company's annual dinner, less than a week before D-Day. Went panic shopping to 10 shops in one day. Came home with nothing that suited my body, my budget, and the dress code of the event.
• Sewed a dark emerald toga that costs me less than RM30 in materials. Check out the tutorial here.

• Lost at a speech contest, the same day MH370 went missing. Can't imagine what the family and friends of the passengers and crew must be going through now.
• Lost 2 kg. Hello again, stress.
• Went to Genting for the first time for the company dinner.
• Almost died and gone to heaven upon discovering a huge accessories shop called Rico Galleria in Genting Grand. 

• Decided to DIY my dinner make-up instead of shelling out RM160 for a make-up artist.
• Tried the milk of magnesia trick. Verdict: Fantabulous for keeping the shine at bay!
• Tried Revlon Photoready Two Way Powder Foundation for the first time. Hope to do a review on it.
• Came home from Genting and went straight into the cough-inducing embrace of the thick haze.

Friends

• Bugged friends (hello, Nurrul!) who had sewing experience for days before I decided to make my own dress.
• Discovered Burgatory with JH and DK. Cramped spaces but the juicy burgers made up for it. 
• Created a mannequin with JH as part of our ad-hoc guilt-tripping post-burger workout hahaha.
• Dearest Obi-Wan succumbed to liver failure. I think I used enough tissues to cause deforestation when I got home and the sad news finally sank in. Cyn wrote a poignant piece on him that made me cry even harder whenever I read it.

At the time of writing, MH370 is still missing. Let's pray and hope for the best for all those affected by this tragedy.

The Geek Goddess