Tips & Picks on the Best Foundation for Oily Skin

When choosing your foundation for oily skin, you should always look for mattifying products or long-lasting formulas. Mattifying foundations contain pigments and various ingredients that help absorb oil, balance greasy areas and leave your skin looking shine-free—without sliding off or disappearing throughout the day.

This guideline applies to the entirety of your makeup bag—whether it is foundation, lipstick or blush, oily skin will be amplified by any shiny or illuminating products. Whilst oily skin is often genetic, certain products, including the wrong foundation, can clog pores and overstimulate the production of sebum.

Light-reflecting properties of satiné finishes are lovely for dry skin, but luminisers tend to accentuate pores and make the skin look more oily. We recommend avoiding foundations that include descriptors such as “dewy” or “highlighting,” and opting for matte or powdered products instead.

As the first step in your makeup application routine, you should always use a primer or hydrating matte cream to help prepare your skin for foundation and to prevent excess shine. Try the Prep & Matte mattifying makeup primer, which provides a flawless, long-lasting matte finish whilst also hydrating your skin. Its lightweight formula refines skin texture, minimises the appearance of pores, improves foundation wear and provides an instantly fresh feeling all day long.

How to Apply: After cleansing and moisturising, wait five minutes and gently massage a thin, pea-sized amount of primer into your skin. Wait for 60 seconds, allowing the primer to set, before applying foundation and concealer

If you are seeking a 24-hour, long-lasting matte liquid foundation, we recommend using Lancôme’s Teint Idole Ultra Wear. This product is our best liquid foundation for oily skin—and it is available in 45 shades, making it simple to find your perfect shade match. It provides medium- to full-coverage and contains Perlite and Salica, two oil-absorbing ingredients, making this foundation suitable for oily, shine-prone skin.

How to Apply: Pump a small amount of foundation on the back of your hand. Buff your liquid foundation brush gently into the product and apply to your face in equal parts. Start from the middle of the face, where you need more coverage, and work the product outwards.

As for the best powder foundation for oily skin, we recommend the Teint Idole Ultra Compact Powder Foundation. This longwearing foundation has Polar Cushion Technology, which allows for portable, precise application and longer hold. Its oil-free and lightweight formula helps ensure an even and buildable application, giving your complexion a natural, matte finish.

How to Apply: Press the puff into the cushion to soak up the foundation. Instead of dragging or swiping the puff across your skin, apply with a tapping motion all over your complexion to achieve a long-lasting effect.

According to German Moyano, international makeup artist and Lancôme beauty guru, concealer should be applied over your foundation for oily skin.  Once your foundation as been applied, you can touch up any imperfections with the concealer. This will require lightly tapping your concealer onto your skin, so layering is key.

How to Apply: Squeeze a pea-sized amount of concealer on the back of your hand. Use your fingers to warm up the product before application. Use a concealer brush, beauty sponge or clean fingers to dab the concealer on skin.

By using a brush, you will get a more blended and lighter finish when applying your foundation for oily skin. The type of brush you want to use will depend purely on the look you would like to achieve. A flat foundation brush will give you full coverage, whilst a buffing or stippling brush will give a medium, modest coverage.

Sponges, however, are used in a tapping motion, giving you more product and therefore more coverage. Depending on your skin and its imperfections, sponges may be the necessary solution for more coverage.

For precise and smooth application, you will want to blend your liquid foundation with your brush—giving you a natural, seamless look. Our Lancôme beauty experts have a flawless blending technique for when using your brush. Apply your foundation for oily skin with one side of the brush, then blur or blend it into the skin. This ensures the foundation will disappear with the side of the brush that contains no foundation.

Applying foundation to the neck can be an unpleasant issue, as it creates visible lines and can potentially stain your clothing. By matching your foundation to your skin tone as closely as possible, you can help to prevent this mishap. If your neck requires some colour, we recommend using a small amount of bronzer—the same bronzer you apply to your face—especially if you plan to wear a low neckline.

As you carry on with your day, your skin tends to sweat and breathe, causing your makeup to constantly evolve and change. In some areas of your face, your makeup may disappear altogether. We recommend keeping a face powder on hand, like the Teint Idole Ultra Compact Powder, to assist with touch-ups every four hours. This powder is renowned for its high capacity of sebum retention, containing 50% Perlite in a compact formula and providing you with an isolating barrier against shininess.

How to Apply: Take your sponge, dry or damp, and tap the bigger side into the powder, then gently shake off any excess product. Next, stipple the areas that tend to get shiny first—your nose, chin, and forehead—to create an even canvas. From there, begin blending your way out across your cheeks and jaw for a seamless finish.

Once your makeup for oily skin has been applied, use a few drops of primer and tap with your fingers onto the foundation. Did you know that primer is a fantastic product for fixing your look into place? As another option, hold a tissue loosely to your skin and apply your powder. By tapping it onto your skin, you can secure your stunning matte finish.

As our final tip to applying the best foundation for oily skin, we recommend controlling the amount of product you use to best suit the occasion and time of day. During the day, you will likely want to wear less foundation, as your look should feel transparent and natural. At night, your skin will require heavier coverage due to the artificial lighting.

If you plan to take your foundation from morning to midnight, visit our guide to the Best Liquid Foundation for Day to Night!