Budget Beauty for Oily Skin

For many of us, oily skin isn't a 5 year event during our teen years but a lifetime of searching for balance. Some of us may have skin that shines through any powder by noon while others struggle with adult acne while trying to halt aging skin. There are so many concerns: How to cover up acne & scarring without causing more breakouts? How do you keep your skin clean without stripping it of essential moisture? There are many answers & many products, but below are some that have worked for us.

Cleansers:

Which ever cleaner you use, do not wash more than twice a day to prevent stripping your skin.

Our favorite: Antibacterial liquid hand soap, 2.00. On a list of budget products this is surprising but truly inexpensive. There are many amazing washes that may work on your face, but for the simplest, least expensive clean that will help fight oil & acne, try simple hand soap for a week. For some it may work better than the most expensive cleansers. Skip any products with moisturizers or any oils/scents you wouldn't normally put on your face. Simple is better in this case.

If you'd prefer a product, we highly recommend Clinique Rinse off Foaming Cleanser (18.50). It's a creamy wash, but great for oil skin and really leaves your skin clean as a whistle.

Moisturizers

Our favorite: Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer with SPF 15. 14.00 for 4oz. No matter how oily your skin is, its vital to keep it moisturized with an oil free, non comedogenic product to combat the signs of aging and keep break outs from occurring. We love all of the Aveeno Positively Radiant products but this moisturizer is by far our favorite. It has all of the requirements for oily skin: gentle, oil free, fast absorbing, but it also even tones and reflects light so skin immediately looks better. If we were to only recommend one product in this review, this would be the one we would choose. If you don't choose a moisturizer with SPF 15, make sure you're getting it in there somewhere.

Anti Aging

Our favorite: liiv botanicals Vitalizing Face Serum, 17.00. There are many great anti aging products out there, but for under 25.00 you can't beat this one. Arrives in a glass bottle with a dropper, so you can put this serum exactly where you need it with no waste. Natural plant extracts such as green tea, flax seed & fennel nourish the skin, improving skin tone & minimizing the signs of aging. It works especially well on frown lines & expression lines around the eyes. Most people notice a difference within the first few applications. This is a good product for someone whose skin is just starting to show signs of aging but doesn't yet need a heavy duty product such as Anew.

Foundation:

Our favorite: Clinique, 19-24.50. Some people prefer liquid, some mineral, and some stick or powder. But we've never found a Clinique foundation that didn't meet the challenge that oily skin throws down. We prefer a full coverage liquid such as Even Better Makeup with SPF 15 (24.50) or Super-balanced Makeup (21.00) to deal with acne scarring & breakouts. However the City Base compact failed our tests, as even though it is noncomedogenic & has great coverage, we found an increase in breakouts after using it--its too moisturizing for us and the applicator is semi water proof so doesn't clean up as well as it needs to. We highly recommend going to a Clinique counter and finding your favorite foundation by trying it on & wearing it around for a few hours. Choosing the perfect shade and formula by actually trying it on is well worth the extra few dollars that you would pay over drugstore brands.

Oily skin is a challenge at any age, but with the huge variety of products out there you're sure to find something that will keep your skin glowing for years to come!