The Best Makeup & Skincare Routine for Combination Skin

Ahh, welcome to the Combo Club. Here, your forehead is shiny, your cheeks are dry, your chin can get acne and blackheads, and your nose…well, sometimes it’s oily and sometimes it’s dry. At some points on your face, your moisturizer just seems to disappear. At other times, it’s just. too. much. 

Believe us, we get it. Combination skin can be tricky, and it can affect everything from how your skincare works to how your makeup lays. And because of that, you need products that work specifically for your skin type; no one else's.

So we’re here to help you discover those perfect products made for you. Keep on reading to learn what skincare products work best for combination skin, what makeup works best for combination skin, and how to find them.

What Is Combination Skin?

Combination skin is exactly what its name suggests—a combination of both oily and dry skin types. Typically, the T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin) can be oily, while the cheeks, forehead, nose, or other areas can be dry, flaky, irritated, or patchy. This duality poses a verrry interesting and unique challenge: how do you hydrate the dry areas without exacerbating oiliness, and vice versa?

The key to caring for combination skin lies in understanding its underlying causes, which can range from genetic factors to environmental influences and lifestyle choices. Fluctuations in hormone levels, changes in weather, alcohol consumption, sleep routines, and even stress can all impact the skin's balance, making it prone to issues like acne in oily zones and flakiness in dry patches.

We know that it can be frustrating when looking for a skincare routine that can help alleviate some of the symptoms of combination skin. So we’re here to help, 

Let’s Talk Skin Barrier

Finding skincare and makeup that can address both oily areas and dry areas, and can tend to both without causing irritation or clogging pores is essential, and clean beauty like RMS can really, truly help. 

That’s because our brand is free from harsh chemicals and synthetic fragrances, and focuses on nourishing, skin-loving ingredients that nurture the skin and rebuild the skin’s barrier. Healing and repairing the skin barrier is one of the most important things you can do for combination skin. All of RMS’s Skincare Collection is Kind-to-Biome Certified. That means our products were independently, third-party tested and confirmed to not disrupt skin’s very sensitive microbiome. Protecting the skin’s natural microbiome encourages healthier skin and a stronger skin barrier, and that can help a whole host of issues, including lack of elasticity, loss of firmness, helps to regulate oil production while providing adequate hydration to dry areas.

What’s the Difference Between Hydration and Moisture?

And knowing the difference between hydration or hydrating products and moisture or moisturizing products can be very helpful for all our clients, but particularly ones with combination skin.

Hydration refers to water, and that can include water-based moisturizers. Hydration is key to helping alleviate dry skin, but it needs moisture to help lock it in. Moisture or moisturizing generally refers to bringing back and keeping moisture in the skin. That’s primarily done with oils. Oils are not hydrating, and water isn’t moisturizing. 

It’s also important to note that oils aren’t bad—and using an oil doesn’t mean it’s going to clog your pores. In fact, many oils can help with balancing the skin (that’s why we made many of our products with our RMS Adaptogenic Herbal Blend, which includes 9 adaptogenic herbs and organic oils to balance and nourish the skin).

Finding a Skincare Routine for Combination Skin

Cleansing: If you’ve got dry or combination skin, it's essential to use gentle, hydrating cleansers that don't strip the skin of its natural oils. Our suggestion is to look for a gel-based formula that contains balancing ingredients like Tea Tree Oil, which is known for its antimicrobial properties, and can help more acne-prone skin or areas without over-drying. 

Moisturizing: Moisturizers, like we mentioned above, can either be water-based or oil-based. We love both for combination skin. But when looking for a moisturizer for combination skin, we suggest picking one that contains Hyaluronic Acid, a powerhouse hydrator that attracts and holds moisture and Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), which helps regulate oil production and reduces redness.

A few of our top picks are our: 

• ReEvolve Radiance Locking Primer, which, while it’s a makeup product, can be used as skincare during the day or even at night to lock in your routine. Our ReEvolve Radiance Locking Primer contains skin-firming Tightenyl™, moisture-rich vegetable squalane, hyaluronic acid and eggplant fruit extract to firm, smooth, and lock in moisture and hydration all day or night long.

• SuperNatural Radiance Serum Broad Spectrum SPF 30, is a tinted, skin nourishing, mineral-based daily sunscreen serum and soft focus radiant complexion corrector with natural-looking illumination. This first-of-its-kind clean sunscreen is formulated with Non-Nano Zinc Oxide, a mineral protector, and is powered by GlowPlex™ (a complex of Niacinamide and natural peptides including Quinoa Seed Extract and Pea Extract) to smooth, protect, and correct.

• Kakadu Luxe Cream, which is a new product included in our just-dropped skincare collection. It’s powered by skin-firming GlowPlex™ (a complex of Niacinamide and natural peptides including Quinoa Seed Extract and Pea Extract) and superfruit Kakadu Plum, for a luxurious, ultra-hydrating, fragrance-free face cream that smooths the look of fine lines and boosts skin’s radiance instantly and over time.

• Kakadu Beauty Oil, which is an updated version of our original, fan-favorite Beauty Oil. Kakadu Beauty OIl contains a super moisturizing Adaptogenic Herbal Blend to calm and soothe the skin, the ultimate brightening and nourishing superfruit, Kakadu Plum, and Mineral-Infused Sea Water for hydration. Because, remember! Hydration + Moisture = The Perfect Pair

Exfoliating: Exfoliation is important for removing dead skin cells, and for combination skin, we suggest using a balancing, antimicrobial toner to bring some calm back to the skin, and don’t recommend using a physical exfoliant like walnut shells or coffee grounds, because they can be very abrasive on already sensitive skin (yes, your combo skin is sensitive!), and can create issues like micro cuts and tears. 

Hydration: While the hydration from drinking water is generally different from the external hydration your skin needs, drinking plenty of water can absolutely be super beneficial to helping to alleviate combination skin. Also what can help is using hydrating and balancing serums or mists. 

Our new SuperSerum Hydrating Mist is an absolute powerhouse at this, hydrating skin from the outside in with clean, ultra-nourishing ingredients like GlowPlex™ (a complex of Niacinamide and natural peptides including Quinoa Seed Extract and Pea Extract), Black Currant Seed Oil which can help repair the skin barrier, and our RMS Adaptogenic Blend which can help bring balance to the skin.

To use, just spray post-cleansing and prior to applying your favorite serum, or spray anytime during the day when you need a refresh.

Nighttime Routine: If you’ve got combination skin, take a look at your nighttime routine and see what you could potentially improve. We usually identify two areas: 1. Your environment, and 2. Your products. 

If you live in a dry climate or somewhere that gets very cold, so you need to use indoor heat, get a humidifier stat. Easy-to-clean ones are available all over, and we’ve found that using a humidifier greatly improves not only the quality of our skin when we wake up, but also the quality of our sleep during the night. Also, look at your pillow cases. Silk pillow cases are naturally antimicrobial, and can help prevent aggravating combination skin.

As for products, overnight treatments such as hydrating moisturizers or balancing oils can provide deep hydration and moisture to the skin, helping the skin repair itself while you sleep. As the ideal nighttime routine, we suggest spritzing our SuperSerum Hydrating Mist after cleansing as a base, then following up with our Kakadu Luxe Cream as a nighttime moisturizer, and then locking it all in with our Kakadu Beauty Oil. 

Makeup for Combination Skin

Like we mentioned in the intro, finding the right makeup products for your combination skin, as opposed to someone else's, can make a significant difference in enhancing your complexion and even improving the appearance of your combination skin, making it look radiant and smooth.

Primer: A hydrating and smoothing primer is absolutely key for all skin types, but especially for combination skin. Look for gel-format ones that will lock in moisture or hydration, and smooth over bumps or flaky patches. Our favorite is our Radiance Locking Hydrating Primer, which contains skin-firming Tightenyl™, moisture-rich vegetable squalane, hyaluronic acid and eggplant fruit extract to firm, smooth, and lock in moisture and hydration all day.

Foundation: When dealing with combo skin, the choice of foundation is crucial. Dry, cakey, or even matte foundations will only make your skin look drier and can emphasize dry patches, while a super liquidy one will just slide right off or disappear. We suggest opting for a thicker liquid foundation with a hydrating formula that includes skin-loving ingredients like hyaluronic acid. 

Our ReEvolve Natural Finish Liquid Foundation is a skincare-infused, natural finish, medium coverage foundation formulated with Tightenyl™ A natural retinol alternative that firms, tones, and smoothes, Organic Aloe, which is rich in antioxidants and vitamins, helping to soothe, moisturize, and smooth the appearance of the skin, and Vegetable Squalane, a moisture-rich, plant-based emollient that hydrates skin, creating a dewy, smooth base. 

Concealer: Concealers for combination skin should have a creamy texture that won't cake or settle into fine lines, but enough staying power so they don’t melt off. 

Our favorite concealer is our UnCoverup Concealer, which is ultra-creamy and super buildable. It’s made with non-comedogenic Coconut Oil, soothing and healing Castor Oil, and nourishing Cocoa Butter, for the most moisturizing coverage ever. And hey, if you want a little extra hydration, apply it with a damp Skin2Skin Beauty Sponge for a seamless application. 

Setting Powder: Powder can be great for combination skin, especially if it’s a finely milled, translucent powder. Use it on the oilier areas to balance out the skin, and skip the drier areas that feel like they could use more hydration. Our UnPowder is smoothing, translucent, and absorbs oil without drying out the skin. 

Blush and Eyeshadows: Usually, cream blushes and cream eyeshadows work better for combination skin, because they blend easily over dry and oily skin, and provide a natural, hydrated glow. 

Our Lip2Cheek and Buriti Bronzer are queen for this. Both are creamy multitaskers, made with non comedogenic Coconut Oil and healing, nourishing Castor Oil, and are super buildable and blendable. Our Eyelights Cream Eyeshadow is also a great option. This crease-proof, long-wearing cream shadow comes in 6 metallic shades, and is formulated with organic green tea and moisturizing natural peptide quinoa extracts.  

Powder blushes and eyeshadows can definitely still be used, but it’s important to ensure they have a silky, blendable texture to prevent them from clinging to dry patches. Our ReDimension Hydra Powder Blush is a great option for combo skin. It’s a multidimensional, nourishing powder blush that glides on effortlessly thanks to sugar-derived wet powder technology, and skin-loving ingredients like Wildcrafted Buriti and Organic Jojoba Oils. 

Lip Products: Generally, combination skin doesn’t affect the lips (like how having chronically dry skin does), but we still suggest opting for  hydrating lipsticks or tinted balms that provide moisture and color.

Our top picks?

• Liplights Cream Lip Gloss: A skin-nourishing, dewy-textured, 3-in-1 layer of glow formulated with plumping peptides and soothing botanical butters.

• Legendary Serum Lipstick: A first-of-its-kind lipstick and lip stain serum that creates fully saturated, long-lasting coverage with just one swipe. This lipstick is super lightweight yet deeply pigmented, and ultra, ultra hydrating, thanks to replacing the majority of water inside our formula with Organic Bitter Cherry Fruit Water. The RMS Adaptogenic Herbal Blend balances and Kakadu Plum Extract protects, while the Trio-Wax Complex provides a velvety, serum-like finish.

• Tinted Daily Lip Balm: This nourishing, clean lip balm is infused with a hint of hydrating, just-bitten color in every swipe, and the beeswax-and-organic-oil formula deeply moisturizes dry lips and keeps hydration in for up to 12hrs.

• Go Nude Lip Pencils: Most lip pencils can be drying, so our founder, Rose-Marie, formulated something different. This is a richly pigmented, longwearing, skin-caring creamy lip pencil, expertly formulated with Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Mango Seed Oil, and Shea Butter to moisturize and complement an inclusive range of nude shades.

Ready to Hydrate and Glow?

Look, finding the perfect skincare and makeup routine for combination skin can be a trial and error situation, and it’s important to remember that what works for someone else may not work for you. But as long as you understand what your skin needs, and choose the right products based on that, you’ll be golden. And, as always, if you ever need a helping hand, our Artist Experts are here to help.