Makeup/oily skin problems

My skin has calmed down as far as acne is concerned over the past year, but I still get break outs. I'm planning on seeing a dermatologist soon but that should only (hopefully) fix the acne issue, not the oil

I was going to suggest milk of

magnesia, I have the same oily issue and that's what my makeup artist will be using. Why did yours say you can't?

I have the exact same issue, but I haven't found anything that works.

Lara- milk of magnesia works AMAZINGLH if you haven't already tried it. You don't use a ton, just a light coating.

@lara-- yesss milk of magnesia has saved me so much stress, I recommend giving it a shot!

@christine my MUA didn't say, but I'm assuming she doesn't think it will mix right with her products. I kinda have to put it on a little thick in order for it to work and sometimes it does mess with my foundation

BUT... Reddit tells me to try smashbox primer?

Okay... So I don't have this problem (I'm combination skin), but there was a thread the other day about skin/oil/acne. A suggestion was to ditch the makeup and let your skin rest and "reset" itself? Have you tried to not use foundation?

Again, I don't wear makeup and this isn't my skin type, but some ladies were discussing how great their skin was after ditching the foundation.... It was an interesting thread.

Primers will be your friend. I'm extremely dry and use Smashbox primer so I'm not sure how accurate that it. My oil friend uses Becca Ever Matte. I'd also look into using an oil in your night time routine. Your skin could be overcompensating with all the matte products you use and over producing oil. Giving it some nourishment at night can help. Oily folks on youtube swear by Tarte Maracuja oil.

Smashbox makes the best primers! Definitely try them out, they even have a photo ready primer that will make your skin look amazing in pictures!

I like the smashbox primer. I combine that with coola makeup setting spray over my foundation if I think I'll be sweating a lot or need my makeup to last like 12-15 hours. Urban decay also makes a makeup setting spray that I like but I think the coola spray works even better. A mineral setting powder as needed. If you use the setting spray apply it before mascara!

I never had problems with acne until one day I woke up an my face was a mess. Literally. It was in a weeks time and I had horrible breakouts, nothing helped me but a facial cleanser from Lush (YES) it's the green one. Amazing. Unfortunately about a year later I started breaking out again and end up going to acutane which cleared my skin completely in 2 months BUT the side affects were really bad. Anyway answering your question about oily skin, mine is not as extreme but two things that works for me are the new Make up Forever primers (they have one for oil control) and an Urban Decay setting spray called De-slick I believe ( I alternate between that and and the All Nighter) and honestly I swear by the Urban Decay. I come home 10 hours after applying makeup in the morning and other than a little bit of shine here and there which you can blot my makeup still looks great!!

Have you seen a dermatologist?

I have very oily skin too, and can never seem to keep makeup on without oil shining through. My makeup artist put the Urban Decay De-Slick setting spray that Ana suggested on me during my trial, and my makeup stayed on for about 6/7 hours before I noticed it starting to come off. She said if I resprayed my face mid-reception it should stay on longer. I found a bottle at Ulta, and it wasn't too terribly expensive. Definitely worth it imo. I'll be using the spray and blotting papers that night. They both take less than a minute so I won't be missing out on my reception.

Girl girl girl girl girl!! STORY OF MY LIFE.

This summer I finally broke down and did Accutane. It's been the hardest six months of my life, with the most amazing results ever. But obviously that wouldn't be good to start now, and I don't think you're implying that. But I would definitely recommend it for later if you were still struggling and were interested.

For shiny skin, my dermatologist recommended HC Eight Professional Mattifying Gel. It worked wonders for me! http://www.amazon.com/OC-Eight-Professional-Mattifying-Gel/dp/B000B5UPF4

Best of luck, and you are not alone!

I have super oily skin, and clean and clear oil blotting sheets are my best friend, they just soak the oil right off your face without taking off your makeup. I am way past rice paper, that stuff does nothing for me. I have heard of the milk of magnesia, but it is one of the few things I haven't tried, perhaps I'll give it a go.

As for the Accutane, I have had very bad skin since I was about 13, so going on 14 years now.... I tried 2 rounds of accutane when I was about 15. It helped with the oil tremendously, I could go a day without washing my hair and it didn't look like I hadn't washed it in a week like normal. But Accutane is serious stuff, and I wouldn't recommend it anywhere within at least 6 months of your wedding. It helped with the oil problem for about a year (it decreases your actual oil production I believe), but it also made me break out worse than I ever had in my entire life when I started it. For the first 3 months I had GIANT pustules that were so ugly and painful to the touch, even my face on my pillow hurt. I got made fun of worse than normal, people at school started calling me freddie kruger. It was so bad. I did get some good results from it, but the results were not lasting, my normal bad skin came back within a year after stopping treatment. FYI you have to be very careful with sun exposure while on it, you can't drink while on it at all, and you can't get pregnant on it either, plus I had to get blood drawn monthly to monitor my liver. It has been many people's saving grace, and many people have been able to do just one round and be cured for a lifetime (sadly not in my case), but just keep in mind that it is far more serious than any oral anti-biotic or anything else you may have tried in the past.

I've been using the clarisonic with glycolic acid fash wash (peter thomas roth) and my skin is SO MUCH BETTER. smaller pores, less oil. I use it a few times a week.

This isn't for the day of the wedding, but to reduce acne and scarring beforehand: I've been using 10% glycolic acid wipes (with toner) and it's helped prevent breakouts and reduced marks from previous breakouts. My tone's a lot more even overall. Not exactly answering the question you asked, but thought it might help.

Thank y'all so much for the suggestions! @pinguino my best friend was ok accutane and it was a really long and hard 6 months for her, but she loved the results. I wish I had tried to get on it a year ago, but alas who knows how I would have reacted to it maybe I'll reconsider down the road post wedding

@amanda I am going to purchase de-slick! I just talked to my MUA and she is going to play with it tomorrow to make sure!

@originalrandi... I've never heard of the mystifying gel! Is it a primer?? How does it work?

I had never heard of it either! After you cleanse and moisturize, you massage a layer of this clear gel into your skin and let it dry. It doesn't suck up your oil so it's not contributing to the acne problem—it just takes away the shine. Then you put on any oil-free makeup products you plann to use.

However! I do want to say Elizabeth made an awesome point. That thread that went around about three weeks ago inspired me to take the plunge now that my skin is a bit clearer from acne, and stop wearing all my foundation. At first, my skin looked sort of strange and pink and shiny from having been covered every waking second of every day up till then, but after three weeks of getting to breathe and be free of makeup (and all the grease and grime that gets caught in the brushes), the difference is MARVELOUS. My skin is normalizing and looks better than it ever has since I entered adolescence.

Best of luck!!

Thanks @originalrandi!!! I want to be brave and take the no makeup plunge. I'm just a little worried about looking tired/non professional at work. I work with a lot of clients and am in meetings all day and so don't want to come across as not put together. So do you only save makeup/foundation for special days? How often do you now wear makeup?

I think I read somewhere that airbrush makeup stands up to sweat and oil really well. Maybe you could look into that...