I'm an African-American woman with oily skin and ashy patches on my face. What causes it, and what can I do to treat and camouflage it?

You're experiencing a bit of dry skin, which only appears gray toned, or ashen, because of the way the light's reflected. To treat the dryness, you'll want to use a gentle exfoliant coupled with a light moisturizer. And to keep that pretty, brown skin looking smooth under your makeup, make sure your foundation is suitable in both color and texture. Here's how to do that.

• Start by incorporating a gentle exfoliant into your cleansing routine three times a week. By exfoliating, you'll get rid of dead skin cells on the surface that are actually the cause of your ashy look. See the Recommended Product list for my favorites.
• After you exfoliate, use a lightweight, non-oily moisturizer on your dry areas. Since you have oily skin, be careful to only apply enough moisturizer to treat your dry patches. You don't want to aggravate oily skin by over-moisturizing it.
• Finding the right foundation color and consistency is essential. Look for one that's non-oily, blends easily, has enough pigment to cover your skin and has the right depth and intensity of yellowish-orange undertones to complement your complexion.
• Set your foundation with a blotting powder. Use a powder that has the same yellow-orange undertones as your foundation. Be careful not to use a powder that's too light. Test the powder before using it. Sometimes even powders that say they are "transparent" contain undertones, like white, which will intensify the ashy patches.
• Keep your lips, cheeks and eye palette in the copper, apricot and honey brown realm. These shades will flatter your brown tones. Stay away from blue or blue-pink tones, which can exaggerate ashy skin.