You know how everyone is always talking about the next best foundation? How it keeps your skin looking matte, how it conceals redness, how it adds a glow, etc. But what about the skincare underneath? What if we could enhance the skin underneath and need less foundation? Well, we can! Foundation is often seen as “the base”, but I would argue skincare is the base. The better prepped the skin is, the less foundation will be needed, and the more natural the makeup will look. Therefore, I wanted to dive a little deeper into my process of selecting skincare custom to my client and what I keep in my kit to stay prepared for anything.
Let’s start with deciding the skin type. There are four basic skin types: dry, normal, combination, and oily. And then within these types there can be additional types such as sensitive, aging, and dehydrated. Some places put sensitive skin as a fifth “type”, but sensitive can be temporary (such as after beginning a prescription strength retinoid) and typically will also fit under an oiliness level. All of these factors need to be looked at to determine how to best treat your client’s skin.
I typically ask my client how their skin behaves to get a good beginning insight. Rarely, I’ll have someone who is obviously dehydrated and oily say they’re dry, but in general, clients understand their own skin. I also try to ask about any potential allergens and current topical products. If they’re using something medicated or they want to leave their current skincare regimen on, I more often than not can accommodate that. Once we’ve briefly discussed their skin, I take a micellar water and a cotton pad, and wipe a clean slate.
Now, I’ll go a bit deeper into determining the skin type and how I treat each one. Let’s start with dry skin, which is lacking oil. It typically presents as matte, with a rougher texture, perhaps some dry/red patches, and more visibly lines. Dry skin can also be sensitive, so that’s something to keep in mind. Acne doesn’t always mean oily, so don’t just assume they’re the combo/oily skin type if you see a few zits on otherwise dry skin. On these skin types, a micellar water can be used to gently wipe a clean slate. An exfoliating pad can help gently remove any flaky skin without adding irritation. If their skin is still looking red or irritated, I will spray Dermalogica’s Ultracalming mist onto the skin, quickly followed by a hyaluronic acid serum. Hyaluronic acid helps the skin absorb water, so it’s best to apply it while the skin is moist. While dry skin is lacking oil, hyaluronic acid can help plump up the skin and any fine lines. Following the serum, a light to medium weight moisturizer with a non- comedogenic oil such as squalene will help lock in moisture. Any very dry patchy areas can be lightly treated with a skin salve like Glossier’s Balm Dotcom. I personally try to avoid anything too thick in the way of skin cream as you don’t want them to end up too shiny/the makeup not stick. If they’re shiny in person, they’ll only look shinier on camera.
Normal skin seems like the most simple, but overthinking it can be easy. These skin types are just what they sound like- normal. Small pores, very little oil, few imperfections like acne or dry patches. They’re not typically sensitive, but excess redness can indicate that. A wipe with micellar water followed by a lightweight oil free moisturizer is all this skin type usually needs. I tend to lean towards hyaluronic acid based moisturizers for this skin type as it keeps the skin bright and plump.
I’m going to cover combination/oily skin in the same paragraph as I feel like they can be treated fairly similar from a skin prep standpoint. These skin types tend to present very shiny, with acne and larger pores. If the skin presents like this, but also is red and flaky- you’ve probably got sensitized/dehydrated skin. This is typically caused by beginning/overusing acne products. Do not try to add more oil based moisturizers- you will get slippery makeup and high shine 100% of the time. Combination has spots on the face that present as oily with other places that are dry or normal, and those spots can be treated as such. It’s A-OK to mix up moisturizers as necessary to get an even complexion. With oily skin, the skin is overproducing oil- you do not need to give it more. Stripping off oil with rough astringents can just create more oil and should be avoided. A gentle micellar water or witch hazel can be used to create a clean slate and soothe redness. There’s a bit of controversy around witch hazel due to the alcohol content, but a brand like Thayer’s does not have alcohol in it and I’ve had wonderful luck with it. Dermalogica’s Ultracalming mist can also soothe any angry redness from acne or irritated skin. I then top of with an OIL-FREE (I cannot stress this enough) lightweight hyaluronic acid moisturizer. The extra hydration can help keep oil production at bay. This skin type is inherently going to create shine throughout the day, it’s easier to work with it than try to fight it if you can.
Aging skin can be any of the above types, so treat it as such, but I did want to add a few things to consider. Hyaluronic acid is good here to plump up any lines and wrinkles. Silicone can be comedogenic, but it is excellent for blurring the look of fine lines and can give a more youthful appearance to the skin.
The general theme of skincare each skin type is to give it what it needs, without trying to “fix” it. Ingredients like AHAs and BHAs are good for skincare long term, but that moment that you’re with your client is not the time to experiment. While a chemical exfoliating toner may work wonderfully on one oily skin type, it may redden and inflame another. The goal is to soothe the skin where necessary and balance the moisture in a way that brings it as close to the “normal” skin type as possible.
Since I don’t want to carry the entirety of Sephora in my kit, I try to have products that work for multiple skin types. That means I lean heavily towards fragrance free products in my kit. While, yes, there are other allergens, I do find they often have many less irritating ingredients as whole. It’s important to know key ingredients in your products in preparation for someone with an allergy.
As of writing this here’s what I have in my kit in the way of skincare:
Bioderma Micellar Water in Sensibio
Thayer’s Witch Hazel in Cucumber
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Hydrating Serum
Youth To The People Superfood Air-Whip Moisture Cream
Glossier’s Balm Dotcom (a good matte lip conditioner for men)
Kiehl’s Age Defender Moisturizer
Kiehl’s Oil Eliminator Moisturizer
While I’ve categorized skin types and discussed how I treat them, each person’s skin is unique, so it can take some time to really “master” the ability to find the right set of products for each client. Even too much of one product that would otherwise be great can throw off the moisture balance on the skin. While these are the products I like, everyone has their own preference. I go into further detail about skincare ingredients here if you’re looking to switch up the skincare in your kit. Mastering skincare is a game changer when it comes to the final product of your makeup and I hope you all found some helpful information here!