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What are your tips & tricks to making pores less noticeable?
What are your tips & tricks to making pores less noticeable? Share yours!
There are definitely primers that give skin a smoother look, like Benefit’s Porefessional, but I really like using setting powders for this. I just find they do an excellent job – my current go-tos are Guerlain’s Les Voilettes and Urban Decay’s Naked Loose.
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My favorite, which was like a revelation to me when I learnt to use it right, is NARS Light Reflecting Loose Powder. I first pat a small amount all over my face with a powder puff, then buff it all with a clean big powder brush. It gives my skin an airbrushed look I didn’t get by applying the powder with a brush, it’s fantastic. I also use a silicone primer, my favorite is the infamous Monistat Chaffing Gel which works wonderfully for very cheap and helps hide all the flaky skin I get on my face because of dermatitis 😀
I’m looking forward to you guys’ suggestions since I’m only using basic primer, and I’m starting to get tired of my smashbox already. (There’s still a lot of it left. :/ )
I have pores are on my cheeks that are easily clogged. About 2-3 times per week, I rub a little bit of Neutrogena Body Wash with 2% salicylic acid on them, leave on for about 2-5 minutes as a mask, then either rinse or go over it with a Clarisonic. The salicylic acid penetrates into the pores to kill bacteria and dissolve dirt/makeup, so it helps shrinks the pores. That usually does the trick, but if needed, I’ll also use Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer before putting on foundation and some powder.
I’m glad it works for you, but pro-tip: salicylic acid won’t be effective if only left on for 2-5 mins! You should leave it on your skin during the day or overnight.
I don’t have a lot of problems with this issue. I tried the SmashBox pore reducing primer, and it did a pretty good job, but I thought it felt too heavy and sticky. I also tried Dr. Brant’s No More Pores, and it was much lighter and more comfortable. It did a pretty good job, as well.
I mostly try to avoid really heavy, thick foundations that tend to settle into my pores. I also use a powder veil or HD powder. I like Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil, MUFE HD powder and e.l.f.’s HD powder to diffuse pores.
I wish I knew the secret to this! Although I do find that Powder foundation dusted over liquid does hide pores
Talking about pores: I started trying Verso skincare (with a milder but supposedly more efficient form of retinol) a while ago, and I have definitely seen an improvement on the pore front (also a lot of other things)! I’ve been using AHA/BHA products for years without that actually happening!
If we’re talking about making pores seem less visible, I like Bioderma Sebium Pore Refiner and Dior Pore Minimizer for that.
Oh, interesting. I’ve used a really mild /I think) retinol product and it didn’t do a thing for me, so at the moment I’m back at ther AHA/BHA products and so far I’ve not seen much of a difference, if any. I’ll check Verso out when my products start to run out.
Thanks so much for mentioning this!
I still have to write about what I’ve tried in detail, but I can definitely see why people are crazy about retinol. This particular line seems to work well for me in a sense that so long as I don’t push it, I don’t end up with irritation (when I can see that my skin is beginning to get sensitized, I take a break for a day). If you check the line out, I hope it’ll work for you, too!
I really like CoverFX primer – the one with the SPF. It does a fabulous job of minimizing the look of pores. I’ve several other primers too that do this (my first great primer find was Lise Watier’s Base Miracle which, I believe, they’ve made a lot of changes to over the years, adding colour correcting versions). I also like powders but find that primers and some good skin care to keep my pores clear are more of a help but maybe I should be giving my UD Naked powder sample another try.
primer, setting powder and circular motion when applying foundation with a brush
Dior’s Pore Minimizer helps quite a bit, and so does mattifying my skin. If my skin gets too shiny or if I apply shimmery products my pores are SO much more noticeable.
I don’t really have so much, and in areas where I do, I really dont bother as much, for I feel that if I put anything like a primer, it makes my whole complexion look thicker, if you know what I mean. Maybe some of my Nars setting powder…just a whisper, really. I don’t think skin is supposed to look 100% flawless. Some spots, some freckles, some pores here and there keep it real and fresh and youthful. Even some fine lines. I grew up in a country where make up is used in a very discrete and inconspicuous way, so have a cultural thing against a whole lot of make up really.
I use a damp beauty blender (squeezed out into a paper towel) to put pressed powder over my foundation where my pores are largest (around my t-zone). That fills in my pores nicely and stays well all day.
glad i’m not the only one who does this 🙂 i usually use loose power though (NARS). which powder do you use?
Biore strips and Paula’s Choice BHA liquid exfoliant (which did shrink my pores so everybody get on it!). I also use serums or primers with dimethicone to make my pores appear smaller.
Lately I’ve been wearing mac’s strobe cream and it does a beautiful job at making my skin look poreless, healthy and glowing, without making it looks greasy/oily. It’s quite interesting, because I’d say that for me the ‘dewy’ primers do a better job at erasing my pores than the more matte, silicone primers like porefessional, although I love both because I’m a total primer fan. As for powders, I really love benefit’s flawless powder – an oldie but a goodie!
I try everything, primers, setting powders, mattifying foundations and nothing really helps. The only thing that seems to hide the pores a bit is buffing the products in with a stippling brush. and then apply a good powder very lightly. If I get just a small amount too much of the powder it counteracts everything, and makes all the flaws visible and it also looks dated and cakey.
With some products or combinations the foundation applies just in the pores themselves and not on the rest of the skin, making it look like skincolored blackheads. Not flattering 😀
I do have quite large pores, and get oily in the T-zone so I will read all posts with great interest.
I sometimes use Clarins Lisse Minute primer, otherwise finishing with a powder usually does the trick. I also avoid foundations that emphasize pores, like Dior Star recently.
Tears. After putting on one of my (literally) 22 primers (you would think I would learn that they don’t work, but I still buy them!), Carefully apply one of over a dozen foundations and dust with various Pore hiding powders…after I try setting sprays, fingers, brushes, sponges and anything else I can find, I will generally tear up at the sight of the dinner plate sized pores that cover my cheeks. That helps diffuse the look of them beautifully since I can no longer focus my eyes. Sad but true. Only products I have found that works even moderately well are applied after makeup and are the Clinique pore refining instant perfecter and the Mally poreless Face defender.
For me, it’s about keeping my skin hydrated and soft, funnily enough! People often mention having large pores with oily skin, but I find that if my dry skin isn’t meticulously moisturised, in addition to flakes the pores around my nose and the centre of my forehead get huge (relatively speaking).
What’s working for me at the moment is rosehip oil, funnily enough! It’s the first fae oil I’ve tried, and I wasn’t expecting it to do much for pores, but lo and behold…
In makeup terms, a good powder foundation positively airbrushes them out. My favourite is the YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat compact (Asia exclusive, sadly). I wanna try the UD Naked powder though!
Always cleanse and treat skin properly for your skin type. Otherwise, grab a great blotting powder, like from Becca, or stop contesting pores with soo much makeup! Hence, let skin breathe! 🙂 I personally favor Nars loose crystalline transparent setting powder by pressing it in with a large brush! (MJB Bronzer) Swishing a brush everywhere can aggravate the base, gentle pushes set and secure! 🙂
Big night? Prepare with a good clay mask, keep moisturized well, and use a fab primer!
I have large pores on my nose but I pretty much let them be. If I use any primer or “pore-reducing” type product (that basically just clog the pores), then I get pimples. Sometimes I use prescription Differin on them and blotting papers. And I’ve been using Paula’s Choice 2% BHA to help. But I can’t really do much else because I would risk a rosacea flareup.
I have tried so many. My favorites are Clinique Instant Perfector (applied after my primer on certain areas) and It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores loose powder.
I actually found that putting on a bit more base lately is helping me. I usually try to use as little as possible but it’s like butter scraped over too much bread.
Not very creative, but I’ve been using L’Oreal’s Pore Vanisher and it seems to be working! I thought at first it was for young girls who worry about their pores being oil-clogged so I passed, but then I started paying attention to my pores more and realized I would look better with less noticeable pores, too, so I gave it a try. It has helped quite a bit. Who knows, next I may somehow justify a Clairisonic, too!! 😀
I rely on my skincare rather than cosmetics to reduce my enlarged pores appearance. But for those days when they’re screaming HELLO I use By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra-Powder over my foundation just in the affected areas.
Tarte Smooth Operator finishing powder. I actually only use it on the triangle under my eye but it keeps those weird x shaped wrinkles away and the pores under them nearly disappear with it gently pushed on.
Currently, MUFE HD powder with Guerlain meteorites do the most wonder on my skin!