Dear Friends, in November 1994 the makeup artist François Nars launched twelve lipsticks in New York. He had trained at the Carita beauty school in Paris, moved to New York in 1984 and worked for Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE and Vogue. The demand for those lip colors grew into a full line of cosmetics and skincare, and years later he was telling Allure that concealers were usually heavy duty and cakey and settled into fine lines. So what can we take from that. Mostly that a good formula behaves. I also put together Best Skincare for Oily Skin: Gentle Cleansers, Gel Creams and Sunscreens That Do Not Shine.

 

That is the whole lesson behind the best concealer for oily skin: finish and restraint. Makeup artist Tanvi Chemburkar says anything too creamy or stick-based tends to draw out more oil and look greasy, so she goes matte or soft-matte, puts a dot only where it is needed and sets it with powder or spray even when the formula is matte. I promise modern options below, from full coverage to color correctors, powders, blotting papers and sprays (there is certainly more to uncover). I went deeper on a related idea in Best Full Coverage Foundation for Mature Skin: Hydration First, Thin Layers After.

 

Begin with the full-coverage matte ones. The Shape Tape in 16N is a slim tube with a doe-foot applicator, and Tarte says it was inspired by founder Maureen Kelly’s experience with cystic acne. The NARS Soft Matte Complete in Marron Glacé is a longwear liquid-cream in a slim black tube, and the Huda Beauty #FauxFilter in Brittle 6.5 is matte, buildable and waterproof in a golden shade. The Hourglass Vanish Airbrush in Valley 8.25 has a sculpted applicator, the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r in 105 is crease-proof, and the Dior Forever Skin Correct in 1 Neutral is made for up to 24 hours of wear.

 

Picture her on an October morning, coat already on, tapping two dots under each eye and nothing more. I would do the same: dot, tap, set, and leave it alone.

Waterproof and long-wear tubes are the obvious shelf for oily skin, and the finish decides which one you will keep. Chemburkar prefers a dry brush to a sponge, since a sponge can hold moisture and make the product slide, so a firm-tipped wand or a small brush is worth having on hand.

 

The Make Up For Ever HD Skin in 2N35 is a full-cover waterproof tube, and the Estée Lauder Double Wear in 6C is the 24-hour longwear option. The Fenty Beauty We're Even in Medium Deep 420W adds hydration to a longwear waterproof formula with a doe-foot applicator, which suits the corners of the eyes. The Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless in 8 Medium-Tan is a crease-proof blur concealer in a gold-capped tube, and the Tower 28 Swipe in 12.5 PICO is a serum concealer with a flocked applicator and 18-hour wear.

 

The L'Oréal Paris Infallible Full Wear is a squeeze-tube waterproof formula, the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye is a water-resistant cream in a pot, and the Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra Wear is a slim long-wear tube. In my fashion dreams it is a rainy Sunday and she has somewhere to be at noon and again at night, so she wants one layer that holds.

 

Test any of them on the back of your hand first and look at it again after an hour: a formula that has gone shiny or patchy there will do the same under the eyes. What I would skip: stacking a second and third layer on top of the first, because Chemburkar says multiple layers only crease, slip and look cakey as the day goes on.

Sheena Yaitanes launched Kosas in 2015 with four lipsticks, and her Revealer line came from her own sensitive, acne-prone skin. She says she has never liked the word concealer, which is a fair thing to think about while you shop for color correctors, since the point here is to neutralize before you cover.

 

The Kosas Revealer Extra Bright in Magic is a serum-powered liquid corrector in a slim tube, and Kosas says it was made to layer under Revealer Concealer for more coverage and more brightness. The Huda Beauty #FauxFilter in Cherry Blossom is a pink-toned liquid with a doe-foot applicator, and the ONE/SIZE Ultimate Color Corrector Stain in Baby Pink is a liquid stain with a slim applicator. The Bobbi Brown Skin Long-Wearing Corrector Stick in Light Peach is a twist-up stick, handy in a bag.

 

For something stronger, the tarte Shape Tape corrector in Green is a hydrating full-coverage liquid, and the MAC Studio Fix 24HR in Peach is a small liquid in a slim tube. The Charlotte Tilbury Magic Vanish in Fair comes in a gold-capped tube, and the Too Faced Born This Way Brighten & Color Correcting concealer in Pink is a pink liquid with a doe-foot wand.

 

Use only a dot of corrector, tap it in with a dry brush and see whether you still need concealer on top. What I would skip: a corrector in a stick or cream form on the days your skin feels slick, since Chemburkar warns that stick-based formulas can draw out more oil.

Powder is the step that tells a concealer to stay. Chemburkar says even a matte formula should be set with powder or spray, and one of her favorite techniques is thin layers of powder between concealer applications, which she says helps the product stick longer without looking heavy.

 

The Laura Mercier Translucent Loose in Translucent sets makeup for up to 16 hours with 24-hour shine control and is made for oily skin, and the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Blur in Translucent Medium/Tan is an ultrafine loose powder with the same 24-hour oil-control claim. The Huda Beauty Easy Bake in Pound Cake is a pale yellow loose jar that sets makeup for 18 hours, and the ONE/SIZE Ultimate Blurring in Universal Translucent is a large jar with a smooth matte finish. The Kosas Cloud Set in Translucent Fluttery is talc-free, and Yaitanes lists it in her own everyday routine next to Revealer Concealer. If you want to keep going, Best Skincare for Oily Skin: A Short Routine, One Active is the one I would read next.

 

For a bag, the Tower 28 GetSet in Translucent Trestles is a talc-free pressed compact, the Huda Beauty Easy Bake pressed powder in Sugar Cookie Translucent adds up to 12-hour shine control, and the Make Up For Ever HD Skin in the small 0.14 oz jar is easy to carry. Press the powder in with a puff rather than sweeping it, and look in daylight for a flat, chalky patch before you leave.

 

What I would skip: a thick coat of powder over a thick coat of concealer, since thin layers are the whole idea.

Oil comes back by lunch, whatever you did at eight, so the last shelf is for touch-ups and a base that grips. The American Academy of Dermatology suggests blotting papers through the day: press them gently against your face and leave them for a few seconds, and do not rub, which spreads the oil to other areas.

 

The Tatcha Aburatorigami papers are made with abaca leaf and gold flake, 40 sheets in a booklet, and the travel-case set in a refillable case is simple for a bag. For primer, the Fenty Beauty Grip Trip is a mattifying, blurring pump bottle, the Benefit POREfessional Matte is a pore-minimizing tube, and the Milk Makeup Pore Eclipse is a pump tube that blurs pores and controls shine. Chemburkar recommends a mattifying primer even under the eyes.

 

To finish, the ONE/SIZE On 'Til Dawn spray has witch hazel and a 16-hour waterproof matte finish, the Urban Decay All Nighter is a tall fine-mist bottle made for up to 24-hour wear, and the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless spray is hydrating and waterproof. I would keep one blotting booklet in each coat pocket this month.

 

What I would skip: rubbing a paper across your forehead, and falling asleep in any of this, since the AAD says always remove all makeup before going to sleep.

I would start with the formula, not the shade: a matte or soft-matte concealer, a dot under each eye, a dry brush, and powder pressed on top right away. Then I would add a primer, a corrector only if I really need one, and a spray to seal it.

 

François Nars started with twelve lipsticks and a hunch that people wanted a thing that worked, and a good concealer is the same idea in a smaller tube. Keep it thin, set it, and let your skin do the rest.

 

With love, and matte under-eyes,