It is not surprising that many of us have oily or combination skin types, given our hot and humid tropical weather. I naively thought that my oily skin woes would stop after puberty, together with my clogged pores and acne breakouts but alas - my overly active sebaceous glands continued to bug me well into my mid-20s.
That tell-tale shine on my T-zone and cheeks isn’t a particularly good look and all that excess sebum ended up clogging my pores, resulting in blackheads, whiteheads and rough-textured skin.
Upon the advice of the beauty editors that I had worked with, I started incorporating this trinity of skincare products into my routine: chemical exfoliator, Vitamin C and retinol. I noticed a drastic difference after making this switch and now that I’m in my late-20s, I’m happy to report that I’ve reached a happy medium with my skin. Yes, I still have some shine, but on most days it looks healthy and dewy - not oily.
Read on for more, but do remember that this was what worked FOR ME and you may see different results! I’d recommend consulting a dermatologist if you’re troubled by your skin condition.
Cleansers
Photo from Biore
Biore Micellar Cleansing Water Oil Control
I started double-cleansing to make sure that I really get all that makeup, dirt and impurities off. While some swear by oil cleansers for this step, I stuck to micellar water. This one from Biore has an oil-control and anti-bacterial formula, which helps to really wipe off all that excess sebum and prevent further breakouts.
Price: $18.90
Get it at Watson’s.
Photo from Sunday Riley
Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Cleanser
As someone with oily skin, I leaned towards products made with ingredients like acids for pore-purging and exfoliation, niacinamide to help reduce congestion and clay for sebum absorption and control. The Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Cleanser is formulated with French clay and Moroccan rhassoul clay, which helps to deep clean my pores without stripping my skin of its natural oils.
Price: $65
Get it at Sephora.
Photo from Foreo
Foreo Luna
The award-winning Foreo Luna deep cleans my pores using T-Sonic™ pulsations (it’s clinically proven to remove up to 99.5% of dirt, oil, makeup residue and impurities!) and the bristles are particularly effective at getting rid of my “strawberry nose”. It’s pricey, but I’ve been using mine for a couple of years already so I consider it a worthy investment.
Price: $299
Get it at Foreo.
Exfoliators
Photo from First Aid Beauty
First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads
You don’t want to be crazy harsh on your oily skin, because that’ll cause your sebaceous glands to go into overdrive, making your skin even greasier. I like the Beauty Facial Radiance Pads from First Aid Beauty, which exfoliates with lactic and glycolic acids but remain gentle enough for daily use.
Price: $54 for 60 pads
Get it at lookfantastic.
Photo from Sunday Riley
Sunday Riley Good Genes All-in-One Lactic Acid Treatment
This treatment stings a little bit upon application and has a scent that takes some getting used to, but the payoff was so worth it for me. My skin was so congested to the point that numerous closed comedones started sprouting up all over my face. No amount of squeezing helped, but after using this lactic acid treatment every other night for two weeks, those pesky little spots started to disappear.
Price: $130 for 30ml
Get it at Sephora.
Serums
Photo from Sunday Riley
Sunday Riley C.E.O Rapid Flash Brightening Serum
Inevitably, I had to deal with pigmentation caused by the breakouts. This vitamin C serum from Sunday Riley not only helped to brighten my complexion, thus evening out my skin tone, but also reduced the appearance of enlarged pores with saccharide isomerate extract. There’s also contains glycolic acid for some gentle skin refining. I use this in my AM skincare routine as vitamin C serums are best paired with sunscreen for added protection.
Price: $128 for 30ml
Get it at Sephora.
Photo from Dior
Dior Capture Youth Age-Delay Matte Maximizer Mattifying Serum
When your skin is oily, the last thing you’d feel like doing is to weigh it down with layers of skincare. Which is why I’m a huge fan of the Dior Capture Youth Age-Delay Matte Maximizer Mattifying serum - it’s lightweight, fast-absorbing and non-sticky, making it easy to incorporate into my multi-step skincare routine. It helps with sebum control with these three key ingredients: lactic acid, pink clay and zinc gluconate. Plus, I really love the pretty shade of pink of this serum!
Price: $152 for 30ml
Get it at Dior Beauty boutiques, counters, and Sephora.
Retinol
Photo from Drunk Elephant
Drunk Elephant A-Passioni™ Retinol Cream
Retinol is touted for its anti-ageing properties, but for me and the oil spill that was on my face, it was somewhat of a reboot button. I started off using a pea-sized drop of this retinol cream twice a week and that was enough to get my skin purging. After continued usage for two months, my skin was noticeably less oily.
Price: $40 for 10ml
Get it at Sephora.
Sunscreen
Photo from Biore
Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA++++
There’s a reason why the Biore UV Water Essence is a holy grail sunscreen for so many beauty aficionados. It’s highly-effective, affordable and has a non-sticky texture. I also find that it doesn’t make my skin as shiny as some other sunscreens tend to do.
Price: $18.90
Get it at Watson’s.
Moisturiser
Photo from Clinique
Clinique Moisture Surge 100H Auto-Replenishing Hydrator Moisturiser
I was tempted to skip moisturiser, but was advised against it because if my skin gets dehydrated, it might start over producing oil to compensate, starting the vicious cycle all over again. Instead, I stuck to lightweight moisturisers - like the Clinique Moisture Surge, an oil-free gel cream moisturiser that feels like nothing on my skin but keeps it happily hydrated even in air-conditioned environments. A little dab on your cheeks, forehead and chin goes a long way!
Price: $49 for 30ml
Get it at Sephora.
Masks
Photo from For Beloved Girl
For Beloved Girl Oil Control Mineral Cloud Silk Mask
I love the convenience of sheet masks, and the Oil Control Mineral Cloud Silk Mask leaves my skin feeling nourished while reducing shine. The key ingredients in this mask are zinc gluconate, which has sebum-regulating properties, and tea tree oil, which helps to restore the skin’s balance and keep acne at bay.
Price: $19 for 3pcs
Get it at Sephora.
Photo from Kiehl's
Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque
I can’t write about how I dealt with my oily skin without mentioning this amazing clay mask from Kiehl’s. It’s made with Amazonian White Clay, which is so effective at drawing out the clogs in my pores, and isn’t too stripping, thanks to soothing ingredients like oatmeal and aloe vera. My pores became less visible with regular usage (twice a week!) and even after my skin started improving, I still sometimes apply this on my T-zone if I feel like the oil production in that area is getting out of control.
Price: $54
Get it at Kiehl’s.
Makeup
Photo from Fenty Beauty
Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Setting Powder
While Rihanna’s trick to being photo-ready all the time is the Invisimatte Blotting Powder, I’m just a regular girl who is trying not to sweat my makeup off whenever I head to the hawker centre for lunch. That’s why I much prefer the Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Setting Powder instead - it keeps my foundation, concealer and contour from slipping and sliding, while making sure that my face stays matte.
Price: $46
Get it at Sephora.
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Text by: GirlStyle SG
