Try Neutrogena’s new Mineral Sheer Blush. This product is a great one to use if you like a natural, healthy glow – a perfect look for summer. You can choose between four shades: Natural Apricot, Silky Sable, Precious Pink and Pure Plum. The blush comes in a dispenser that ensures you have just the right amount of product on the attached blush brush. The blush contains antioxidants and conditions your skin as you use it!

The mineral makeup trend is still going strong as women seek a lighter, more natural, and breathable way to cover up skin imperfections. Senna offers several different mineral based foundations. Pressed Mineral Mix foundation provides buildable coverage with all the benefits of mineral makeup, but with less mess. It’s easily portable and comes in six shades. Mineral Mix Cover and Finish foundation is loose, contains no common irritants such as dyes or waxes, provides sun protection, and provides complete coverage—even for extreme redness, such as that related to rosacea. In the lid of the Cover and Finish is a pressed powder in a slightly darker shade that can be used for bronzer, contouring, or just as your skin changes color slightly.

photo credit: Raleene

Too often, oil-free foundations are also full-coverage foundations. Senna foundation is lightweight and buildable, eliminating the chance of a mask-like finish. The Senna Matte Finish Liquid Makeup is water based and oil-free, and builds to your desired level of coverage. It has options for both warm and cool skin tones in a total of 15 shades.

Slipcover Cream-To-Powder foundation offers a creamy base without any oily additives, and works equally well on oily and dry skins. Moist Matte is a compact foundation that can be used wet for full coverage, or dry for sheer coverage.

Each of the Senna foundation formulas has something to offer everyone in terms of coverage, color, and finish.

Vote for your favorite brands (or leave a comment and vent about the ones you hate). If you don’t see your favorite brand here, leave a comment and we’ll add it to the list.

We’ll be posting reviews on each of these brands in the near future, so if you have any requests for specific mineral makeup brands, don’t hesitate to let us know!

photo credit: Stefania Arsene

First, be sure you’re aware of how larger pores develop in the first place. When your face pores become clogged and/or infected, the irritation causes them to expand. The dirt and oil can also make the pores appear darker which makes them more noticeable and can make them look larger than they really are. Blackheads are especially problematic because such a significant amount of dirt and oil collects and drastically magnifies the diameter of the pore. Preventing blackheads is an essential part of preventing enlarged pores from developing.

You should also be aware that large skin pores do depend a lot on age and genetics. People with thicker skin, or normal to oily skin tend to have larger pores than people with thin, normal to dry skin. Also, as people get older, sun damage and age start to take their toll and the elasticity of the skin begins to give way. Regardless of what kind of skin you were born with, you can still take steps to minimize the size of your facial pores in order to enhance your complexion as much as possible.

There are many techniques and pore treatment products you can use to reduce pores and make them less noticeable:

photo credit: savor_soaps

One way to reduce pore size and visibility is to begin a solid, consistent skin care regimen. You should cleanse your skin thoroughly morning and night. By cleaning your pores of the debris and oil settling on your face, your pores will appear tight, well kept and less noticeable. Not only will you reduce large pores and their appearance, but you’ll also prevent big pores from developing in the future. Over time, you’ll see an improvement if you stick to a good skin care routine. Depending on your skin type and acne needs, a quality pore minimizing skin cleanser will work best. Most skin care brands carry a product especially formulated to minimize pores, and if you’re on a budget, you can usually find a variety of economical yet effective over-the-counter pore cleansers.

You’ll also want to invest in a toner. If you’re serious about minimizing your pores, a pore tightening toner is an essential part of getting and maintaining smaller pores. Use a cotton swab to apply the toner to your problem areas right after you wash your face. The toner will tighten pores so it’s best to do it right after they’ve been deep cleaned.

Finally, apply a light moisturizer. Stay away from super heavy creams as they can potentially clog the skin pore. When purchasing your skin care products, look for products containing retinol and Vitamin C. Salycylic acid also helps unclog and maintain clear pores.

Another way to combat large facial pores is exfoliation. This can be accomplished by using an at-home facial scrub or you can pamper yourself and visit a spa or dermatologist for a little microdermabrasion or a customized facial. If you exfoliate at home with a mild product, you can add the step to your daily skin care routine. If you buy a more intense exfoliating product, you may want to start by using the scrub twice a week.

Another economical and quick way to fight enlarged facial pores is through the wonders of cosmetics. Start with a skin primer. Primers are miracle workers when it comes to lessening the appearance of pores. and follow with a cream or cream to powder foundation which will cover the pores more easily. Top with a nice brushing of translucent powder and those large pores will be kept at bay.

There are a few products on the market that concentrate on helping to shrink pores. Pure Minerals and Murad both offer good pore minimizers. Biore and Aveeno have also proven to be effective in minimizing pores. If you are short on cash, here are a couple of home remedies: Make your own sugar scrub using a tablespoon of sugar, olive oil and honey. Mix well. Rub on your face in a circular motion and rinse with water. The sugar acts as an exfoliating ingredient. Another great home recipe is a nice egg white mask. Egg whites help tighten the skin, and you can add lemon to the mixture for an additional exfoliation benefit.

Reducing the appearance of pores is painless and very doable. The hardest part for anyone is simply learning how to minimize pores by finding the method, product or treatment for large pores that works best with your individual skin type, time constraints and budget. You may need to try a few products and methods in order to find out which ones provide the best results for you and your skin.