From: Self
Look fresh faced, even when you're not.
Picture this: Me in a full face of makeup, sweating like I’m a cool glass of rosé at a rooftop brunch
in the middle of August. Can you also imagine the pissed off look on my
face? This is my life every time I try to wear makeup to work in the
summer. As soon as I hit the subway platform, the beads of sweat begin
to form on my forehead, nose, and upper lip.
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I’m
faced with a lose-lose proposition. Either, A.) I pretend like I don’t
feel the beads of sweat rolling down my face, smearing my mascara and eyeliner.
Or B.) I wipe away the droplets of perspiration taking half my makeup
off in the process (a makeup look that I spent 30 minutes creating and
only my fellow commuters have seen). This is perhaps one of the most
frustrating parts of summer. In fact, I’ve started to carry my entire
makeup kit to work rather than deal with this sweat situation.
After one of these mornings ended with brown foundation
smudges all over the neckline of my plaid dress, I decided to talk to
the makeup experts to find out how they preserve makeup when it's steamy
on set and on red carpets. Here are five tips for when sweat is
inevitable.
1. Primer can help keep your makeup from sliding off with your sweat.
“Mattifying
or smoothing primers are always your best bet, especially for those
sweaty days,” Jackie Gomez, head of the Make Up For Ever Academy, tells
SELF. These are especially helpful if you have oily skin (shine + sweat
is a killer combination). She uses Make Up For Ever Step 1 Equalizing Primer in Matte.
2. Even more important than priming is setting your makeup with a powder and spray.
Editorial makeup artist Hector Simancas likes to use powder to set makeup. His favorite is the Clé de Peau Translucent Loose Powder. In addition to powder, Gomez goes a step further by spritzing on a setting spray like Make Up For Ever Mist & Fix, which doesn’t have any alcohol on the ingredients list. “Alcohol
can potentially dry up your makeup, causing it to crack,” she says.
[post_ads_2]3. Choose your foundation texture carefully.
While
Gomez notes that any foundation should last if you prime and set
carefully, Simancas prefers powder when the heat index is at its height.
Even better, go minimal with tinted moisturizer that has an SPF 30 or
higher, he says. This lightweight formula is less likely to run than
full-coverage foundation.
4. When the sweat beads start to roll, reach for paper towel before powder.
My
mom always packs a few sheets of paper towel in her purse, and now I
know why. “Always remove excess oil first with a blotting paper (or
paper towel if you don’t have one), then re-apply your powder to touch
up,” says Gomez. Don’t reverse these steps or the powder will sit on top
of the water making makeup look cakey.
[post_ads_2]5. Keep these basic touchup tools handy.
In addition to your stash of sweat-sopping paper towels, carry a miniature makeup brush like the Real Techniques Retractable Kabuki Brush to apply powder. “Sponges can sometimes make foundation touchups
look a bit cakey as well),” says Gomez. It also doesn’t hurt to keep
some Q-tips on hand to remove any mascara or eyeliner that’s ended up in the wrong spot. Try these Almay Oil-Free Makeup Eraser Sticks which already have make-up remover.
