Sweatproof makeup

We’ve had a horrendous summer here in Sydney, Australia with soaring temperatures and raging bushfires. I did hair and makeup for a client last weekend who said that she can never get her own makeup to last on summer days. I asked her if she used primer. She said no, she used a strobe cream which a store attendant had recommended can be used as a primer. I asked her if she used powder to set her foundation, she said no because she wanted to keep her skin looking dewy. I then asked her if she used setting spray at the end and she also said no. These are the three key products for making your makeup last throughout the heat. Without them, your makeup definitely won’t last.

The first thing you want to do is make sure your skin is clean and fresh before any product application. Clean the skin with some micellar water and a cotton pad. I then like to spray with a Mario Badescu Facial Spray With Aloe, Cucumber And Green Tea spray and add a light layer of moisturiser – not too much if the skin is oily.

If your skin is oily, you want to choose a mattifying primer. I recommend Embryolisse Hydra-Mat Emulsion or Makeup Forever’s Mattifying Primer. The latter is for really oily skin and needs to be used sparingly as it can actually make the skin look a little dry and cakey if too much is used. It’s best used just in the T-Zone with an ordinary primer on other areas of the face. The Embryolisse product is more suitable for normal skin.

With foundation, it’s best not to choose one that is too thick and creamy in summer as they contain higher percentages of oils and are more prone to breaking down in the heat. MAC’s Face and Body foundation is excellent to use in summer as it is sweat and water resistant. You can use it by itself for sheer coverage or mix with a regular foundation so that you still have good coverage but the application is less thick and more dewy. For the eyes, be sure to apply an eye primer like MAC’s Soft Ochre Paintpot (technically not a primer but works well as one) or MAC’s extend eyebase and set with a light layer of powder before applying shadows. Mascara should be waterproof.

Powder is always necessary to set foundation even if you are concerned about it caking up. You only need a light layer of translucent powder applied very lightly with a brush for normal skin. I use Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder. Oilier skin needs a couple of light layers applied with a puff. When applying with a puff, put a small amount of powder onto the puff and rub the puff together to spread the powder evenly.

The setting spray that I use is Ben Nye’s Final Seal. It’s a professional product and  is available from Scotty’s on Broadway in Sydney. Other good products are Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray and Morphe’s Continuous Setting Mist. You can actually add a bit of this to the edges of your face with a cotton ball before applying foundation and it will help with the sweating that often occurs along the hairline, jaw etc. If it is really hot and muggy,  you will still perspire somewhat throughout the day. It helps to carry some blotting papers (good, inexpensive ones are available from Daiso) or small squares of cutup paper towel in your handbag along with a powder foundation product that you can apply after blotting.