Oily skin breaks down makeup faster than other skin types, making it one of the most frustrating skin types to have for long-lasting makeup. To combat the makeup-melting effect of excess sebum production, oily skin requires a sequenced, specialized routine built around oil control at every step.

Learn the qualities and challenges of this unique skin type and show you how to put together a long-lasting makeup routine for oily skin. 

Why Oily Skin Breaks Down Makeup Faster

Sebum is a natural oil made by the skin to help hydrate and protect the skin’s surface. However, when skin overproduces sebum, the skin becomes oily, clogging pores and breaking down makeup. 

Because makeup is made of oil-based pigments and waxes, contact with excess sebum triggers a chemical reaction where the oil in the skin dissolves the oil-based ingredients in the makeup. 

This chemical reaction causes makeup to:

• Emulsify: Sebum melts into concealer and foundation, causing the oil-and-pigment mix to sit on the surface on your nose and forehead and make them look shiny. 
• Oxidize: The oil and pigments in your makeup react to the excess sebum, turning them orange.

• Separate: Sebum pulls the makeup pigment from the skin’s surface, making makeup look patchy. 

Thanks to dedicated products and preparatory steps, makeup routines for oily skin help combat excess oil production and makeup breakdown. 

The Skin Prep Step Most Oily Skin Types Skip

Oily skin needs a clean, balanced base before applying makeup to encourage adhesion. This is why a skincare routine for oily skin should always include cleansing and lightweight moisturizing as non-negotiable steps. 

The cleanse helps remove any excess oil. Counterintuitively, oily skin also needs moisturizer because a good moisturizer signals hydration to the skin, encouraging it to skip the overproduction of sebum. 

How to Read a Formula Label for Oily Skin

Oily-skinned people need specialized oil control makeup products to help their makeup last and look fresh throughout the day. The illuminating, dewy finishes that look great on friends with normal and dry skin can look excessively shiny by midday on those with oily skin. 

So check the label before you buy:

• Cream-based, dewy-finish, and fragrance-heavy makeup clogs pores, encourages sebum production, and accelerates makeup breakdown. 

• Oil-free, non-comedogenic, and matte-finishes keep pores clear, don’t overload the skin with added oil, and provide built-in oil control. 

Step 1: Primer and Long-Lasting Wear 

Primer is the single most important step to delivering long-lasting wear when someone has oily skin. Primers create a natural barrier between the makeup and the skin, preventing the sebum from interacting with and melting makeup. 

A primer for oily skin: 

• Fills and smooths pores

• Controls oil at the source

• Creates a surface that foundation can adhere to through humidity and a full day of wear

What Ingredients Signal an Effective Oil-Control Primer?

To choose the best primer for oily skin, you need to understand different ingredients. Ingredients like silica, niacinamide, and dimethicone are perfectly structured to blur the look of fine lines and pores, balance the skin, and promote healthy sebum production: 

• Silica: Silica is a natural mineral made of silicon and oxygen,absorbing excess sebum and delivering a smooth, seamless makeup finish. In addition, silica also provides a "soft-focus" blur that reduces the visibility of fine lines and large pores.

• Niacinamide (Vitamin B3): Niacinamide helps regulate oil production by signaling to your skin how much sebum it needs to maintain optimal hydration levels, strengthening the skin barrier by encouraging the natural production of ceramides. Ceramides are essential to keeping the skin nourished and protected, avoiding the kind of skin barrier damage that leads to sebum overproduction. 

• Dimethicone: Dimethicone is a "breathable" silicone that smooths and seals fine lines and large pores,creating a water-resistant barrier on the surface of your skin, protecting makeup like foundation, concealer, and blush from the oils that break down your makeup. 

How to Apply Primer So it Actually Works

Making sure a primer has the right ingredients is just the first step of making a primer work to promote long-lasting makeup with oily skin. A great primer only works if it’s applied properly, so ensure the following tips are followed:

• Press, rather than sweep, a pea-sized amount primer the skin 

• Apply a light, extra layer of primer to the T-zone (the nose, the forehead, and the chin)

• Wait 60 seconds before applying foundation to give your primer time to set properly and create a more stable base for the next step in your routine.

Step Two: Foundation

A great primer needs an equally great foundation. Foundation choice is where most oily skin routines succeed or fail. A matte, long-wearing, oil-free formula with buildable coverage is typically the best foundation for oily skin. 

Matte Versus Satin Finish for Oily Skin

Matte foundations are the go-to oily skin foundation because matte finishes actively help control shine. Ideal for hot climates and sunny seasons, ColorStay™ Longwear Makeup SPF 15 provides long wear when the weather is warm and humid. 

However - if you prefer a softer glow - then satin foundations offer a compromise between long-lasting coverage and radiance. Satin finishes provide a soft-focused glow that holds up well in cool, low-humidity environments. To make satin foundations last, set them with a wear-extending setting spray.

How to Apply Foundation Without a Cakey Finish

Foundation application can result in either a cakey or seamless finish. The wrong application can leave makeup looking patchy, unnatural, and overly oily by midday. To make sure makeup looks refined throughout the day: 

• Apply foundation in thin, buildable layers using a damp sponge or brush

• Start your application at the center of the face and blend outward 

• Apply foundation in two thin coats if you need more coverage

• Do not apply foundation in a single, heavy layer. Over-application in one pass is the primary cause of a cakey finish

Step Three: Concealer and Setting Powder

The best concealer for oily skin follows the same formula rules as the best foundation: oil-free and long-wearing. 

Spot apply concealer with a brush rather than a sponge to help provide more control and discourage the product from migrating throughout the day. Use a concealer brush to deliver more concentrated coverage and a bigger color and product payoff while maintaining a non-cakey look. 

How to Bake Concealer So it Does Not Crease

Baking is a makeup technique that uses the heat from the skin to help set foundation and concealer. The technique helps create a flawless natural finish that makes makeup last. 

To set foundation and concealer with baking: 

• Press a loose translucent face powder for oily skin into your concealer and foundation

• Let the powder sit for 30 to 60 seconds to set your products

• Dust the powder away using a fluffy face brush 

The forehead and the chin benefit from the longevity boost of baking because they’re the oiliest parts of the face. Sebum from the nose and cheeks can quickly pool under the eyes, making it one of the most important areas to focus the technique for its velvetizing effect. 

Setting the Full Face With Powder

Powder provides a thin coating that locks makeup in place. Powder is the opposite consistency of many popular, high-performing oil-controlling foundations, which typically come in liquid or cream form. The unique formula of powder helps it act as an anchor, anchoring cream and liquid products in place and reducing the makeup-melting effect of sebum throughout the day. 

To distribute the product more evenly and avoid ghostly flashbacks in photos, press powder into the skin with a flat brush or powder puff rather than sweeping it. To avoid a flat, chalky finish, focus powder density on the T-zone rather than the full face. 

Step Four: Setting Spray

Setting spray acts as the seal for the entire routine. Powder controls immediate shine and helps anchor products in place, while setting spray locks a full face of makeup for extended wear in testing environments. Combine both powder and a setting spray for oily skin for long-lasting flawless wear. 

What to Look for in a Setting Spray for Oily Skin

Different setting sprays have different properties, including boosting wear time, delivering a dewy glow, or combating oil production. Setting sprays specially formulated for oily skin typically contain mattifying polymers that slow sebum migration. 

These distinct formulas are why it’s essential to distinguish mattifying setting sprays from dewy or hydrating setting sprays designed to deliver glow rather than control oil. Dew-inducing sprays are counterproductive for oily skin types, no matter what their marketing says. Always use a setting spray specifically designed to mattify the skin. 

How to Apply Setting Spray Correctly

There’s an art to applying setting spray to make makeup last and the finish appear natural. For a mattifying effect that perfectly sets makeup:

1. Hold ColorStay™ Lock Setting Mist eight to ten inches from the face

2. Mist in an X and T pattern for even coverage

3. Fanning the face dry rather than letting the spray air-set naturally helps produce a more matte finish

Touch-Up Strategy for All-Day Wear

If you want to know how to make makeup last on oily skin, you also need to factor in makeup-extending post-morning maintenance routine. Brief, targeted touch-ups are more effective than reapplying full products midday because they help avoid the makeup buildup that leads to a cakey look by late afternoon.

Blotting Papers First, Powder Second

Many people grab the powder as soon as they see oil begin to break through their makeup. However, dusting powder directly over unblotted oil will make the powder clump and look patchy. 

As the best alternative powder, blotting papers remove excess oil without adding product, making them the right first step when shine reappears. Blot first, then apply a light dusting of translucent powder on the oiliest parts of the face. 

What to Keep in Your Bag for a Quick Refresh

There’s nothing more frustrating than spending the morning perfecting a makeup routine, only to have it slide off by the afternoon. To help keep skin looking both fresh and matte throughout the day, keep a compact with translucent powder and a travel-size setting spray in your bag for quick and easy mid-day touch-ups. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Oily skin benefits from specialized product know-how, formulas, and makeup routines. Review our FAQs for more clarity on these areas. 

Does moisturizer make oily skin worse under makeup?

It sounds counterintuitive, but skipping moisturizer signals to the skin to produce more oil, which accelerates makeup breakdown. Apply a lightweight, oil-free formula in a thin layer to help signal to the skin that it’s already hydrated and doesn’t need to make more sebum. 

How long should a longwear routine actually last?

Most long-wearing routines can easily last six to eight hours with primer, matte foundation, powder, and setting spray. Extend how long makeup lasts by touching up with blotting papers and powder later in the day or evening.  

Is setting spray really necessary if I've already used powder?

A setting spray is a necessary additional step because powder and setting spray do different jobs. Powder absorbs surface oil immediately, while setting spray creates a film that slows sebum migration across the full face over time. 

One without the other leaves a gap in your routine. 

Can this routine work for combination skin too?

People with combination skin can follow the same steps in this routine, but they should concentrate powder and primer on the T-zone rather than applying both products all over the face. 

Concentrating powder and primer application on the T-zone keeps dry areas from looking flat while still controlling shine in the oiliest parts of the face. 

Build Your Longwear Routine With Revlon

Oily skin is one of the most challenging skin types when it comes to longevity and creating a seamless makeup finish. Boost your makeup wear time and help ensure a smooth patchwork-free result with specially-designed makeup for oily skin. Discover Revlon's full range of oily skin-friendly products that cover every step in this routine.