5 Makeup Tips for Combination Skin

Have combination skin? If you could post a relationship status on social media for your skin, chances are it would say, “it’s complicated.” That makes sense—after all, it can be challenging to determine how to care for your complexion when some areas of your face are oily and others are dry. And you may even find putting together a makeup routine for combination skin quite difficult. So, what can you do? Here, learn what combination skin looks like and find makeup tips for this skin type.

What Does Combination Skin Look Like?

Wondering if you actually have combination skin? You’ll know if you have this skin type if some parts of your face are dry, while others are oily. You may notice that your T-zone (that would be the central part of your face including your forehead, nose, and chin) are oilier, while your cheeks and the skin around your eyes are drier.

The Makeup Routine for Combination Skin

While your first thought might be to add a million different skin care and makeup products to your regimen, that may not be the best solution. Below, we share five makeup tips for combination skin so that you can look in the mirror with confidence and ease.

1. Prep your complexion first. Before applying any makeup, help ensure that your combination skin is hydrated and smooth. First, use a gentle cleansing option, like the L’Oréal Paris Micellar Cleansing Water Complete Cleanser for Normal to Oily Skin, which purifies and mattifies. Just saturate a cotton pad with the micellar water and wipe the pad across your face.

After cleansing, reach for a lightweight matte-finish moisturizer, like the L’Oréal Paris Hydra Genius Daily Liquid Care for Normal/Oily Skin, which is formulated with hyaluronic acid and aloe water to help provide long-lasting hydration, smoothing it over your face and neck.

Then, apply a primer, like the L’Oréal Paris Studio Secrets™ Professional Magic Perfecting Base, which helps smooth lines, hide pores, and banish imperfections with a matte finish. Apply it dot by dot and blend in a gentle circular motion over your entire face or to targeted areas (like under your eyes to smooth over fine lines, your nose and cheeks to minimize the appearance of pores and blemishes, and your T-zone for a matte result).

2. Pick up color correcting concealer. Notice redness or dullness on different areas of your face? Break out the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Total Cover Color Correcting Kit, which comes with four pastel concealer shades—green to neutralize the look of redness, purple to hide dullness, peach to disguise dark circles, and yellow to mask discolorations. Use your shade(s) of choice sparingly—a little goes a long way!

3. Choose a buildable foundation. When you have combination skin, reach for a buildable foundation, like the L’Oréal Paris True Match™ Lumi Cushion Foundation, so that you can customize your coverage on different areas of your face. Just press the enclosed applicator into the cushion and tap the foundation onto your skin, building coverage as needed. Need a little extra foundation on your nose or chin? No problem!

4. Contour to bring attention to your facial structure. Focus on bringing all the attention to your very best features if you have combination skin. That means giving the contouring trend a whirl! Pick a hue that’s two shades darker than your skin tone for contouring and two shades lighter than your skin tone for highlighting from the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Total Cover Concealing and Contour Kit. Use the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Blend Artist Contour Blender to apply the darker shade to your cheekbones for a chiseled look and the lighter shade under your eyes to add brightness. Talk about a model-approved finish!

5. Top things off with blush. There’s nothing quite like a rosy-looking flush to help make your complexion look more youthful—no matter your skin type. Use the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Paints Blush palette to custom create the perfect shade for your skin tone, then apply to the apples of your cheeks.