Five summer make-up and skincare tips to stop humid weather destroying your look
High humidity can ruin all that hard work you put in to your morning make-up routine. Heidi Yeung gives some advice on products and practices that will keep you looking perfect right through the day
Hong Kong’s humidity makes it difficult for make-up to stay put and for most of the year, especially in summer, you’re lucky if your face stays on until lunch.
While there is no perfect way to ensure you end your day looking like you did when you first stepped out the house, here are some ways to prolong the staying power of your make-up during the hottest months.
1. Less is more
If you have clear skin or feel like you don’t actually need to wear foundation, then don’t! Apply small amounts of concealer where you need it, blend it out and lightly set it with powder. As the day wears on, your natural oils will still come through, but setting it first will help the pigment stay in place.
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After that, brighten your cheeks with a little blush, swipe on a couple of layers of mascara, highlight those cheekbones, and slap on your favourite lipstick. It’s much harder for your make-up to disappear if there wasn’t much on your face in the first place.
2. All about that base
Taking good care of your skin will extend the longevity of your make-up look. Cleanse daily, and keep your skin hydrated. Unhappy skin is prone to breakouts, unevenness and rough texture, which are harder to disguise with make-up. Proper skincare will help reduce those problems; also, skin is often oily because it’s dehydrated, and when your face is oily, it’s easier for make-up to slide around or fade.
3. But first, primer
Many people think primers are a gimmick, but that could be because not everyone’s skin needs a primer. If your skin is more fussy, gets oily or rough, or you have large pores or other issues, a primer may help.
Because moisturisers are an emollient, they’re often too slippery and not a good base for make-up to sit on. Applying a primer between your moisturiser and your make-up gives the make-up something to grab on to. A primer formulated for specific problems (shine, large pores, redness) can also address those problems before you apply anything, which can reduce the amount of foundation or concealer you need.
4. Powder trick
You can do more with your powder than just set your finished look with it. Using the finest loose translucent powder you can find, and with a big fluffy face powder brush, dust a thin layer of powder all over your face after your moisturiser has had time to sink in. Follow with your primer, foundation and whatever else you do. This hack is particularly good for very oily skin, or for hot and humid climates. (If you have dry skin, this trick will make you look patchy, so it’s probably best to take care of your skin first.)
You may have to experiment and put that layer of powder between your primer and foundation instead, but give it a go. If you like coverage, you can even use a powder with colour as long as it’s very fine; it will even help reduce the amount of foundation you need afterwards.
While this won’t stop all your oils, it will help you look more like a dewy beach babe than a grease monster. And this hack worked a treat on a bride I know with an oily skin type at her wedding in Cebu.
5. Summer layers
Instead of just setting your finished look with a setting spray, use that spray throughout your make-up application.
Here’s the ultra-thorough version of the routine: moisturiser, setting spray, primer, foundation, setting spray, concealer, blush, contour, highlighter in any combination you prefer, setting spray, setting powder, setting spray.
If that’s too much for you, just use the setting spray twice: once between foundation and concealer, and once at the very end.
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That might sound like a lot of effort, but hey, it works. If you do this though, please, please, please remember to remove your make-up thoroughly, and cleanse and hydrate your skin properly afterwards – or you’ll find yourself in Pimple City.
