It is tough to find acne-safe makeup products from the sea of cosmetic brands in the market. It doesn’t matter how much you love a shade of blush or how well a foundation matches your skin, a product is useless if it breaks you out.
If you are just starting out with makeup or you only use makeup occasionally and don’t want to spend mega bucks on buying high end products, then you will find this full-face makeup kit useful.
These may not be the best products in their category, but they are safe for acne prone skin, meaning, with this set you minimize chances of getting new pimples. Still, it is best to test them out well before an important event just to avoid any surprise breakouts.
Normally you do not need to screen eye and lip makeup for being acne-safe, but someone wanted me to post a full makeup kit, the works, so here it is.
I have used most of these products at some point, but this list is by no means authoritative. Please share your favourites and un-favourites in the comments and let everyone know.
This is a drugstore version of the makeup kit. I have tried to include products from easily available budget brands and kept difficult to find brands like NYX and Rimmel to a minimum.
Do share your high end makeup favourites for acne prone skin.
You will also find these posts and makeup tutorials for acne prone skin useful. Check out this list of online stores to buy makeup.
A makeup tip for boys / men – did you know that eyebrow powder makes for a great mustache / beard darkener? Use a stiff angled brush and make short strokes in the direction of the hair growth. For more info, just ask in the comments.
| Face primer | Colorbar Perfect Match Primer (primers discussed) | |
| Foundation | Revlon New-Complexion Foundation (safest but not the best)Revlon Colorstay for Oily / Combination Skin (more foundation options) Chambor Sheer Delight Ultra Matt Oil Free Foundation (light to medium coverage for everyday use) |
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| Concealer (under eyes) | Colorbar Instant Coverup Stick Concealer (tons of concealers reviewed) | |
| Concealer (pimples) | Colorbar Full Cover Concealer (pot concealer). Colorbar Stick Concealer contains isopropyl palmitate and castor oil, neither of which is safe for acne prone skin. Colorbar pot concealer is difficult to blend under the eyes, so limit to spot concealing. | |
| Face powder (set makeup, reduce oily shine) | ||
| Blush | Maybelline Cheeky Glow powder blush | |
| Bronzer | Lakme Absolute Sun-Kissed Bronzer (no ingredient list, but reported to be okay for acne prone skin) (more bronzer options) | |
| Highlighter | Lakme Absolute Moonlight Highlighter or Colorbar Radiant Glow Highlighter Pen (no ingredient list, but reported to be okay for acne prone skin) | |
| Eye makeup primer | Colorbar Perfect Match Primer or NYX Eyeshadow base | |
| Eyebrow powder | Bourjois Intense Extrait Eyeshadow pot in shade 09 is a matte black-brown suitable for black eyebrows. Revlon Colorstay 16 Hour Eyeshadow palette (Adventurous) has a cool toned matte dark brown shadow to suit black brows | |
| Kajal | Maybelline Colossal Kajal pencil | |
| Eyebrow pencil | Rimmel London Eyebrow Pencil (in shade Black Brown) or NYX Eyebrow pencil in Charcoal | |
| Eye shadows | Maybelline or Revlon. Choose powder eye shadows over cream on oily lids. | |
| Eye liner liquid | Colorbar liquid eyeliner (I found no flaking, good water resistance, jet black, opaque formula, no eye irritation) | |
| Eye liner pencil | Faces twist up eye liner pencil in Chocolate. Colorbar I-Glide is another option, but too thick and difficult to smudge for a softer look. I also noticed some eye irritation from Colorbar I-Glide. I like Faces better, but the twist up is becoming difficult to find. | |
| Mascara | Maybelline Colossal (good enough) / Colorbar Duo Mascara (volumizes but doesn’t hold curl well) / L’Oreal Volume Million Lashes (holds curl, but doesn’t volumize enough for me) | |
| Lip balm | Lotus Herbals lip balm sticks | |
| Lip liner | Maybelline Color Sensational lip liner / Revlon Colorstay. Lip liners are tricky since they are by nature waxy. Avoid if you are prone to pimples around the mouth. Use matte lipsticks instead. | |
| Lipstick | Lakme / Revlon / your pick. Avoid buttery lipsticks. Lakme Lip Love lipsticks can give you tiny pimples around the mouth if not cleaned properly. | |
| Lipgloss | Revlon Super Lustrous or Colorburst lip glosses | |
| Makeup remover | Johnson’s Baby Oil or one of these makeup removers | |
| Setting spray | Colorbar Stay the Day Finishing Mist. It does contain castor oil which can cause breakouts if you are highly acne prone. |
