Beat The Heat: How to Prevent Makeup from Melting off Your Face

Summer is in the whole swing, and while most of us are happy for some fun in the sun, the scalding weather is not such great news for our makeup looks. Humidity, sweat, and oil are a winning combo for your makeup to melt off, and your face becomes a shiny mess. But, that does not suggest that you have to skip makeup entirely – it just means that you have to change your approach and use some smart tips and tricks to your advantage. Here are several ways to prevent makeup from melting off your face in the summer heat.

Create the optimal base

Much of your makeup’s longevity depends on the quality of the canvas you apply it. Here, we are talking about your skin. Prepping your face with the appropriate products before applying your foundation will make sure your makeup doesn’t melt off immediately as you step out into the heat. First of all, make sure that you always cleanse and tone your skin before putting on it. Secondly, consider using a primer. While many of us live our daily lives without this product, when the summer heat hits, a good primer can make a big difference. This applies to not only your foundation but also your eye makeup. Your best bet is a mattifying primer, especially if your skin is oily.

Fight oiliness

A major culprit in your makeup “melting off” is oil. When you have naturally oily skin, you probably already understand that you don’t even need the blazing sun to feel shiny soon after doing your makeup correctly. So, to combat your summer makeup issue, you should first tackle your skin’s oiliness. Cleanse your face regularly, but don’t use too harsh cleansers as that can aggravate your sebum production. Also, when you need a touchup, blotting tissues will be your best friends. Before applying another layer of makeup on top of the sweaty, oily one, make sure you blot away the excess oil seeped through your foundation. Otherwise, you cannot expect a good result. Besides blotting tissues, you can also lookup blotting sponges that might be a more practical solution in the long run.

Use the right products.

To make your makeup as long-lasting as possible, you must use the right products for your skin type. Earlier, we mentioned the importance of a toner – make sure it fits your skin type so that it can perform at its best. When it comes to foundation, if your skin is on the oily side, you should use a product with an oil-free formula as your skin doesn’t need any more oil. Instead, check out water-based products. Besides, it might be useful to switch some of your products to their waterproof counterparts to make sure that they won’t get washed off.

Make your lip color long-lasting.

Another issue that you might be experiencing is your lipstick smudging or simply vanishing throughout the day. You can combat this in various ways. For instance, think about using a lip stain instead of (or in addition to) your lipstick. Lip stains are more long-lasting in the first place, so applying them on your lips as a base for your same-color lipstick will hide imperfections that might occur throughout the day. Another trick that can make your lipstick stick around longer is blotting off the excess and applying powder between coats.

Steer clear of panda eyes

We all know that the first thing to get smudged with the least bit of moisture is mascara. So, in the summer, make sure that you put away your regular mascara and use a waterproof one instead unless you want to sport the panda eye look. Another great option that will eliminate the necessity for mascara would be getting eyelash extensions. These can look as natural or as dramatic as you want them to be, and you won’t even have to do anything with them once they are applied. Seek out a salon, such as Lash Blossom, and you won’t have to worry about your mascara ending up under your eyes during the summer. Just make sure you don’t use oily makeup removers around your eyes if you decide to wear extensions.

Apply eye shadow smart

Eye shadow, and other products that have powder formulas, can be problematic in the heat. The powder is often fugitive even in normal circumstances – let’s face it. We’ve all experienced finding our sparkly eye shadow covering our entire face when we got home from a get-together. Make eye-shadow stick to better; there are a few useful tips you should try. First of all, we previously talked about the value of a primer. Get an eyelid primer to keep the powdery eye shadow in place longer and prevent it from creasing. Besides, you should also try applying your eye shadow with a damp brush. Dampening your brush should help the pigment stick on your skin better, but it also makes the color more intense. Finally, consider adding your powder eye shadow on top of a cream eye shadow for maximum longevity.

Go for creamy formulas.

As we just said, powders can simply move on your face, ruining your makeup look. Therefore, when it comes to blush, it would be a good idea to use a cream one instead. The best option would be going for a cheek stain – just like with your lips, this will ensure the color is long-lasting. However, a cream blush is also the right choice. You might think that cream formulas will get shiny, but you won’t have to worry about your makeup smudging if you use the right base and set it in the end. You are speaking of setting.

Set your makeup

Another essential step to make sure your makeup stays in place is setting it once you are done with your look. A setting spray will ensure that no water or humidity will ruin your appearance, so you won’t have to worry all day and touch up your makeup every so often. If you choose a mattifying setting spray, your face won’t get shiny as fast either. You might need to experiment with different setting sprays before finding the perfect one for you, but it’s worth the hassle. As for setting powder, it’s also an option, but be careful with it, as it can crease and emphasize imperfections as a result. Try a translucent powder and see if it works for you.

Less is more

Another vital idea to keep in mind if you need to steer clear of the uncomfortable sticky feeling on your face is merely using less makeup. We are not suggesting you skip makeup entirely; we are just saying that there are certainly a few steps in your makeup routine that you could cut for the summer months, and you will feel fresher and more comfortable. One good example is the mascara, as mentioned above. Besides cutting some steps, you can also simply decrease the amount of product you apply: a thick layer of foundation is not a good idea in the summer, no matter how well you prepped your skin and how long-lasting the product is advertised. Instead, stick to a thin layer of BB cream.

A summer look

Sure, you might be a fan of liquid eyeliner and dark, smoky eye, but these are not the most summer-friendly looks if you want them to last. So, another great tip would be changing your go-to look to a fresher, more summery one. Besides using only less makeup, as we just suggested, you could also use lighter colors for a less heavy look. Even if the heat gets to you, small imperfections in your makeup won’t be as noticeable. 

Don’t skip the sunscreen.

Finally, an essential thing to mention is that no matter what, you should not skip the sunscreen in the summer heat. Sunscreens are notorious for making your skin shiny, especially if you have oily skin to begin. However, cutting them out to preserve the longevity of your makeup is harmful to your skin. Instead, try to find a mattifying sunscreen. Alternatively, you can also invest in a moisturizer with SPF and cut back on the number of steps in your skincare routine. A tinted moisturizer with SPF can do triple duty, and it’s perfect for summer. However, think twice about foundations with SPF – there is no harm in using them on top of other SPF products, but using them as your only protection against the sun is not a good idea. You won’t be slathering your skin with enough foundation for the SPF to protect you completely.

It might seem impossible to beat the summer heat and rock a flawless makeup look all day, but hopefully, these tips will help you at least make your makeup more long-lasting on sweaty days. Always keep your skin type in mind and remember that less is more, and you will be fine!

Author bio:

Maggie Holmes is a passionate blog writer who is very keen on writing about remodeling and design. Her exclusive hobby is surfing the net to find amazing articles that can inspire her with fresh ideas for article writing. She loathes being a typical person who wastes her time. Follow her on Twitter.