Mineral Makeup Primers for Oily Skin

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Mineral makeup is all the rage, but not all formulas will leave your skin looking flawless. If the makeup is a little too powdery, your pores will look as big as the craters on the moon. Along with looking like you’re sporting fine lines or straight-up wrinkles, going “commando” under your mineral foundation will leave your T-zone vulnerable to sudden shininess. One solution to all the troubles of a subpar base is a makeup primer. It settles down into all those nooks and crannies, giving you a crevice-free canvas to build your masterpiece upon.

Creme

Pro makeup artist Claudia Betancur says "Motives INVIS-LINE primer is like Botox in a bottle.” This creme primer is made with mineral pigments that reflect light away from your fine lines and wrinkles to give you a natural look with a flawless finish. This primer works well for people who have oily or sensitive skin because it helps absorb oil and contains antioxidants to protect your skin from premature aging. Betancur recommends topping of the primer with Motives Liquid Powder Mineral Foundation, which contains SPF 15.

Liquid

In her experience working for “GQ,” celebrity makeup artist Susan Heydt used Smashbox Photo Finish primer, a clear liquid, to fill in fine lines and make pores seem invisible. After you wash your skin thoroughly, apply the primer and then follow up with your moisturizer and foundation. Even if you don’t use foundation, Photo Finish works well to even out your skin texture. The product is a customer favorite too; in 2008 it picked up a Best of Sephora prize. The primer comes in eight colors, including transparent, illuminating and color-correcting varieties.

Liquid to Powder

West Hartford, Connecticut, makeup artist Nicole Moleti says Laura Mercier’s oil-free mineral primer is different from other primers. It’s a liquid that dries to a powder that grabs mineral makeup placed on top of it, helping the makeup stay in place all day. Moleti also praises the primer's versatility: “I use this primer on all of my brides, whether they are using a mineral powder over it or not. If you have oily skin and suffer from acne, you'll appreciate the noncomedogenic formulation, which won’t clog your pores.

Spray

New York makeup artist and skin care expert Josephine Fusco recommends Skin Mattifying Primer for Oily Skin by Colorescience. The cocoa-based primer offers a skin-perfecting trifecta: it hydrates and soothes your skin as it balances out oil. The formula is made with two patented ingredients, anti-inflammatory oat beta glucan and wrinkle-reducing rice peptides, that strengthen the collagen in your skin.