The clever trick to getting your make-up to last all day – even in the heat
My daughter, Lily, 20, called it. “Your make-up doesn’t last more than an hour,” she pointed out before delicately scolding me for not spending enough time on application. She isn’t wrong. Heat and humidity will send make-up south if you don’t A: employ a proper technique and B: set it properly, which – conundrum – can look cakey if you rely too heavily on powder.
One of the most useful lessons I’ve observed from professional make-up artists is to build a face incrementally in diaphanous layers as opposed to the slap-it-on-and-go strategy my daughter is accusing me of. The former helps make-up to adhere properly without appearing trowelled on, which is particularly tragic if your skin is dry. That’s not all. Each layer must be blended in properly until it becomes one with your pores. You’ll need a good brush for this and thankfully, there are plenty of affordable ones about. Saie’s The Big Brush Multi-Use Buffer and Blender, £22, is my current favourite; it’s soft and pliable and the stubby handle fits into any sized handbag.
But I digress. Long-lasting makeup begins with the right skincare. Having tried a bazillion face creams, I find Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream provides the best canvas for makeup (smooth and slightly iridescent). Essentially your skin should be well hydrated but never slippy.
When applying foundation or, as one does in summer, a skin tint, I do one thin gauzy layer before assessing if I need any more. Then a magic trick. I spritz a mist of setting spray all over, allowing it to dry properly (to speed things up use a fan). With a coat of base in place, I dot concealer on to the shadowy bits beneath my eyes, around my nose and that hollowy crevice just beneath the bottom lip and pat it in with a brush or beauty blender until it’s fully dissipated. Another mist of setting spray is followed by one more blitz of air. Getting the gist?
Setting sprays are the modern equivalent to powder. They get the job done without the chalky old-lady finish of pressed powder. They are to make-up what top coat is to nail polish. Genius.
If you need your make-up to last all day in the sun – at a sporting event or wedding, let’s say – then a prudent application of powder with setting spray on top will help to absorb oil and fix it in place. Admittedly, it’s messy, but I prefer a loose translucent powder (it’s finely milled and more diffused than pressed). Use a small brush specifically on shiny areas so as not to smother any flickers of radiance.
If you decide to give a setting spray a go, the method is all-important. Mist and allow it to dry after each step – foundation, concealer, blusher, and so on…and you’ll get a few smudge-free hours of wear out of your makeup before it evaporates.