I have acne-prone skin. Combo, with an oily T-zone and fussy cheeks. I’m also picky. I want makeup that covers, looks like skin, and doesn’t make me break out two days later. Big ask, right? Still, I found a few keepers. And a few “nope, never again” items. If you’re curious about the full rundown, I originally broke everything down in this acne-safe makeup guide—receipts, regrets, and all.
Here’s what I used, how I wore it, and what my face did after. Real talk, no fluff.
My Skin, My Rules
- Shade zone: light-medium with neutral-olive undertones
- Breakout style: small clogged bumps on my cheeks, chin cysts if I push it
- Triggers: heavy fragrance, coconut oil, sleeping in makeup (yep, learned that one the hard way)
I’m not a derm. I’m just someone who has to live with this face. And wash it. A lot.
How I Test So I Don’t Regret It
- Day 1–2: I patch test on one cheek. Just a thin layer.
- Day 3–5: Full face on a normal work week.
- Bonus stress test: Hot yoga or a humid day outside.
- I keep the rest of my routine the same, and I clean my brushes. That part matters more than we think.
You know what? Waiting 10 minutes between skincare and makeup also helps. My pores act calmer.
The Keepers: Products That Didn’t Break Me Out
Foundation: BareMinerals Original Loose Powder SPF 15 (Shade: Medium Beige 12)
This one surprised me. It’s a powder, but it didn’t look chalky. I buffed it in with a fluffy brush. Two light layers. Coverage went from “soft blur” to “yes, I slept last night.”
Wear test: 8 hours at my desk, then a quick grocery run. No new bumps the next morning.
Note: My cheeks felt a tiny bit itchy for the first hour the first time. It passed. No rash.
Tinted Sunscreen: Tower 28 SunnyDays (Shade: 20 Mulholland)
On lazy days, this is my face. It’s a tint with SPF 30. I wore it to a Saturday farmer’s market, sweating over peaches. It didn’t sting or clog. It did transfer a bit onto my mask, but my skin stayed calm.
I set my T-zone with a touch of powder, and it holds up better.
Concealer: NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer (Shade: Custard)
Pot concealer scares me, but this one works. I press it over spots with a tiny brush, then tap with a finger. No dragging. No cake. It didn’t build little white bumps around my nose like some do.
Gym test: still there after cycling class, which felt unfair but also great.
Primer: Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer
Silky but light. Fills texture just enough. I use half a pea-size only on my T-zone. No new clogs after a full week. Pricey? Yes. But my makeup lay smoother, and I used less foundation.
Setting Powder: Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder
Classic for a reason. I press, not swipe, with a puff. It kept my forehead from getting shiny at a Dodgers game. No under-skin bumps later that week.
Blush: Tower 28 BeachPlease (Shade: Magic Hour)
Cream blush that doesn’t feel greasy. I wore it three days straight. No surprise breakouts on the apples of my cheeks, which is very rare for me with creams. Color looks like a warm, just-took-a-walk flush.
Bronzer: Benefit Hoola (Original)
Simple, matte, and boring in a good way. No shimmer to irritate. I dust it along my temples and under cheekbones. Zero drama from my skin. It even pulled its weight when I spent a month channeling a Ruby Rose-esque vibe—here’s how that experiment went.
Setting Spray: Urban Decay All Nighter
It holds things in place. It does have alcohol, so I keep it off open spots. No new clogs, but I use it only on long days or events.
If you ever need to road-test how bulletproof your makeup really is—think sweaty dance floors and strobe lights—consider planning a night out at Tryst Pomona. The page lays out everything from its themed party schedule to dress-code tips, so you can show up with a face beat that lasts as long as the music.
The Flops: What Broke Me Out (Or Just Bugged Me)
- RMS Living Luminizer: Pretty glow, but it has coconut oil. My cheeks sprouted tiny bumps in 24 hours.
- Heavy stick foundations (I tried two drugstore ones): Looked great at first, then hello, clogged chin by day three.
- Fragrant glowy primers: One made my nose itch and left two whiteheads near my nostrils. Cute look? Not really.
Need more examples of sneaky breakout-causing formulas? I found this thorough list of makeup to avoid if you’re acne-prone super helpful.
I wish these worked. They didn’t. I moved on.
My Simple Acne-Safe Routine That I Repeat
- Morning: gentle gel cleanser, light moisturizer, mineral sunscreen
- Wait 10 minutes
- Primer (T-zone only)
- Powder foundation or tinted sunscreen
- Spot concealer
- Light blush, quick bronzer
- Set with powder; spray if I need it to last
Removal at night is the secret sauce. I use an oil cleanser, then a gentle wash (CeraVe Hydrating Cream-to-Foam over Vanicream Gentle Cleanser is my tag team). I don’t scrub. I pat dry. I keep it boring.
Small Habits That Helped More Than I Thought
- I clean my brushes every Sunday night with unscented soap. My skin chilled out after I made this a real habit.
- I change my pillowcase twice a week. I know, sounds extra. But it helped my cheeks.
- I keep my fingers off my face while working. Hard, but worth it.
- I skip makeup on active cysts. A tiny bit of concealer around, not on, the spot. It heals faster for me.
- I road-tested a bunch of celebrity hacks to see which ones helped (spoiler: some really did); the play-by-play lives right here.
If you ever feel like trading breakout tales or swapping shade matches in real time, Kik has some surprisingly active acne-safe makeup chat groups. You can browse a regularly updated directory of beauty-minded handles at SextLocal’s Kik usernames list—the page tags users by interests so you can jump straight into skincare conversations and dodge the off-topic spam.
Ingredient Notes I Watch For
This is my personal list, not a rulebook:
- Coconut oil, algae extract, and cocoa butter = usually a no for me
- Isopropyl myristate and myristyl myristate = often clogging on my chin
- Heavy fragrance = itch city
If you’re trying to make your own no-go list, dermatologists outline the eight worst ingredients for acne-prone skin in this quick explainer.
Dimethicone? Fine on my skin. Silicones don’t clog me by themselves. Everyone’s different, though.
When I’m double-checking a complicated INCI list, I like to scan the raw-material breakdowns on Girindus first—it’s a quick way to spot potential irritants before they ever meet my face.
Real-Life Wear Tests
- Office day with AC: BareMinerals + Hourglass primer lasted 9 hours. No shine, no new bumps.
- Hot yoga: NARS spot concealer stayed; powder didn’t. No clogs the next day.
- Mask commute: Tower 28 tint rubbed off a little, but my skin stayed calm all week.
- Game night snacks and stress: Laura Mercier powder kept it together. One small whitehead on my chin, which I blame on chips and touching my face.
Quick Drugstore Bits That Didn’t Freak Out My Skin
- Almay Clear Complexion Concealer (with a touch of salicylic acid): Nice on angry spots.
- Neutrogena Healthy Skin Pressed Powder: Light, not flat, no bumps after three uses.
They’re not perfect, but they’re safe enough for me on busy days.
My Bottom Line
Makeup didn’t “fix” my acne. It just stopped making it worse. That felt huge. If your skin acts like mine, start light, patch test, and keep your tools clean. BareMinerals for base, Tower 28 for tint