Foundation and Base Products for Combination Skin

What it is

Combination skin is oily in some areas - usually the T-zone - and normal or dry in others, most often the cheeks. It's the most common skin type and also the hardest to solve with a single product choice, since a formula built purely for oily or purely for dry skin will underperform in whichever area it doesn't match.

How it works

A single all-over foundation formula has to compromise: something matte and oil-controlling enough for the T-zone tends to look flat or clinging on drier cheeks, while something hydrating enough for the cheeks tends to break down and shine on the T-zone by midday. The more reliable approach treats the face as more than one zone rather than looking for one formula to solve both problems evenly.

How to choose

• Choose a satin-finish, "combination skin" labeled, or balanced foundation as the base layer - a true middle-ground finish generally performs more evenly across zones than an extreme matte or extreme dewy formula.
• Prime by zone, not uniformly. A mattifying primer on the T-zone and a hydrating one on the cheeks, blended where they meet, addresses each area's actual need - see Primer.
• Set by zone as well. Powder the T-zone to control oil; skip or use minimal powder on the cheeks to preserve a more natural finish there - see Setting Powder vs. Setting Spray.
• Keep blotting sheets on hand for T-zone touch-ups rather than reapplying foundation or powder across the whole face.
• Blend zone transitions carefully. Where a mattifying product meets a dewier one, a light buffing with a clean brush or sponge avoids a visible line between the two finishes.

A zone-by-zone routine

1. Moisturize by zone. Use a light moisturizer all over and add a little extra on the cheeks, or use a gel moisturizer on the T-zone and a richer one on the cheeks - see Skin Prep.
2. Prime by zone. Mattifying primer on the T-zone, hydrating primer (or none) on the cheeks.
3. Apply a thin layer of satin-finish foundation all over, building coverage only where you need it - see Foundation.
4. Conceal only where needed, with a slightly more matte concealer on any T-zone blemishes.
5. Use cream blush on the cheeks, where skin is drier and cream blends in more smoothly.
6. Powder the T-zone and under the eyes, and leave the cheeks unpowdered or very lightly dusted - see Powder.
7. Finish with a natural-finish setting spray, rather than a very matte or very dewy one.

Through the day

• Blot the T-zone and add a little pressed powder only there; the cheeks usually don't need touching up.
• If your cheeks feel tight or look dry by afternoon, a light hydrating mist pressed in with a sponge refreshes them without adding shine to the T-zone.
• Adjust by season. Cheeks often need more moisture in colder months, and the T-zone more oil control in summer. Shifting the moisturizer and powder by zone usually works better than switching foundation.

Common mistakes

• Treating the whole face as one zone and picking a formula that only really works for one part of it.
• Powdering the entire face to control T-zone shine, which can leave the cheeks looking dry, flat, or over-matte.
• Assuming combination skin needs an expensive, specially formulated product - zone-specific application of ordinary products usually solves it just as well.
• Changing the whole routine seasonally instead of adjusting product placement, when often only the T-zone's needs shift with weather while the cheeks stay fairly stable.