A Beautiful, Matte Complexion

For as long as I can remember, I have always preferred an all matte finish to my base. As a make up obsessive, I'm always on the look out for new products that will control shine and give my skin a natural looking matte appearance, and lately I've discovered a handful of products that work incredibly well together to give me the complexion I've always wanted. 

I heavily rely on primers to stop my make up sliding off my face throughout the day and achieve a more balanced looking complexion. Not only do they increase the longevity of make up, they really help to correct any problem areas and minimise imperfections, especially if your skin is far from perfect. My main issues with my skin are oil control and visible pores, so I have a few primers on hand to correct these. 

To perfect my shine free base, I start with the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light (£25). This stuff is truly amazing, it's incredibly smoothing and really helps to even out my skin before I apply my make up, leaving my skin with a silky, smooth matte finish that lasts all days and keeps my make up looking fresher for longer. I'm on my fourth tube of this stuff and I have to say it's one of the best primers I've tried for oil control. 

Another primer I just love for controlling shine is the Essential Matte Touch by Jouer Cosmetics (£20), a colourless balm- like skin perfector that works to degrease the skin and reduce the appearance of visible pores.  I found this quite difficult to work with at first as it’s the first mattifying balm that I’ve tried, but all you need to do is rub a small amount onto your finger and dab onto any problem areas. It’s a great little product to carry around for touch ups, and a great alternative to powder if you rely on that to keep your skin shine free throughout the day.

I follow this with the Benefit Porefessional (£24.50), my favourite primer for minimising the appearance of pores. The pores on my nose are one of my biggest skin complaints, and this stuff works like a dream to diminish their appearance, whilst controlling oil making my skin look flawless. It works wonders, and feels so velvety smooth on application. 

My foundation of choice has to be the Clinique Stay-Matte Oil Free Make Up (£22), as it's incredible for achieving flawless skin and controlling oil breakthrough throughout the day. This has a semi-matte finish that looks lovely and natural, it blends beautifully and effortlessly to conceal all imperfections and keeps my complexion shine free. The formula is light and creamy, so it's really easy to work with and always makes my skin look so clear and beautiful. The coverage is pretty impressive too. 

I finish my base with another Clinique favourite of mine, the Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder (£23). I use this to both set my make up and ensure my skin looks balanced and matte. This is a wonderful powder for controlling oil and shine, I use a fluffy powder brush to sweep this over my face and it instantly leaves my complexion looking fresh and flawless.

Have you tried any of these products? What products do you love to use to create a matte complexion?