Skincare recommendations!

[bronwynntuck]

Does anyone have any good recs for reducing pores? My nose and forehead have such prominent pores so I need some help!

[Westcoasty]

@bronwynntuck  So...I have good news and bad news. The bad news is, there's a very limited amount you can do to shrink your pores. The good news is, there's tons of ways to deal with large pores so you still look great!

First step is to cleanse your skin with a good cleanser, morning and night. I'd also recommend a clay mask once or twice a week, to pull out oil, and exfoliation maybe two to three times a week (not on clay mask days). The goal here is to get rid of all impurities so that your pores stay clear, and there are no "clogs" that might make your pores bigger.

You will still need to moisturize. If you have combo skin with T-zone oil, I'd suggest a gel moisturizer - personally I like Farmacy Daily Greens Oil-Free Gel Moisturizer with Moringa and Papaya 1.7 oz/ 50 mL. But see what your skin likes. Try samples. I find I need a heavier moisturizer in winter, myself, but I love gel moisturizer in summer.

You want your skin to be clean and clear so it's a smooth "blank canvas". And you want moisturizer so that you can prime your skin, without the primer then getting sucked into your pores because your skin is dry. Same thing for foundation, if you wear it. But prime first.

There's lots of good primers out there. You could start by trying mini sizes. Some decent ones to look at are:

Benefit Cosmetics Mini The POREfessional Pore Minimizing Primer Mini Size - 0.25 oz/ 7 g 

Smashbox Try-Me: Face Primer Mini Set 

The Ordinary High-Adherence Silicone Primer 1 oz/ 30 mL 

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Mini Pore Diffusing Primer- Always An Optimist Collection 0.50 oz./15 mL 

MAKE UP FOR EVER Mini Step 1 Primer Pore Minimizer Pore Minimizer 

Then, after priming, you can add foundation if you want. But the primer itself is the real trick, here. It diffuses the look of your pores so that they're less noticeable.

Hope this helps! I'm getting a bit tired so I hope this makes sense. 😊 Good luck!