Things I love: Pore Refiner

L once told me she wanted to start a makeup blog, but as far as I know she never really got around to it. I don't have the patience to devote this whole blog to makeup, but I will share with you the awesome things I find on my quest for the perfect mask makeup products for people with the most infuriating handicap of all: oily skin.

I was home for Easter over the weekend, wandering through Sephora with my mother, when I stopped to ask Sephora Sales Associate #1837 about blah blah something I had seen online -- and to ask him the best way to take care of oily skin so that it doesn't end up being so...oily. He told me a million things I already knew, plus a couple other valuable tips, and they are as follows:

• Drink more water. He actually asked me very pointedly if I drink enough water, to which I had to say, "Um...no," since I was holding a venti Starbucks coffee in my hand at the time. Apparently staying hydrated does wonders for your skin. Who knew?
  
  
• (SIDENOTE: While having oily skin really is a curse, it's also apparently a great trick for preventing premature aging of the skin. People with oily skin are less likely to look old when they're old. Embrace the oil. Love it.)
  
  
• Wash your face with a salicylic acid acne wash, both for breakouts and as a way of controlling the shine. Can't say that this has done anything for me in particular, but I did find some really delicious-smelling face wash from Neutrogena at Target that I love. It's called Oil-Free Acne Wash Daily Scrub with MicroClear technology. Sounds fancy, but it's about as effective as Clean&Clear's Blackhead Clearing Scrub, which also contains a hefty dose of salicylic acid and did wonders for my residual acne.
  
  
• Wear sunscreen, for the love of god. It might be contributing to your oil problems a little bit, but I would much rather be a skin cancer-free oil slick than a walking melanoma. I know that I'm pretty much the only person in the world without a dermatological degree who feels this strongly about skin cancer, but I know statistics that would probably scare the shit out of you. I feel very strongly about this. If you're looking for a product that doesn't leave an oily or a white residue like a lot of sunscreens, I recommend Neutrogena Age Shield FACE Sunblock with Helioplex. It comes in a variety of SPFs, so choose your poison.
  
  
• Mineral powder makeup. I'm the biggest hypocrite in this area because I am currently wearing mineral makeup (go figure), but apparently it blows your pores up and makes them look gigantic. This really has nothing to do with all the oil your face produces, but if you're looking for smaller pores (I am!), Sephora Sales Associate #1837 claims that this is not the way to go!

And last but not least...

• DR. BRANDT'S PORE REFINER ("PORES NO MORE"), pictured below. It has a seriously cheesy name and I probably wouldn't have looked at it twice if Sephora Sales Associate #1837 hadn't thrust it at me so readily. Basically, it's a tinted "pore refining" cream that "slows" the oil-producing process, rather than attempting to stop it all together. You can put it on under your makeup, and you can also put it on OVER your makeup (if you happen to be near a mirror and think you need a touch-up). I was surprised to find that it works pretty well for me -- and this is shocking because I will probably always have an oil slick for a nose, despite my best efforts to tame it. Anyway, pore refiner: the last weapon in my arsenal. Available at Sephora for $45. I'm sure it's available elsewhere, too, but my research was not that involved.

So those are the tips from Sephora Sales Associate #1837 and myself. Share your own in comments. Or don't share your own, I'm really only recording these for posterity.