When you want your makeup to last extra long, how does your routine change?
If I’m going to be outside a lot, particularly in heat or doing a more physical activity, then I’ll probably wear a lot less and go for minimal makeup and opt for waterproof mascara/eyeliner and a long-wear lip color (like a liquid matte) or else a gloss that can be reapplied without a mirror. If it’s indoors, then I build in layers and use a mix of creams and powders along with primers. I’ll also take a powder to touch-up with!
— Christine
On an average day, I wear a full face of makeup, which I put on in the early morning. The only touch-ups I do all day are lipstick and blotting my nose and chin. My makeup still looks good 10 hours later. My HG products that help make this happen are EL Double Wear Makeup and NYX Proof It Waterproof Eyeshadow Primer (used also under my brow products).
The only extra step I take for situations beyond an average day is setting my face with UD All-Nighter Setting Spray. If I’m going to spend a day outside in hot weather, such as at Disney World (I don’t go to the beach or play sports, so those aren’t issues for me), I use liquid lipstick so it doesn’t melt in my bag and I skip lining my eyes. If it’s going to be a particularly hot day outside, I’ll skip eyeshadow all together. But I always do brows, lashes, foundation, blush, powder, and lipstick.
I add powder a little more in the undereye area and overall, AND I use a fixation spray, like UD’s Allnighter or MAC’s Prep + Prime Fix.
I’ll add a setting powder and spray, and if it’s a fancier event switch my pencil eyeliner out for a liquid liner. I’ll also use a matching lipliner under my lipstick and a clear liner on the outside.
Like you, I work in layers. I usually apply my base, bake, set with setting spray, repowder, and reset. It sounds excessive (and really, it is, which is why I only do it on special occasions), but it really assists in the lasting powder. I find my oily skin breaks products down really quickly, but having layers of powder and setting spray really slows down that process.
I wouldn’t wear foundation and just use a tiny bit of concealer where I really need it. And then lightly powder. I probably wouldn’t wear eyeshadow either, but maybe a black wing liner in a longwearing liquid formula. Then lots of mascara and a lipstick that reapplies easily.
I approach my base that way too. If I need to fake the look of foundation, I use a small amount of high coverage concealer blended out while my skin still has slip from fresh moisturizer.
I have a couple newish scars from mole removal that are too red to be covered by my favorite all-purpose concealer, MUFE Full Cover, so those I actually do bust out the big guns and spot conceal with Kevyn Aucoin (I would call this more than regular high coverage, maybe highest coverage or opaque coverage.) and bake with LM powder. But before I had actual surgical scars to conceal, the dab of one great concealer was perfect longwearing makeup.
I don’t think that I do anything special besides checking more frequently during the day to make sure that everything is where it is suppose to be. I think my makeup routine has a lot of built in endurance steps so that may be why I don’t have a problem. I really try and buff my makeup onto my skin so that it sets down nicely. I use a primer, multiple uses of MAC Fix+ and or similar product during the application and at the end of application. I pretty much always set my face with powder if I have used foundation everywhere.
It’s situation specific for me also. Inside or out — more durable or perhaps waterproof mascara and eyeliner, also a more durable blush. Outside I’ll err on side of lighter makeup but extra heavy on sunscreen (I use La Roche Posay Anthelios 60, and it melts in — isn’t greasy and doesn’t break me out). Inside, I’ll probably layer on a bit but there’s some subjective point where I’ll go lighter but with plenty of powder so needing touch ups isn’t as much a problem.
Eyeshadow primer as a base for eyebrow tails. It doesn’t even have to be as good a primer as you’d use on your eyelids, because you won’t need to blend the color out. Like I’m not wild about UDPP, mostly because I think it has too much grip to be able to blend other companys’ shadows out smoothly (most UD seem to work OK because their mattes lean dusty and their shimmers are really buttery, I feel like?) but it works great for my brows. If you draw or fill your brows with something that has good longevity anyway, like a Stila brow pen or an Anastasia powder, they should last all day. This is what I do when I travel, and it’s worn through hot days in some of the most humid places on earth and still been selfie worthy by evening.
If I am going to be indoors and need longevity, I might use a primer under my foundation and lightly powder all over rather than just my T zone & always use MAC Paint Pot as eyeshadow base. If I will be outdoors, I go heavy on the sunscreen and would probably just spot-apply some concealer and set with loose powder. I also keep a loose powder in my handbag that has spf50++++ that I would use to touch up and augment sunscreen. I’d keep eye makeup to a minimum-just mascara probably. I’d use a bright lipstick then blot and apply lip balm that has spf. I find if I am outdoors when it’s very hot and humid, the less I have on my face the better. And even when I’m in Hawaii in the winter I am judicious about how much time I spend outdoors-try to avoid 11am-4pm. I am NC15 and some RA meds I take make me sensitive to sunlight.
I an a big fan of Shiseido sports BB for natural finish and incredible staying power. It doesn’t break down in the heat and humidity like IT cosmetics CC. The challenge is the shade range. I am light skinned, but use shade medium and tweak with drops.
I layer over prepped face a sunscreen ( Thank You Farmer 50+ Water Sunscreen ), let sit and then spray with Smashbox primer water followed by the Shiseido BB mix.
Requires a good double cleanse at the end of the day, but it’s insanely durable on my skin.
What drops do you use to tweak the shiseido? I have this same problem…
Hi Maggie: I use either The Ordinary Coverage Foundation in 1 NS or Clinique Beyond Perfecting Foundation + Concealer in 0.5 Breeze. I look best with beigey cool peachy foundations. My best foundation match is Estee Lauder DW SIP in shade 1N2 Ecru. I prefer the Clinique blend with the Shiseido BB.
I have not tried the Shiseido BB in shade Light. I had heard Shiseido shades tend to run really light so ordered Medium. Medium is definitely a shade or two too dark for me. It’s a no go in winter and works better for me in summer to ‘fake’ a bit of a tan. If anyone has any insight on the differences between shade Light and shade Medium in this product, I would be interested in anecdotal feedback.
Hope that helps and doesn’t muddy the waters instead. 🙂
I apply what I learned as a result of working in the house/business painting industry: it’s all in the prepping and priming! Making sure that the surface of what I’m applying each individual primer has been taken care of. But, it’s the primers that do the hefty load of the work. I employ a face, eyelid, plus lip primer to ensure longer wear. Especially with living in the hot desert Southwest. Also, no matter the time of year, my eyes are prone to watering, so waterproof eyeliners and mascaras are a must. For lipstick to last, I always use lip liner underneath a standard tube lipstick or pigmented gloss. Certain lip glosses extend weartime, too. For instance, MAC Lipglass, GA Ecstasy Laquer or anything else that can last through constant sipping from my water bottle! A setting/finishing powder on my oilier t-zone sure helps with foundation or BB/CC cream staying put.
Will you share what primers you use?
Hi Maggie, here goes!
For my face, underneath foundation, I use one of two extremes on the $ scale: Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer or Monistat Chaffing Relief Powder Gel. Under BB/CC creams, I use FAB Coconut Skin Smoothie Priming Moisturizer. For eyes, I usually wear UDPP in Eden unless ill be wearing certain metallic eyeshadow formulas, because Eden can make them appear dull and lack intensity. If so, then I’ll use Milani’s Eyeshadow Primer, which unfortunately makes my inner corners itch, so I’m on the hunt for a new one! For lips, I’m on my *gazillionth* tube of MAC Prep & Prime for lips.
When I want my makeup to last a long time (say for a wedding) then I make sure I use primer on both eyes and face to ensure that my makeup has the best chance of lasting the distance. I would then go for a long lasting foundation and bring along a blush/powder and lipstick for touch ups.
If I have a daytime outside activity like you I use less product. When I have an evening occasion I use a lot of foundation and a lot of setting powder. I “bake” around my nose, my chin and my forehead.
I don’t change much except try to remember to wear primer for special ocassions such as a party & if there will be dancing. Salsa dancing which I love, or a wedding. If outdoors I’ll wear waterproof mascara. I carry lipstick, and any topper to add a bit of shine but not heavy gloss, lip brush and a cute small mirror. Always Chapstick to the rescue.
When I go for my long walks now with my beautiful border collie Zorro (he has two big spots on eyes therefore Zorro) spf Coppertone Sports all over body, a different one for face like Solbar Zinc supposedly to be transparent but it is not that white cream is thick and great for long mileage training all over the beach. I have to blend well but it works. Always! Always Chapstick I do have tons of those and carry on my running belt. When I ran marathons I placed one in every pocket of running clothes, tops, shorts and in everything I own. They save my lips from wind, cold, dryness, humidity, rain, sun, sand you name it! I should be a Chapstick sponsor. Lol! Why Chapstick? Cause it won’t melt and drop half of stick on floor such as Burt Bees it is too soft for the real battle outthere. Even under my liquid lipsticks they make them glide so nice. I get red on my face exercising especially running but early mornings I would swipe quickly whatever remains from my blush brush a bit on my cheeks to give some healthy waking up look later I would get that blood rush on face naturally. Like a bloody tomatoe.
And speaking of Coppertone sprays is great to cover the back especially when wearing tank tops but I keep hoping when they invent a method to apply sun protection on our backs. I have used at times a long serving spoon to be able to apply it further down on my back is a real challenge. Luckily have never gotten a sunburn when on training days so Coppertone works. Thank goodness! But that’’ll be another entire page to discuss. Lol!
If I need long-lasting makeup, I usually just use setting spray.
I always want my makeup to last a long time.
I use primers, UD Eyeshadow Primer Potion original for the eyes and MAC Prep+Prime skin for the skin, or if it’s hot outside, Benefit Porefessional.
I use a medium coverage foundation and I set it with powder. I have oily skin in the t-zone so I use a lot of blotting papers, and sometime a blotting powder.
A lot of eye shadows work as long wearing for me, but I prefere Pat McGrath over all others, I also use MAC eyeshadows frequently as I have a lot of them and can do a lot of fun colour combos.
I never use waterproof mascara, and find that my favourite ones lasts a long time, though I get a bit of it under my eyes after some 12 or so hours.
I use an eyebrow pencil, ABH mostlya and set it with a clear gel.
I happened to fall asleep in front of the yesterday and though my skin is basically without any makeup, my eyes look fine. Tha’s a 24 hour wear on Pat, Tarte mascara and Eyeco eyeliner.
I always want my makeup to last extra long, so my routine is already geared to that — no change.