I’ve never really been bothered by my pores! It was not an issue for me until I’d read others mentioning issues with theirs. I don’t do anything per se for mine, and I don’t really worry about them – in general, I find a good setting powder to be quite smoothing overall.
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Pores aren’t a concern for me either. Foundation and powder usually helps conceal them and smooths everything out
Great question, Lulle!
I have always had fairly noticeable pores. And I hate them! When I remember to use some witch hazel on a cotton pad, it definitely helps. Also, using a good primer under my foundation alleviates that pesky polka dot effect further. Yet, even doing the above measures plus using a setting powder, I often see where foundation has somehow managed to pool into them, particularly during warmer weather!
Hopefully, someone else on here has a tip I have as yet not heard of or tried.
The pores on my cheeks can look huge (like gross orange peel skin) if they get clogged. To unclog them,
*I use a cleansing oil to remove makeup, then a Clarisonic with a gentle foaming cleanser
*I dry my face, and then slather on a layer of Paula’s Choice 10% Glycolic Acid Hydrating Gel onto the cheeks and leave it on as a mask for about 30 minutes. The gel isn’t hydrating at all, but the Glycolic Acid (or AHA) dissolves dead skin cells/ dirt/oil deep inside the pores, thereby tightening them up, and shrinking their appearance
*I rinse off the gel with warm water, then apply a light soothing cream on top, and go to bed
*In the morning, my cheeks are smooth, and the pores are almost invisible
I avoid liquid foundations at all costs, even with primers liquid still seems to make them look worse. I still see them with powders, but not nearly as bad.
I’m not bothered by them without coverage/foundation. When I wear foundation, I’m careful to make sure I’ve sheered out the coverage in that area so that nothing collects and makes them stand out. I know there are pore-filling primers, but I figure they would wear off throughout the day anyway and then I would have gunk collected in there and ew.
i dont have large visible pocks in my face. what i do have are visible (if you are within kissing distance and im not wearing makeup lol) blackheads on the nose.
i’ve read reports that the blackhead is a manifestation of dirt and dead skin. so i’ve become diligent in using peels or chemical scrubs to exfoliate, and they have really helped!
alot of how we look boils down to habits and efforts. eg, if we persistently pick at pimples, it will definitely leave a crater behind after it heals. so if we want to look good, we have to slap our own hands once in a while and be more diligent in skincare too.
I wish I had some magical treatment for my pores that would make them disappear. Maybe some other reader will provide the perfect answer! I have tried smoothing primers, moisturizing, different foundations, etc. and nothing really works. At this point in my life I just accept that they are there and there isn’t anything I can do to make them disappear. However, I do know that some foundations make them look worse and so I am careful about avoiding those foundations.
They’re only really an issue with some foundations that sink into them or have such a dewy finish that it emphasizes them. In that case I use some sort of blurring primer and it’s usually enough. And yes, a good powder, whether mattifying or blurring, also helps.
I don’t care about them. Sometimes my nose gets sebaceous filaments, which I’ll occasionally treat with BHA but it’s not a regular part of my routine. I tried BHA on the rest of my face and noticed no other change in the visibility of my pores, which was only a slight disappointment.
I have slight acne scarring on my cheeks which I could soften the appearance of with a heavy duty primer if it bothered me, but it’s a flaw that I’m happier just accepting. My mom has more scarring than I do, and it really bothers her, but my whole life I’ve never known anyone to find it anywhere near as unattractive or obvious as she worries it is. So I decided at some point to let it go. I feel like my two happiest options are to seek treatment from a derm, or just be happy with the way the texture of my skin is. This one (to me) isn’t worth spending the money on for the foreseeable future, so I go with option B.
Have you try organic water of flowers? Try rose water and lavender water and trust me that will change your skin! Just spray on a clean face let dry,and use your usual routine! You’ll have some results that you never except (i hope for you) and for less money 🙂 I let a comment after your,to explain my experience,so maybe you can find it and read it 😉 thanks
What brand do you use and where do you buy it ?
hi! thank you for the question. I use SANOFLORE and buy it at Pharmacy or simply at the supermarket.(i dont know where it sale in us,but online maybe on iherb) The most important its to buy it Organic and real water lavender who are really extract from the flowers themselves because sometimes you can find another version its only water plus lavender so its not the same so its really important. (Like a bottle with 100% orange juice VS a bottle with water and orange juice )
Thanks for your answer , where do you look…? Near face washes etc ? Don’t think we have it in the US…I live in Florida. Did see a good organic one rose and lavender on Amazon.
It wasn’t a problem for me at all until I turned 39. Now I have quite big pores under my nose and on my cheeks near my nose. I keep them clean (proper but gentle cleaning then BHA, sometimes AHA in the evenings) and after my morning skincare routine I use Nyx Pore Filler Primer and some colorless slightly matte talc-free powder on these areas. I’m satisfied with the result.
It starts with skincare. I use salicylic acid and glycolic acid products to gently exfoliate all the time.
But for makeup, I use primer and foundation, and I use the powder method that I saw on a Wayne Goss video. Loose powder on a velour puff, work the powder into the puff, knock off the excess. Then press and roll the powder into the skin. Buff more powder as finishing step if necessary.
For me, this really helps bc it locks in the foundation and keeps everything looking smooth. Pores look bigger when the foundation wears off and settles into the creases and pores.
I don’t do anything, though unlike Christine, I am bothered by my visible pores! I have large pores all over my nose and cheeks, but I’ve never found anything that adequately covers (or shrinks!) them. Every skincare item, primer, pore filler, powder and makeup application trick I’ve tried either hasn’t worked at all or had effects that were too fleeting to bother with. So instead of trying to cover them, I just repeat my mantra that my pores are far more visible to myself than they are to anyone else who looks at me, and that it’s senseless to sweat the things about my appearance that I cannot change.
I use a particular primer for that purpose like the skin smoothing pore perfector from Bobbi Brown.
Mattifying powder is the only thing that really makes ’em look less visible. Creams and treatments, even primers, don’t really work for me.
I agree with Christine — never gave pores a thought until “peer pressure.” 🙂 In fact, I just bought the Estee Edit Pore Stick just last week. I like it because it adds a smoothness to the skin and it does blur the pores. But do I really need it? Probably not. My pores have not been an issue for me until the marketing machine made it one in my own head. This simple question has made me see that now.
I posted this once before from the Beauty Brains. Physiologically, there really is nothing that can be done to eliminate them, no matter what the claims. FYI.
FROM THE BEAUTY BRAINS:
Jess just wants to know… I have had large pores for as long as I remember. What products really work to shrink facial pores?
The Right Brain’s reply:
Unfortunately, none. At first glance, you may think that pore control products offer to make your pores smaller, but if you read the label carefully you’ll see that in most cases they just claim to reduce the appearance of large pores. That may sound like a subtle distinction but it’s really not. There’s not much you can do to physically make your pores smaller but you can avoid making them look larger. Instead of looking for “shrinking” products, try avoiding these 5 factors that can make pores look plump:
1. Skin debris…
…like dead skin cells can collect in pores making them appear bigger. Good facial cleansing is key to staying debris-free.
2. Excessive oiliness…
…can keep pores filled with a layer of oil that accentuates their appearance. Consider using oil-absorbing makeup or more frequent cleansing or blotting.
3. Bacterial growth…
…contribute to blackheads and make pores appear freakishly huge. Exfolliation can help.
4. Sun exposure…
…can thicken the skin cells around the edge of pores making them appear larger. Using a sunscreen or limiting your sun exposure is a good idea.
5. Genetics…
…determines your skin type and if you`re unlucky enough to be born with oily, thicker skin your pores will probably be more noticeable. Changing your parents could help this but is probably not a very practical solution.
No.#5. Yes, I do blame it on my bio parents! On the other hand, the same thicker, oilier, large pored olive skin that can look like greasy orange rinds is also the same thing that has people assuming that I’m a good 12-17 years younger than I actually am! So maybe I need to tell the negative committee that meets in my head to shut up and take a seat!
High five on that! 12-17? I’ll take that with pores any day!
They’re not usually an issue (most the time, if they are, it’s the product or technique for applying it that’s been the issue) but I do have 2 really excellent primers that eliminate any issues – one is the Clarins one in the small red jar and the other is MAC Matte – I don’t use it for oil control (and I don’t know if it’s actually very good for that, despite its name) – but it’s great for “hiding” pores under foundation.
I was not bothered with my pores (had an immaculate peachy complexion) either until I turned 32, got rosacea and pores like the Grand Canyon. PHA acid treatments are the only thing that works long term. Good, creamy foundation is a must. Bobbi Brown stick foundation paired with a good foundation brush seem to do the trick.
I try to use an granulated exfoliator like Kate Somerville once a week followed by a charcoal purifying mask on my nose….I have tried multiple pore products under makeup, and find I like Dr. Brandt Pores no More the best….Too Faced Pore Perfection is good also…..nothing works like magic, but this works pretty good.
I’m with you most of the way, Christine! Visible pores are a natural, normal part of life — at least for most people! I guess maybe a few people have such dry, fine-textured skin that their pores don’t show, even in the center of the face. But they’re probably dealing with other skin issues that come with dry skin! I really wish magazines, etc. wouldn’t airbrush pores out of existence, it tends to create unrealistic expectations.
At times I’ve had some pores get enlarged to the point where they look like craters, and then I’ve tried various pore-filling primers without much success. I haven’t tried anything that’s new in the past couple of years, because I haven’t been getting crater pores since I started using salicylic acid/BHA on a daily basis to deal with other issues. That really does keep pores cleared out, so they’re less likely to get clogged up and stretched out.
Anna Sui has an absolutely marvellous product that not only smooths over pores, but helps disguise some acne scars. It comes in a little jar, I think it’s just called smoothing and refining primer and you only need a tiny little bit to help your skin look beautiful. I get mine from Beautylish, and it’s not a hideous price either 25.00 and lasts a year.
Since my pores became more noticeable (or I became more aware of them, who knows) I’m not too thrilled about them. I mean, I’ve more or less accepted there’s not much that can be done about them, so I might as well live with my pores as they are. Sure, I cleanse and hydrate my face thoroughly. Could do a better job when it comes to exfoliating, but I’m still looking for quality products that are locally available.
I don’t wear foundation or any kind of makeup in the area where my pores are most noticeable, so I don’t have any tricks to share. I’d advise against buying Clinique’s Pore Refining Solutions, as it did nothing for me. Didn’t help that the sales assistant pushed a way too dark shade on me, which looks terribly unnatural. A waste of my money I sincerely regret.
I started using cle de peau’s refining pressed powder. I love it I am not sure if it helps with large pores but it gives a nice finish. My pores only seem large on my nose but I use the powder all over my face it is my favorite.
Badly. And keep on moving.
I have big pores but I don’t like most traditional primers. I just try to use skincare that improves my skin texture and then try not to notice them 🙁
I don’t really use primer much, and also hate those velvety primers that claim to fill in pores. I just try to powder my oily bits in the morning when I do my makeup and blot throughout the day. As long as there’s no shine, pores are going to seem smaller.
I’ve just accepted that it’s my skin and everyone has pores. There are other issues that bother me much more.. smudgey mascara, foundation caked up around my nose, food in my teeth, etc.
Since one week im using organic lavender water because i dont know why but i bought it in the same time with my organic rose water because i use it everyday after cleaning my face and before and after to do my makeup…So i’ve start to use lavender water the night after cleaning my face and go to bed and i dont know how to explain? But its so so so incredible! I had blackhead on my nose,and i swear that i did nothing except “pschiit pschiit” in my night routine on my skin and in less one week they dissapear! its really crazy because i have this since years but they go alone,quickly and the crazyest its i didnt know that lavender water can be able to do that!! And the most incredible its that usualy when you remove blackhead on your nose you have your pores who are opened and visible but with lavender nope! i have a baby skin on my nose right now its just unbelievable! Maybe some people reading they can think that im crazy about the luangage that i use, but trust me its only because im so so surprised by the result that i have in less one week with a product that i didnt know it can find an issue for problems that i had and i was living with them…For spot its the same,they come and they go! the beginning and the end in the same week!
And now i can say that for my visible pores that i have between my nose and my cheek they are smaller! so we’ll see with one month of application what’ll happened? But if someone want to try i think that you have also that in us,here in France you can find it everywhere and even the organic version its really affordable like 6 or 7 $ but make sure that its really lavender water not water flavoured with lavender because its NOT the same product! PS: you can also use a soap with lavender,its great too almost for spots its works, but be careful that can dry your skin so maybe not everyday except if you have oily skin…Voilà! 😉
I use Hylamide blur and Pore Delete and Bye bye pores. It helps coupled with some Paula products
I try to scare them away by staring angrily at them in the mirror 🙂
No, actually I use powder and blotting papers throughout the day.
I don’t even think about them. Without makeup not noticeable. I wear a very light hand of foundation only to even out color and diffuse it starting to see some signs of aging wrinkles a bit. ?
I just find a pore filler and go to town!
I know I’ve said it on here before, but microneedling really helps to reduce pore size. I’m not exactly sure why maybe it’s the increased collagen production, but with repeated treatments your skin clarity will definitely improve. The best alpha glycolic I’ve ever used is Alpha H Liquid gold. It’s seriously strong, but it works. Natura Bisse Diamond Extreme Peel is another heavy hitter.
I don’t have an issue with visible pores either – I never really have. But I would think a good exfoliating scrub and perhaps a gentle toner would do the trick.
Honestly, my pores are HUGE and I still don’t really care that much. I do take a little extra care to press foundation (whether liquid or powder) into the largest pores on my nose and surrounding area, but that’s about it. I don’t use any pore filling primers because I can’t get with the texture. Human skin has pores! I don’t think there’s anything wrong with them being larger on some people.
I really like my current primer combo of Murad Invisiblur followed by Hourglass Mineral Veil primer. I also use both a brushing and buffing motion when applying foundation. Seems to help hide them a little…..
I think it’s one of those things that there isn’t a cure for. Or maybe there’s an expensive or invasive cure out there I’m unaware of. I hate the large, dirty pores in my t zone. They’ve become noticeable the last few years, and I’ve tried EVERYTHING! I’ve tried every product, natural to high end, charcoal masks and scrubs, exfoliating, every product recommended specifically for pores. Nothing! If anything they’ve gotten bigger lol. Are all the good reviews just lying? So I can cover them at least. I use tarte maracuja crease less concealer, then liquid foundation and setting powder. My other concealors don’t cover them as well. The tarte is so thick, it seems to create a layer over them. Also a little of that stuff goes a long way. You hear that about many products but with this one it’s true, use half or a 3rd what you’d normally use with other brands. Wayne Goss had a tutorial about buffing and pushing powder literally into your pores. It looks good but I haven’t tried yet. I will one day just to experiment for special occasions if it works. I think you actually do it before putting on foundation, and then add more powder after too.
I have tried all skin cosmetics including primers and liquid foundations but my pores are are still there. Please advise the correct remedy for a smoother skin.
I don’t have any problems with my pores. But I treat my skin like I do. Meaning, I mask, steam my face to open and unclog my pores. I also use the PoreFessional by Benefit Cosmetic’s. I always state that skin care is more important than the amount of makeup or cover up you use… and to look healthy on the outside, you have to take care of what goes inside of your body. I DID have problems with cystic acne, I did have aweful tragic skin, and I was picked on half my life. I changed how I ate, how I cooked, I drink plenty of water to flush out any impurities in my skin and body. I’m careful about avoiding the best I can, makeup that won’t clog your pores ect.
I use glam glow’s super mud mask a few days a week and it helps with enlarged pores. I also use benefit’s primer.