A Makeup Artist Showed Me How To Minimise The Appearance of My Pores
I'm Adore Beauty's resident beauty newbie. Before working at Adore, I was travelling the world for 4 months with just one tiny tube of Jurlique moisturiser. I washed my face with warm water and used olive oil as a deep conditioning treatment. Oh, how things have changed!
Low on time? Check out our key takeaways below
Key Takeaways
- Your Makeup Starts with a well-prepped skin; I ensure my skincare is specifically formulated for oily skin and regularly exfoliate to maintain a smooth canvas.
- Try A Blurring primer to effectively reduce the visibility of pores; Tahlia taught me to use it on key areas like the forehead, nose, and cheeks.
- Choose The Right foundation by understanding your skin type; I now mix matte and luminous foundations to achieve a long-lasting, pore-minimising effect.
- Drumroll For the hero product, IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores, which dramatically reduces pore appearance with just a single application.
- Make Peace with your pores; I’ve learned that pores are normal and focus on creating a smooth base rather than striving for poreless skin.
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As isolation restrictions were eased over the past couple of weeks, I saw all manner of exciting activities on Instagram Stories… Dinner parties, picnics, road trips.
I even saw two people - clearly on a first date - sitting on a park bench together. True story.
What did I do? I had a playdate with a makeup artist, and after months of intensive isolation skincare, my makeup looked AH-MAZING!
Guess what I did after? I got into bed, pulled my false lashes off and fell asleep. True story.
Aside from the fact I wasted a perfectly good face of makeup, I treated the entire afternoon as one big learning opportunity.
I interrogated Melbourne makeup artist Tahlia Lipis to tell me exactly how to minimise the appearance of my pores. Tahlia did my makeup for my sister’s wedding and it literally lasted 10 hours without moving, which is a feat for this oily skin gal.
So, keep on reading for these expert tips on minimising the appearance of your pores (because no, you can't actually get rid of them for good).
Makeup Tips: Minimise The Appearance of Pores
1. Your Makeup Starts With Your Skin Care.
The first step is a smooth and hydrated canvas. I make sure I use skincare formulated for oily skin types, and regularly exfoliate. If you’re prone to blackheads and shine, try a salicylic acid, which is an oil soluble acid. I use SkinCeuticals Blemish + Age Defense Serum, which helps to remove oil.
Now down to my pore-minimising makeup routine. Start with a micellar water to remove any excess dirt and grime from the skin. If you have a build up of fake tan (like me), Tahlia suggested an exfoliating toner as the first step - something like SkinCeuticals Conditioning Toner 200ml.
Another great tip for those who are prone to blackheads - given to me by skincare therapist James Vivian - is to ditch the face tan and instead colour match your foundation to the neck and chest.
After cleaning the skin, Tahlia recommended swapping a cream-based moisturiser for a gel-based one. I’ve made the mistake of using a rich moisturiser to prep my skin, and I find my makeup doesn’t last without regular touch-ups. I like IT Cosmetics Confidence in a Gel Lotion, which is lightweight yet hydrating.
2. Try A Blurring Primer.
I’ve used mattifying primers for years, but Tahlia showed me a game-changing trick to reducing the appearance of pores. She massaged a blurring primer on the areas where I have visible pores (forehead, nose, cheeks and chin… pretty much my entire face). Blurring primers help to blur the appearance of pores and can help to control oil production throughout the day and night.
Depending on your skin type you can use different primers for different parts of your face. You could use a blurring primer on your t-zone and a hydrating primer on the rest of your face.
3. Choose The Right Foundation.
Before I worked in the beauty industry, I had absolutely no idea what foundation I should be using. I used MAC Studio Sculpt for many years, not knowing that (a) I had oily skin, and (b) it was formulated for “long-lasting hydration” and “revitalising dry skin”.
Not to mention I skipped primer AND powder. My skin looked wet and I couldn’t understand why. Oops.
These days, I mix a medium-coverage, matte foundation with a touch of luminous foundation. I wish I could wear dewy foundations (who doesn’t want to look glowy AF?), but I find matte foundations last longer and minimise the appearance of my pores. Tahlia first introduced me to matte foundations at my sister's wedding and I was converted. I had always avoided them like the plague, assuming they would make me look cakey. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Work out what finish you’re after and then find out what works well with your skin. You can see a range of foundations for oily skin here. If you’re looking to add a touch of glow to your matte foundation, I recommend mixing either Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat All In One Glow Foundation or MAKE UP FOR EVER Reboot Foundation.
Lightly buff the foundation into the skin in circular motions using a buffing brush. I use IT Cosmetics Flat Top Buffing Foundation Brush #6, which helps to smooth over the appearance of pores and buffs in foundation like a dream.
4. Drumroll For the Hero Product... IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores
When IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Loose Powder - Translucent 6.8g first arrived on my desk, I tried it on one side of my face with no makeup to really see if it worked. Long story, short: I was shook.
Literally… Bye, bye pores. Ba-bye. Look at the difference with absolutely no makeup, no moisturiser, no primer. Nothing except IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores.
It’s like Instagram’s Paris filter in a pot.
What else do you need to know?
- Pore-blurring powder, which reduced the appearance of pores & imperfections.
- Comes in both pressed and loose formulas.
- For all skin types.
- Long-lasting setting powder that mattifies skin.
- Translucent shade for all skin tones.
- Won’t alter foundation colour.
- Infused with collagen and silk.
- Nourishes and softens skin.
You can see the final look below using these four simple steps to minimise the appearance of your pores.
5. Make Peace With Your Pores.
Whilst pores serve an important function to keep the skin healthy, oily skin types will tend to have enlarged pores due to excessive sebum production. The size of your pores can’t actually be changed - as they say, pores aren’t doors; they can’t open and close.
Pores are normal. Poreless, flawless, photoshopped skin is not the goal here. The goal is to create a smooth base, use the right products for your skin type and learn some makeup techniques to help minimise the appearance of your pores when you’re feeling fancy.
On a day-to-day basis, I focus on having a kickass skincare routine and let my pores live their best life…
