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Lifestyle, Makeup

How To Make Your Makeup Last in Hot & Humid Weather

Hi, my loves!

One of the most challenging makeup issues we all deal with is makeup longevity, especially in hot and humid weather. Keeping your makeup from melting all over the place is icky tricky!

Here are a few tips you would want to keep in mind to help your makeup last if you live in hot and humid climates, or if you’re going to visit a place that is.

 

1. Minimized Morning Skincare

Skincare is crucial, but in a place where you will most likely sweat – less is more. Especially if you have oily skin. You can pack on your skincare at night before bed, so try your best to stick to the basics before you wear makeup.

If your moisturizer doesn’t contain SPF, finish off with sunscreen, which is a step you cannot miss. If you have a moisturizer with SPF – perfect! Less product on your face!

Cleanser and a thin layer of moisturizer (preferably gel or light lotion textured) is enough in the morning. If you really want to apply a treatment serum or lotion, then you can skip moisturizer because using both will be too heavy and it may weigh down your face makeup and cause it to slide off, unless you have a drier skin type, in which case you’d probably need both.

Here are my recommendations for watery gel-based sunscreens that feel like literally nothing on your skin:

Click here for Ratzillacosme’s Top 5 Japanese Sunscreens. I’ve personally tried all three I’ve just mentioned and I swear by them. They feel so much like water that you would actually forget you have sunscreen on!

 

2. “Not To Prime Is A Crime” Napoleon Perdis

A primer will not only create a smooth base, making whatever that goes on next much smoother, but it will also increase its longevity. It should be sandwiched between your last skincare product and foundation. Think of it as a glue that adheres your foundation on to your skin, and a shield or barrier between your skincare and your makeup.

If your skin gets clogged easily, go for oil-free ones and avoid silicone-textured ones. If you have oily skin, make sure you go for mattifying primers.

Here are my personal favorites that are proven to be clog-proof!:

Also remember that using an eye primer will help your eyeshadows last a whole lot longer and prevent creasing! Applying eye primer on your under eye area and on your laughing lines will decrease the chance or visibility of creasing in those areas. It’ll make your concealer last longer too.

My favorite eye primers are:

 

3. Cake Is For Your Tummy, Not Your Face

In the words of the world’s most elegant woman, Coco Chanel,

“Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.”

Although this quote was meant to be about fashion, the same notion also applies when it comes to beauty.

So, eat the cake! Don’t splat it on your face!

I mean, don’t pile a ton of makeup on your face because the cakier your face, the more likely it is for your makeup to separate and crease here and there, also accentuating your pores.

So, how to avoid having a cakey face?

1. Go Sheer:

Bad complexion? Let your concealer do its job and just apply one thin layer of foundation or tinted moisturizer, conceal anything else you need to hide with concealer.

A foundation and concealer combo I heavily rely on for crazy hot and humid days are the Cle de Peau Silky Cream Foundation and Cle de Peau Concealer. You really don’t need a thick layer of foundation to look flawless because in most cases too much foundation will cause crazy caking, and “hiding flaws” should be your concealer’s job, not your foundation.

2. Go Oil-Free:

Products that contain oil are more likely to melt off of your skin. Plus, they are more likely to clog your pores too. So opt for oil free face products, especially when it comes to foundation.

My favorite lightweight, oil free foundations are the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation and Serum Foundation, which I’ve reviewed here, and the Bourjois Nude Sensation, which I’ve reviewed here.

3. Avoid Over-Powdering:

I heard a lot of people opt for mineral powder makeup during the summer, but I personally have never been a fan of using purely powder makeup during hot, sweaty days. Powder is often the culprit behind cakey faces, plus – powder and sweat simply don’t go well together! Instead of going for the fully-powdered face, only powder areas where you really need extra oil-control, such as the T-Zone area.

Translucent powders I love for setting makeup with excellent oil control are the NARS Light Reflecting Pressed Powder, Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder and Soap & Glory One Heck Of A Blot Powder. If you want a setting powder with coverage, the Chanel Natural Finish Loose Powder is excellent.

 

4. Wade Into Waterproof

People often complain about waterproof mascaras, and I get it, they’re usually more clumpy, crumbly and flaky than non-waterproof mascaras. However, there’s a great solution to this: apply a waterproof topcoat on top of your non-waterproof mascara. A great waterproof topcoat is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Genius Waterproof Topcoat.

If you’re looking for a great waterproof mascara, try the Urban Decay Cannonball Ultra Waterproof Mascara – I swear by it! The Lancome Hypnose Waterproof Mascara is also amazing!

As for eyeliner, don’t easily trust pencil/crayon liners that claim to be waterproof. Opt for liquid or gel liners instead because pencils and crayons usually contain more oil, thus making it easier for it to budge when it comes in contact with your oils that your skin produces (except the Marc Jacobs Highliners which I’ve featured here).

Ones I swear by are the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner and the Make Up For Ever Aqua Black Waterproof Cream Eye Shadow.

 

5. Whip Out Your Creams

Cream-based everything are your besties when it comes to preventing a makeup meltdown. They have better adherence to the skin than powder because they actually stick on to the skin, whereas powder would just sit on top of your skin.
However, when cream and powder are combined, they last the longest. So try layering your creams with a bit of powder to set it in place.

When it comes to eyeshadows, a trick I always do is to apply a cream shadow as a base before applying powder shadows.

I love the By Terry Ombre Blackstars (reviewed here), Maybelline Color Tattoos and the Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream shadows, and I’ve just recently discovered the Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Eyeshadows which are unbelievable! Having cream shadows as a base color will make your powder shadows adhere better, and just in case the powder shadows fade, you will still have the cream shadows underneath as a “back up plan”!

For blushes, go easy on the cream – just apply a sheer layer of it and you can set it with a powder blush or highlighter afterwards. My favorite cream blushes at the moment are the Clinique Chubby Stick Cheek Color Balms and the Illamasqua Cream Blushers.

As for foundation, be careful how much you apply. Cream foundations are usually thicker in texture, so make sure you only apply a thin amount. Using a dampened beauty blender will help make your foundation look more like skin and the dabbing/pressing motions will ensure better adherence to the skin, so try applying it with a beauty blender if you can.

 

 

Additional Tips

Here are some additional tips I had in mind:
  • Apply a lipbalm with SPF before applying any other lip products. Sun exposure will cause chapping and flaking, and you need to protect your lips from that!
  • Don’t swirl your brush around your face when applying powder to set your makeup as this swirling motion will not “set” your makeup. Instead, do a dabbing/patting motion. Better yet, apply powder using a powder puff! This will set your makeup in place really well.
  • As the very last step of your makeup routine, spray your whole face lightly with a makeup setting spray.
  • If you have thin brows and you struggle with eyebrow products fading easily in the heat, try pomeade or wax-based brow products instead of powder or pencil. Or, top off your eyebrow powder or pencil with a waterproof topcoat.
  • There’s a fine line between dewy and oily! You will naturally look dewy in the sun after a while, so avoid applying makeup in a way that will dew up your skin, e.g. applying too much illuminators or highliters.
  • Again – go easy on the highlight. It’s tempting to pack on those highlighters because the sun reflecting your highlighted cheek bones is such a beautiful view, but not if you have too much on. You don’t want to end up looking like a disco ball. Opt for liquid highliters if you can because powder, again, can sometimes look too cakey – even patchy during hot summer days. My favorite liquid highliter is the Kevyn Aucoin Celestial Skin Liquid Illuminating Liquid Emulsion.

So, that’s all I can think of right now!

Do you have additional tips and/or tricks in mind? I’m always willing to learn so please share your thoughts in the comment section below! Would love to hear from you!

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