How to Do Makeup Step by Step: 12 Steps for Oily, Dry, and Combination Skin

The first time I did a full face of makeup, I put foundation straight onto dry, unmoisturized skin and dusted powder over everything. By lunch my cheeks were flaking and my nose was shining like a glazed donut. The products were fine. The order was wrong, and I had completely ignored my skin type.

If that sounds familiar, we are in good company. The global makeup market was valued at USD 45.95 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 81.55 billion by 2034, according to Fortune Business Insights. L'Oréal's 2025 annual report estimates that makeup accounts for about 17% of a roughly €300 billion global beauty market. Millions of us buy these products, yet very few of us were ever taught how to layer them.

So in this guide, I'll walk you through the exact order I use, one step at a time. Under every step you'll find what oily, dry, and combination skin should do differently, because the same routine does not behave the same way on every face.

The Short Version: Makeup Order at a Glance

If you only have 30 seconds, here is the sequence:

1. Cleanse
2. Moisturize
3. Sunscreen
4. Primer
5. Foundation
6. Concealer
7. Setting powder
8. Bronzer, blush, and highlighter
9. Brows
10. Eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara
11. Lips
12. Setting spray and touch-ups

The logic is simple. Skincare goes first, thin textures go before thick ones, and creams go before powders.

Before You Start: Find Your Skin Type

Everything below depends on this. Here is the bare-face test I use: wash your face with a gentle cleanser, pat it dry, apply nothing, and check the mirror after about 30 to 60 minutes.

One reassuring fact for my oily-skinned readers: the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) notes that oil helps preserve the skin, and people with oily skin tend to have thicker skin and fewer wrinkles. And as New Orleans dermatologist Dr. Deirdre Hooper said in an AAD news release, "there are several things you can do at home to reduce the oil."

The 12 Steps

1. Cleanse Your Face

Makeup grips best on clean skin. I use a gentle cleanser with lukewarm water, then pat dry with a clean towel instead of rubbing.

If you use an acne treatment or prescription cream, this is where it goes. Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Susan C. Taylor puts it plainly: "Medications or treatments should be applied directly after washing your face."

• Oily skin: Choose a gentle foaming face wash. The AAD warns that a harsh cleanser can irritate skin and trigger even more oil production.
• Dry skin: Use a cream or milk cleanser, and skip anything that leaves your face feeling "squeaky."
• Combination skin: A mild gel cleanser works well. Treat the whole face gently instead of scrubbing the T-zone.

2. Moisturize

I used to think moisturizer was optional. It is not. Hydrated skin gives foundation a smooth surface, and skipping this step is the fastest route to patchy makeup.

Look for humectants, which are ingredients that pull water into the skin. Hyaluronic acid and glycerin are the two you will see most often.

• Oily skin: Do not skip this. The AAD says oily skin still needs moisturizer. Pick a lightweight gel labeled oil-free and non-comedogenic, which means it is formulated not to clog pores.
• Dry skin: Reach for a thicker cream instead of a lotion, as WebMD's dry skin makeup guide recommends. Give it two to three minutes to sink in.
• Combination skin: Use a light lotion everywhere, then add a second thin layer on the cheeks only.

3. Apply Sunscreen

Sunscreen is the last step of skincare and the first layer under makeup. The AAD recommends a broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher. Broad-spectrum means it protects against both UVA rays (aging) and UVB rays (burning).

The numbers are worth knowing. According to the AAD, SPF 15 blocks 93% of UVB rays, SPF 30 blocks 97%, and SPF 50 blocks 98%. Many of us misread these labels. In a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, only 30% of 496 people surveyed knew what "broad-spectrum" means.

Two things I wish I had learned sooner, both from Dr. Lucia Seminario-Vidal, a dermatologist at Moffitt Cancer Center:

• Apply sunscreen about 10 to 15 minutes before makeup.
• SPF does not add up. An SPF 30 sunscreen under an SPF 15 foundation still gives you SPF 30, so foundation with SPF is a bonus, not a replacement.

By skin type: oily skin does best with a gel or fluid sunscreen with a matte finish, dry skin with a cream sunscreen, and combination skin with a lightweight lotion.

4. Primer

Primer is the bridge between skincare and makeup. It fills in pores, evens out texture, and helps foundation last longer. Silicone-based primers (look for dimethicone on the label) blur and smooth. Water-based primers hydrate.

A rule of thumb I follow to avoid pilling: pair a water-based primer with a water-based foundation, and silicone with silicone.

• Oily skin: Use an oil-free, mattifying primer. Los Angeles makeup artist Emily Kate Warren told WebMD that you should at least prime the oiliest areas: the forehead, nose, and chin.
• Dry skin: Choose a hydrating or illuminating primer, and avoid anything labeled "pore-filling matte."
• Combination skin: Try multi-priming. L'Oréal Paris editors suggest a mattifying primer on the T-zone and a hydrating primer on the cheeks. It takes 20 extra seconds, and it changed how my makeup wears.

5. Apply Foundation

Start with less than you think you need. I place a small amount in the center of my face, where most redness sits, and blend outward toward the hairline and jaw. To find your shade, test it along your jawline in daylight and wait a few minutes, since some formulas darken slightly as they dry (this is called oxidation).

Formula matters as much as shade. As M.A.C Cosmetics senior national artist Fatima Thomas says, "Skin type can influence the foundation formula one chooses."

• Oily skin: The AAD recommends oil-free, water-based makeup. Look for matte or soft-matte finishes and apply with a brush or sponge using a pressing (stippling) motion.
• Dry skin: Skip powder foundations and heavy matte finishes, which Thomas says can emphasize flakes. Choose a serum, cream, or satin-finish liquid. Makeup artist Jenny Patinkin's advice for dry skin is to "tap instead of tug," ideally with a damp sponge. Celebrity makeup artist Andrew Sotomayor told TIME that fingers can catch on dry patches and make them more visible.
• Combination skin: A natural or satin finish is the safest middle ground. Use a thinner layer on the T-zone.

6. Conceal

Concealer goes after foundation, because foundation already covers a lot and you will end up using less. I dot it under the eyes and directly on blemishes, then tap to blend.

For the under-eye area, use your ring finger. Dr. Taylor notes it is the weakest finger, so it pulls less on that delicate skin.

• Oily skin: Pick a matte, long-wear concealer and set it right away.
• Dry skin: Use a creamy, hydrating formula and a tiny amount. Thick layers crease.
• Combination skin: Creamy under the eyes, matte on any T-zone blemishes.

7. Set With Powder (or Don't)

Powder locks liquid and cream products in place and absorbs oil. This is the step where skin types differ the most.

• Oily skin: Press a translucent powder into the T-zone with a puff, then dust off the excess. Pressing sets better than sweeping.
• Dry skin: You may not need this step at all. Boston makeup artist Dana Chasen Thomases told WebMD that if your skin tends to flake, "you do not need to wear powder." If your nose gets shiny, a light dusting in the center of the face is enough.
• Combination skin: Powder the forehead, nose, and chin only. Leave the cheeks alone so they keep their glow.

8. Add Bronzer, Blush, and Highlighter

Foundation evens your skin out, but it also flattens it. This step brings back warmth and shape.

• Bronzer: Sweep it where the sun would naturally hit: temples, cheekbones, and jawline.
• Blush: Smile lightly, then blend upward from the apples of the cheeks toward the temples.
• Highlighter: Tap on the tops of the cheekbones and the bridge of the nose.

Remember the texture rule: cream products go on before powder, and powder products go on after.

• Oily skin: Powder blush and bronzer last longer. Keep highlighter off the T-zone.
• Dry skin: Cream or liquid blush melts into skin and looks fresher than powder.
• Combination skin: Makeup artists interviewed by TODAY point out that combination skin already has natural shine, so you can go light on highlighter.

9. Define Your Brows

Brows frame the whole face. I brush them upward with a spoolie, fill sparse areas with short, hair-like strokes, and finish with a clear or tinted gel.

• Oily skin: Use a waterproof pencil or powder so brows do not fade by afternoon.
• Dry skin: A pencil or pomade glides on more easily than powder over dry skin.
• Combination skin: Any formula works. Set with gel.

10. Do Your Eyes: Shadow, Liner, Mascara

For an everyday look, I keep it to three moves: a neutral shadow across the lid, a slightly deeper shade in the crease, and liner close to the lash line. Finish with mascara, wiggling the wand from root to tip.

One safety note we should all take seriously: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that because of repeated microbial exposure, some industry experts recommend replacing mascara three months after purchase. Never add water or saliva to a dried-out tube.

• Oily skin: Eyelids get oily too. WebMD's experts recommend a primer made for eyelids, plus water-resistant liner.
• Dry skin: Cream shadows are more forgiving than powder on dry or textured lids.
• Combination skin: A light eyelid primer keeps shadow from creasing.

11. Finish Your Lips

Line the lips first to stop color from feathering, fill in with lipstick or gloss, then blot once with a tissue.

• Oily skin: Any finish works. Matte lasts longest.
• Dry skin: If your lips dry out easily, WebMD advises avoiding matte and long-wear lipsticks. Gently exfoliate, apply balm, then use a creamy formula.
• Combination skin: Prep with balm and choose whatever finish you like.

12. Set It and Touch Up Smartly

A setting spray melts the layers together so your makeup looks like skin instead of product. Hold it at arm's length and mist in an X and T shape.

• Oily skin: Use a mattifying spray. During the day, the AAD recommends blotting papers: press the paper against your face for a few seconds and do not rub, because rubbing spreads the oil around.
• Dry skin: Use a hydrating or dewy spray, and keep a facial mist in your bag for a midday refresh.
• Combination skin: Use a natural-finish spray, and blot only the T-zone.

4 Hygiene Habits That Matter as Much as the Steps

Good technique cannot fix dirty tools. These are the habits I had to learn the hard way.

1. Wash your brushes every 7 to 10 days. The AAD says dirty brushes collect residue, oil, and bacteria that can cause breakouts and even infections.
2. Replace makeup sponges about every three months, per L'Oréal Paris.
3. Do not share makeup. The FDA notes that sharing raises the risk of contamination, and store testers are even more likely to be contaminated.
4. Keep your routine simple. Dr. Taylor cautions that piling on too many products at once can irritate the skin and cancel out their benefits.

And always take your makeup off before bed. Your skin repairs itself overnight, and it does that best when it is clean.

Cheat Sheet: What Each Skin Type Should Do

My Final Take

After years of trial and error, here is what I believe: great makeup is about 70% skin prep and 30% everything else. Once I started cleansing, moisturizing, and priming for my actual skin type, I needed less foundation, less powder, and far fewer touch-ups.

So start with the 12 steps in order. Then adjust the formulas, not the sequence. Oily skin should think "lightweight and oil-free." Dry skin should think "creamy and hydrating." Combination skin should think "treat each zone separately." Give it a week, and I think you will see the difference in the mirror by lunchtime.