Cosmetics tips: choosing the right loose powder for your skin type

When choosing a loose powder for yourself you need to know what kind of skin type you have. There are five basic skin types; normal, oily, dry, combination, and sensitive skin. It is likely that you will fit into one of these categories.

1. Normal skin- this skin type is soft, supple, and it has small to medium pores.

2. Oily skin- this skin type is shiny from excess oil which causes pimples, blackheads, and whiteheads and has large visible pores.

3. Dry skin- this skin type can be identified by flaky, tight feeling skin--you usually will not see any pores due to the dryness and hardness of the skin .

4. Combination skin- this skin type is most common among women--it is usually dry on the cheeks and oily on the forehead, nose, and chin (known as the T-zone).

5. Sensitive skin- this skin type is sensitive to the elements and cosmetic products; it can be normal, oily, dry, or a combination of all skin types.

Loose powder is designed to give you a finished, poreless look and help your makeup stay in place longer. It also helps to stop the shine that appears on the forehead, nose, and chin throughout the day or night.

Normal skin is the easiest when choosing a loose powder because you can wear any kind of powder, but it is best to use a translucent loose powder. This will absorb any excess oil that may be on your face.

Loose powder is ideal for oily or combination skin because the powder absorbs the oil that is on your face. It is recommended to use a talc based translucent powder; this closes the pores and allows less oil to surface. You want to stay away from rice and cornstarch based powders because they can cause breakouts. When choosing a loose powder for these skin types look for an oil absorbing, oil free powder.

Cosmetic tip for combination skin: If you apply the loose powder to the oily areas, usually the T-zone, this will allow your natural skin on your cheeks and cheekbones to show through which will give you a more natural look.

When choosing a loose powder for dry skin you need to take into consideration that your face can look dry around the eyes and forehead, so the best choice for this skin type would be a light-deflecting, moisture infused loose powder. This would give the illusion of normal skin and the moisture that is infused in the powder would help moisturize the dry areas.

The best tip for choosing a loose powder for sensitive skin would be to choose a hypo-allergenic product. Sensitive skin can have allergic reactions to cosmetics and fragrances so a hypo-allergenic powder will decrease the chances for a reaction. Since sensitive skin can be normal, dry, oily, or a combination of all the skin types you will have to know your skin type to choose accordingly.

Tip for sensitive skin types: With sensitive skin you might want to ask your dermatologist for some advice on what to look out for in the ingredients so your risk for a reaction will be decreased (if you have one).