Skincare has been a long and winding road for me. While my skin still isn't at all perfect, it's definitely cleared by making some small changes in my routine. The old me would usually think, 'This cleanser doesn't work, let's go buy a new one'. After buying a new cleanser, there'll be a honeymoon period of when it reduces those oily areas and then suddenly, it'll turn its back on your and dry up your skin like the Sahara Desert. In the bin it goes, and you're back with the same cleanser that you thought didn't work for you in the first place.

• Under the eyes and over the eyelids at night to wake up feeling refreshed awake
• Over dry areas or spots such as around the nose, forehead and upper lip
• As a lip moisturiser or lip gloss as it is very glossy and soothing (without the lip glossy 'sticky' feeling)
• On dry areas over your body such as heels and cuticle

Choose the right moisturiser
Choosing the right moisturiser is equally as important as choosing the right cleanser. You would think that moisturiser is something you can skip because your skin’s just going to turn to a greasy pizza anyway. In my experience, skipping moisturiser can result in an even oilier complexion because your face has to work to compensate for the lack of moisture altogether.

The tip is to choose a something that is oil-free. One that really works is Neutrogena’s Oil Free Moisture Moisturiser ($11.99AUD). It’s so light to spread over your skin and feels like the perfect balance between a moisturiser and (almost) water. It really worked for me as it really let my skin breathe and my skin stay matte throughout the day.

Double cleanse, double cleanse.Rather than taking a whole lump of cleanser and forcing it over your face, it’s much better and gentler to take smaller doses of cleanser, gently wash it over your face and repeat. Double cleansing with a tiny, kernel-sized dose will still deeply cleanse your skin and also won’t strip its surface as much as a hardcore, giant foam lump will.

Opt for a cleanser that’s of course, oil-free and can lather up before cleansing. Something like Neutrogena’s Oil Control Foaming Cleanser ($11.69AUD) is a good one to start. There have been some good reviews of this I’ve found across the board, and I’ve always loved how clean Neutrogena’s products smell. My skin is definitely much less oily than before, resulting in less breakouts during the weeks.

Matte HappyI can’t recommend the Australis Mattifying Face Base enough. To be honest, it’s better than any other primer I’ve ever used, and it’s something that every person with oily skin needs to have in their makeup bag.

No joke, it keeps your skin matte all day long. And when I say all day long, I mean 5:30AM to 8:00PM. And this is the face of a person who huffs about on peak-hour trains, gets busy at work and is obsessed with curry. The way I use it is to apply it over all my oily-prone areas like the t-zone and cheeks and then after dotting on a little concealer, swish on some mineral foundation to keep your skin as light and breathable as possible.