Beauty Makeup Tips

The One Reason a Makeup Artist Says Never to Use Face Oil Before Foundation

Rachel Jacoby Zoldan

December 15, 2017

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Because I have seriously dry skin, come winter, I need a head-to-toe remedy. And so, I employ various creams, balms, and even foundations to help combat my flakiness. In recent years, face and body oils have gone from taboo (for fear that they might cause pimples) to hot-ticket item, with benefits raging in size and scope from softening skin to providing antioxidant protection. Because oil is occlusive, it sits atop skin, which is helpful at keeping existing moisture locked in. Amazing, right? Yes, but only if you're going makeup free.

Your foundation won't ever really dry down, and even if it does, it won't dry evenly.

When I met Carmindy, the celebrity makeup artist you may recognize from What Not to Wear, at an event at Onda's Tribeca location, she actually told me to curb my face oil habit—at least before I apply my foundation. And that stopped me in my tracks, because I've been dousing my skin in oil pre-makeup for a few years now (whoops).

"Your complexion gets really slippery and the oil breaks down the foundation's formula, so it starts to dissipate," explains Carmindy. Meaning: Your foundation won't ever really dry down, and even if it does, it won't dry evenly, which could mean pilling or that it straight up comes off your face.

If you think about it, it totally makes sense. "You use oil to take makeup off," says Carmindy. "So, you definitely shouldn't be using it to set your makeup." Instead, opt for a light moisturizer that still has hydrating properties and let it dry into skin before applying your foundation. Lesson, learned.

Now that you've got the no-oil-before-foundation rule down, find out the exact order that you should apply your makeup products in, plus common concealer questions, answered.