Best Tips to Avoid Cake Face and How to Fix it

All my oily skin sisters out there the struggle is real when it comes to wearing makeup year-round. We get a little break during winter but its still a slippery mess.

I have extremely oily skin, not only that I took a dive head first and moved to Florida where it’s summer year-round. When I tell you I have gone through primer after primer I realized I was using the products incorrectly! I have gone from slippery mess to more of a dewy lookin’ girl.

What is Cake Face?

Cake face is not as good as it possibly could sound. It’s that moment when you look in the mirror at the end of a day and your skin looks like it’s been sliding around all day. It gives you that feeling like you want to scrub the shit out of your face because all of your hard work looks like a Picasso painting.

In reality, cake face results from a heavy hand with all of your face products.

Why Does Cake Face Happen?

There are a few reasons cake face creeps up on us throughout the day and thankfully there are ways to swerve the cake face look ladies.

The Number one cause for cake face is too much of everything on your face. When we think foundation we think we need to pile on a thick layer and follow that with a thick layer of powder to set the foundation, then we bake the shit out of our foundation.

Another cause for cake face is not using the correct products that work wonders for your skin. We all fall victim to this I myself do often. For example, everyone loves MILK MAKEUP (don’t get me wrong I still do, just from a distance) but these products do not work for my skin. Even the mattifying line leaves my skin super oily.

Not all products are made for your skin, find what works best for you babe, you’ll fall in love with your makeup routine once you do.

Best Tips to Help Avoid Cake Face

Tip 1: Prep You Skin For Makeup

Hydration is key when it comes to prepping your skin. You would think since your oily jumping straight to primer is the way to go. While it may work for some, it doesn’t work for a majority of us. Here is what I have found to be successful when prepping my skin in the order of application.

1. Start by cleansing your skin with one that leaves your skin feeling refreshed. I use the ELEMIS Super Food Facial Wash. This is a refreshing cleanser that is packed with skin-loving ingredients!
2. Apply a thin layer of your favorite toner. I have been using the Laniege Essential Power Skin Toner for combination to oily skin and haven’t looked back since. If you want a full review of my experience with Laniege you can find it here.
3. Apply a midsized pea amount of serum, I love serums and this is where I spend a good chunk of my money on. If you’re oily this is a great opportunity to apply a mattifying serum to help cut back on the oil. If you’re more on the dry side you can find a serum that is more on the hydrating side.
4. Finish prepping your skin with moisturizer. Practice being light-handed with this step. A little goes a long way when it comes to all skincare products. I like to dab 4 small dots of moisturizer on my skin and let it sit until I’m ready to apply foundation. This ensures the product has time to set into the skin and be absorbed.

Phew, now that your skin is prepped and ready for makeup, let’s move onto other tips to help avoid cake face.

Tip 2: Use a Light to Medium Coverage Foundation

Foundation is that one staple a lot of us have in our makeup stash. Foundation should be used to even out your skin tone, not give you a brand new face if you’re trying to avoid the cake face look.

Instead of a think layer of foundation, give the illusion of glowing skin by adding a very thin layer of a liquid highlighter. This will act as a layer of coverage but you must be light-handed.

I’ve noticed when my skin does get oily my foundation may start to fade and the highlighter is there when it does. I actually love this look and on days I don’t want to wear foundation I will mix the highlighter to my moisturizer

My favorite one is from MAC because the texture is super thin and easily blendable. I also keep on hand the soap and glory and you can find it here.

Tip 3: Use a Setting Spray Inbetween Your Layering

This has changed the game for me, bless it lord. Setting spray took me a while to find. A lot of setting sprays I used made my face either way to sticky and it just felt gross to wear. Or I would get the opposite, the setting spray would dry out my skin so much my makeup would actually flake off.

Spraying your face in between layering is allowing your layer of makeup to set before applying your next layer of makeup. It almost acts like a shield helping keep the oil controlled, but the key is to find the setting spray that works best for your skin and that plays well with your makeup.

Here is a list of my top 2 setting sprays I use back and forth! One of them is from the drugstore and it works for me!

1. Maybelline New York Facestudio Lasting Fix Makeup Setting Spray, Matte Finish
2. MAC Prep and Prime Fix + Setting Spray

These have been the two go tos that work well for me and my skin. These may not work well for everyone which is why it’s important to test out setting sprays. Other popular setting sprays that may be interested in is

1. Urban Decay Setting Spray
2. NYX Setting Spray
3. Infalliable Setting Spray

Tip 4: Apply a Translucent Setting Powder Before You Apply other Powders

This step has been crucial in getting the right matte look thought the day. Have you noticed after a few hours of applying your makeup, your powder start to crease around your eyes, or nose?

This is because you haven’t set your wet products properly before adding powder. I like to use translucent because you’re not adding another layer of color, the powder just sinks in to help keep it in place.

If you feel like you want more coverage you can go for a powder that has color, but be light with it because you risk running into a cakey face and ruining the true color of foundation

Tip 5: Apply your Powders with a Beauty Sponge

After applying foundation and concealer the last thing you want to do is move those products around. You can avoid this by applying your powders with a beauty sponge. By using a sponge you avoid smudging all of your foundation and applying to much powder.

Press the Sponge lightly into your skin, try to avoid brushing powder on and pressing it into your skin for a more flawless finish as well.

Tip 6: Blot Your Skin Lightly During your Bathroom Breaks

I’m going to let you in on a little secret, I no longer pay for blotting Sheets. I use the toilet seat covers in the ladies’ room to blot my face! These little life savers suck up oil like store-bought blotting sheets, and they’re free.

I blot my face every time I run to the ladies’ room to keep a fresh look throughout the day. When blotting your face, be sure not to press hard. The goal is to soak up the excess oil, you don’t want to pull off the powder as well.

After I blot my face, I don’t add more powder, this for me has been a no-no and a one-way ticket to cake face. If you feel your skin looks a little dry after you pat it down, give it a quick spray with your setting spray or rose water to help your makeup settle back down.

There you have it, this is what I do to keep my oily skin under control while wearing makeup. Remember not all products work the same for everyone so if something isn’t working for you, don’t be afraid to try other products!

What products are your favorite?