Get Oily Skin Under Control

When I was growing up, you dealt with oily skin by wiping your face with rubbing alcohol-soaked cotton balls, going to the dermatologist who popped your zits with surgical instruments, and patting down 30 times a day with pressed powder and a sponge. Today, however, I love having oily skin and so can you. There are major advantages, not to mention major products, that simply weren’t around before to help keep us hydrated yet matte and smooth.

Always use a gentle, low-foaming cleanser to wash your skin. Avoid these ingredients: sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, ammonium laureth sulfate and ammonium lauryl sulfate. “They can be too drying,” says Dallas-based aesthetician Renée Rouleau, “even for oily skin types.” Nothing stimulates groggy early morning senses like spearmint, peppermint and rosemary. This one’s worth waking up for.

To buy: Renée Rouleau Cleansing Gel, $36

“Unintentionally touching your face all day long makes it one of the dirtiest parts of your body. Cleaning the skin at night is a must to avoid the spread of acne bacteria that can cause more blemishes," Rouleau says. "And your skin repairs itself at night, so removing grime and makeup gives it a clean palette for applying your performance products for maximum absorption."

To buy: Clinique Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser, $20

To buy: Olay Wet Cleansing Cloths, $6

Don’t skip the toner, just the alcohol. “Many people like the ‘clean’ and ‘tight’ feeling associated with using alcohol-based toners, but this ingredient will strip the skin of water, which results in dead cell buildup and dull-looking skin," Rouleau says. Without stripping your skin, the right toner enhances the results of your skincare program by calming and balancing the skin’s pH, controlling oil and destroying acne-causing bacteria.

To buy: Chanel Lotion Pureté Toner, $45

Oily skin upside: “Literally thicker skin, which means you’ll have less ‘crinkly,’ fine lines," Rouleau says. Oily skin downside: “Deeper lines and larger pores, which won’t allow the skin to look as smooth as someone with tiny pores," she adds. Solution? Use a water-based serum under your moisturizer.

To buy: Clarins Truly Matte Pore Minimizing Serum, $49 (for daytime)

To buy: BeautyRx Daily Exfoliating Therapy Serum, $65 (for nighttime)

If you think you don’t need a moisturizer because you’re already oily, think again. “Oily skins don’t need additional oils, but they still need water. When the skin doesn’t have the water it needs, it attempts to balance itself by producing more oil to compensate. Use lightweight, oil-free moisturizers to increase water and reduce oil," says Rouleau.

To buy: Ole Henriksen Invigorating Night Gel, $45

To buy: Therapy Systems Moisturizer, from $18

Going berserk with abrasive scrubs can exacerbate “aging, provoke breakouts and cause inflammation. To reduce shine and clean clogged pores, use a gentle facial scrub no more than three times a week," says Rouleau. If you’re a Clarisonic or Pro-X fan, count its use as one of those three times. Avoid putting this on near your eyes.

To buy: Philosophy Exfoliating Wash, from $8

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Once or twice a week, after exfoliating, apply a Kaolin clay-based mask to decongest skin. “As it dries, it creates a tightening effect that encourages clearer pores by absorbing oil," Rouleau says.

To buy: Glō Therapeutics Clear Refining Mask, $42

Alternate it with this one. “Gel masks work well because they’re oil-free and have a gel consistency," she adds. "They’re best for hydrating the skin, so they’re beneficial for oily, combination, acne-prone, dehydrated skin, where you want to add water but not oil.”

To buy: Mario Badescu Mask, $20

“The tender skin around the eyes is 10 times thinner than that of the face and has very few oil glands," Rouleau says. "Combined with blinking 10,000 times a day, squinting and smiling, this area is the first to show signs of aging. You need to keep it hydrated and moist with an eye-specific formula.” Day and night.

To buy: Clarins Sunscreen for Eyes SPF 30 (if you're outdoors a lot), $28

To buy: Kate Somerville Corrective Eye Cream (for puffiness and dark circles), $75

After moisturizing with an SPF, the best way to prep your skin for makeup or even no makeup, is this refining cult wonder. The invisible gel buffer contains a high water content; antioxidant vitamins A, C and E; and calming cucumber extract. Keep it in the fridge to refresh your skin and reduce puffiness.

To buy: Laura Mercier Foundation Primer, $32

For the extra-pesty T-zone, this excellent spot treatment can be used under and over makeup to shrink pores and banish oil for hours:

To buy: Benefit The POREfessional, $30

If you can’t bring yourself to wear foundation in the heat and humidity of summer days, this doubles as an oil-free moisturizer and lightweight makeup. You’ll get a whisper of coverage and broad sun protection to boot.

To buy: Tarte Smooth Operator with SPF 20, $36

If you require the extra coverage, this water-based foundation creates a fresh, natural, even tone:

To buy: Giorgio Armani Foundation SPF 20, $59

Always set your makeup (or just your primed face) with a light sweep of sheer, loose, oil-free powder. Pressed powder is too heavy and can look like a mask, especially when you sweat. And don’t forget to clean your brushes weekly, especially your powder brush. Bacteria, oil and makeup buildup are the last things oily skin needs.

To buy: Shiseido Translucent Loose Powder, $35

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Remember how I said at the beginning that I used to try to kill my breakthrough oil with pressed powder and a sponge? Here’s why it was and is a really bad idea. Besides looking cakey afterward, all that oil you just pressed off goes right back into that sponge. Unless you use a new sponge every time you powder your nose—and who does that?—you’re pressing all the old oils right back into your skin. Which makes it oilier. And dirtier. Embrace disposable blotting papers instead. They're "one of the best things you can do to remove excess oil," says Rouleau. "Use them throughout the day to keep your skin shine-free.” And your makeup undisturbed.

To buy: Nurturing Force Blotting Papers, $14