When curating your makeup arsenal, it goes without saying that picking the correct set of products is paramount. Your skin type and texture, concerns, and proneness to skin allergies and sensitivities play a vital role in identifying formulations that may or may not work for you.
How to Pick Products Based on Your Skin Type
- Oily Skin: Oily skin types should opt for formulations that are water-based, lightweight, mattifying, and oil-controlling.
- Dry Skin: Dry skin types should opt for ultra-hydrating and non-mattifying formulations.
- Acne-Prone Skin: Acne-prone skin types should opt for dermatologically tested, non-comedogenic, and non-acnegenic formulations.
- Sensitive Skin: Sensitive skin types should opt for toxin-free, paraben-free, fragrance-free, and hypoallergenic formulations.
The Ultimate Makeup Shopping Guide For Every Skin Type
- Primer
Before creating a base for your makeup, you must prep your skin with a suitable primer. While oily skin types should opt for a mattifying variant to curb shine, dry skin types should reach for a hydrating primer that ensures your skin stays plump and moisturised. Those with large pores should pick a pore-minimising primer that camouflages their appearance. When applying primer, focus on the areas of your face where the makeup tends to crease or fade.
- Foundation
Ideally, oily skin types should pick mattifying foundations that keep excess sebum production in check, while dry skin types should reach for hydrating variants that leave you with a dewy finish. If your skin is prone to breakouts, ensure you’re using a formulation that doesn’t clog the pores and feels lightweight. Powder foundations are ideal for oily skin, while liquid foundations are suitable for dry skin. Regular skin types can choose between liquid, mousse, and cream foundations. You must also pick between sheer, medium, and full-coverage foundations.
- Concealer
When picking a concealer, choose one based on its texture and formula. Dry skin types should avoid picking liquid concealers that lend a matte finish. Similarly, oily skin types should avoid purchasing cream and stick concealers that could clog the pores and trigger breakouts.
- Blush
It’s not just your skin tone that’ll determine the kind of blush you pick – your skin type matters, too. Dry skin types should stick to a cream or liquid blush that lends a more dewy finish, while oily skin types should reach for powder blushes that offer a more mattified finish. The same goes for highlighters, which often come in powder, liquid, and stick variants.
- Makeup Setters
If you’re worried about your makeup melting off, it’s best to seal the deal with a setting formulation. Dry skin types should go for setting sprays that don’t only lock your look in place but also instantly hydrate the skin. On the other hand, oily skin types can use compact and pressed powders that offer oil-absorbing properties.
The Rise of Non-Toxic Beauty
With the significant increase in skin ailments and notable harm to the planet, the beauty market has forayed into a new era of clean beauty. Clean beauty, also called non-toxic beauty, refers to products free from harmful chemicals, including ingredients such as parabens, sulphates, phthalates, and synthetic fragrances. Toxin-free makeup products comprise plant and botanical extracts and are ideal for sensitive skin types that react aggressively to chemical-laden formulations.
Makeup Essentials That Should Be a Part of Your Beauty Kit
- Brow Powder, Pencil, and Gel
Achieve the brows of your dreams with staple brow products that help shape, sculpt, and fill the eyebrows. When filling in your brows, you must pick a product that matches the colour of your hair. Gentle, light strokes in sparse areas will give your eyebrows a natural look.
- Mascara and Eyeliner
To accentuate your peepers, invest in eyeliner and mascara, which are often available in multiple colours. You can choose between cream, liquid, pen, and gel eyeliners. Mascaras come in several variants, too. Pick between volumising mascaras, lash-lengthening mascaras, curling mascaras, tubing mascaras, and more.
- Eyeshadow
Perhaps the most popular makeup staple to draw attention to your eyes, eyeshadows come in various hues and finishes. For a casual daytime look, purchase a palette featuring neutral and earthy shades, such as brown, nude, soft pink, and coral. Alternatively, achieve a glamorous evening look with metallics, smokey black, navy blue, and other glitter variants.
- Lipstick, Lip Gloss, Lip Mousse, and Lip Tint
If you’re opting out of a striking eye makeup look, let your lips make heads turn. Invest in vibrant pinks, subtle nudes, and bold reds. From creamy bullet lipsticks to liquid formulas, be spoilt for choice. If you desire a high-shine finish, layer your lipstick with a clear gloss. Meanwhile, you could skip on lipstick and opt for a tinted lip gloss or lip tint. When purchasing makeup, look for waterproof, transfer-proof, and smudge-proof products that won’t budge.
- Contour and Bronzer
Give your skin ultra-dimension and add some warmth with the help of a contour and bronzer. A contour stick or powder is all you need for chiselled cheekbones and a sculpted jawline, while a bronzer will grant you a warm glow.
Conclusion
When curating your makeup kit, don’t forget to buy beauty blenders, q-tips, and brushes for greater precision and to help blend your makeup. Makeup removal wipes, micellar water, and cleansing balms are essential to remove your makeup at the end of the day. Be sure to cleanse even the last traces of makeup, as keeping makeup on overnight can clog your pores, causing closed or open comedones and active pimples.