Melt-Proof Your Makeup

When the temperature rises, your mascara melts, your eye liner smudges, and your foundation drips. It's not a pretty picture. You powder and blot, and powder and blot, but that just makes more of a mess. And it leaves your face feeling ooey and gooey. So unless you spend every second in the air conditioning, you may need to tweak your summer makeup routine to accommodate soaring temps and sliding makeup. Here are a few ideas to melt-proof your makeup.

Foundation. Whatever you do, don't try to powder yourself to death. If you can get away with a light dusting of face powder, that's great. But for a lot of us, trying to powder away that dewy summer shine is just going to lead to muddy-looking skin. Instead, try a lightweight foundation with a little salicylic acid to control shine or a simple, tinted moisturizer. A bit of shine in the summer looks healthy and natural; a matte finish looks heavy and unwell.

Cream blush. Surprise! Creams are actually good to use in the summer. They sink into the skin. Powder products tend to sit on top of the skin, where they can be washed away by sweat. Find a sheer, light cream blush that is just a hue deeper than your natural flush. You don't want to overdo the color because creams tend to be more intense than powder anyway. Rub a little blush on your fingertips, and quickly and gently blend it into the apples of your cheeks. Make sure you blend it in really well! You want to look like a blushing bride, not a hot mess.

Cream eye shadow. Cream shadow is super simple to wear. Just choose a light, sheer color with a little bit of intensity to it. Blend it gently with your fingertips just on your eyelids. Use less than you think you need. You can always add more if you need it. If you use too much, the shadow will crack and crease. Apply the shadow on just your eye lid and blend.

Eye liner. In summer, use a lighter shade of eye liner than you normally wear. Line only the top eyelid. The lower eyelid seems to be oilier in summer, causing eye liner to smudge easily. No one wants to look like a raccoon on their summer holiday, so be light handed and use a waterproof formula.

Mascara. This is the most important part of your look! Use two coats of black, waterproof mascara. This will help you look younger and you won't have smearing or smudging from sweat and oil.

Gloss. A light lip gloss is still my favorite, but it does tend to wipe away super fast. Instead, you might try a lip stain, which sinks into the lips, or a tinted lip balm, which is easy to wear.

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