As a beauty writer, I’ve spent hours researching the latest skincare updates and quizzing make-up artists about their tricks. This has earned me the status of the official beauty guru amongst my millennial friends. My Instagram DMs and Whatsapp chats are often flooded with messages like, ‘What lipstick are you wearing?’ or ‘How do I conceal my acne?’ on the regular. But recently there’s been a cacophony of questions on summer-proofing make-up. It started with a friend complaining about foundation slipping off her face to another claiming that her face is eating up blush. It made me curious to find out why our carefully painted make- up was so eager to escape. More importantly, do these lab-tested 24-hour products simply evaporate or do our faces really eat them up? I quizzed a few skincare experts, and it turns out that the problem doesn’t lie in the product but our technique. The key is to invest as much time on your skincare as you would perfecting your brows.
WHAT’S CAUSING THE MELTDOWN?
Sadly, there isn’t just one escape route for make-up, which makes it tougher to nail down the offender. We lose about a million skin cells from the surface of our face every day, and these cells take the make-up with them. This turnover is much higher in the case of people with oily skin, which explains why make-up is less likely to adhere to the face. Then, there’s the issue of our pores. While they’re not sucking up our make-up, dermatologist Dr Kiran Sethi explains, “It is a common phenomenon for smaller make-up molecules to enter pores and clog them.” Sweat is another major trigger during summer. “Our sebum mixes with perspiration, dissolves oil-soluble make-up and evaporates,” warns Dr Sethi. You may notice an increase in sebum secretions in the run up to your period as well. Combined with other factors, like skin porosity, humid weather and how often you touch your phone to your face, the fading can speed up. If you have dry skin, you’re not escaping the wrath of this beauty curse either. “Dehydrated skin is searching for moisture, and can absorb this from liquid foundations and creamy make-up,” says dermatologist Dr Jaishree Sharad. Most often leading to dry patches and uneven make-up.
Once you’ve got your skincare regimen in place, enlist setting sprays and blotting sheets as your support crew. When make-up gets patchy, simply dab the area with a blotting sheet insead of applying more make-up on top. “Wait for five minutes between applying moisturiser and foundation, as make-up tends to slip off easily from moist skin,” recommends Dr Sethi. So is long-wear make-up really worth it? Turns out, you don’t need an entire arsenal of everlasting eye shadows, blushes or contouring products. If your skin and base have been well prepped, almost any product will still last long.
HOW TO MAKE IT LAST LONGER?
Experts advise developing a routine that is suited to your specific skin type.
For oily skin:
For normal to dry skin:
