Thursday 12 / December / 2024
Ah, the beauty of makeup! You’ve added your signature finishing touch and it looks so impeccably flawless. You glance at your reflection one final time before leaving the house and confidently strut your way through your daily chores feeling as graceful as ever. A couple of hours later, when the day gets rougher, you turn to your reflection for that confidence booster from earlier hours. But alas! That ‘impeccably flawless’ makeup you were so proud of looks nothing like what you left home with. Crease lines, blotchy eye shadows and fading lipstick – that’s definitely not what you were intending to flaunt. What went wrong? Well, you’ve missed an essential – ensuring that your makeup stays on just the way you left it. Here are 10 tips to lock your makeup in place and get you through the day as beautifully as you started.
Exfoliate and moisturise
Makeup is an art, you are the artist, and the canvas is your face; so, start clean. Exfoliate twice a week to keep dead skin off. An even skin surface ensures that makeup glides on smoothly. Before starting the makeup process, thoroughly wash your face and follow with a little moisturising. A common mistake is immediately layering the skin with other products and not waiting for the moisturiser to soak in. Always wait for 2-3 minutes after moisturising and then resume with the rest of the makeup.
Use a primer
If it’s going to be a long day, never underestimate the need of a primer. What a primer does is it gives the skin a smooth surface so as to allow the makeup to set on a strong base. It also acts as a layer in between to prevent your makeup from getting absorbed by the skin. The trick lies in choosing the right primer. Yes, just like any ordinary cream, primers come for dry and oily skin. There’s even a primer for tanned skin. If you are prone to dry skin, use a primer that has the right hydration so it keeps skin moisturised and your makeup intact. It will help fight those crease lines. On the other hand, oily skin that is prone to acne demands a more matte finish (no oily T-Zones here), so pick a primer with an oil-free formula.
Layering
How you apply your makeup can go a long way to determine how you will look a few hours later. Let’s look at the principle that we’d use for applying nail polish — start with thin layers and gradually build it up. A single thick layer will look unnatural and eventually, quite cakey. Whether it is your eye makeup, lips or even the foundation, progress one thin layer at a time.
Use eyeliner with eye shadow
Think about how you powder off at the end to keep your foundation in place. A powdery eye shadow does the same job over your liner. You can stick to the liner of your preference — liquid, gel or pencil but follow through with a little eye shadow in the same colour. Using a precision brush, dab all over the lines with the shadow. It also works to give a very subtle smoky look.
Use a blotting sheet
Though we feel that touching up makeup with a little compact every now and then can rejuvenate our look, sadly it doesn’t. It results in buildup which eventually doesn’t help the creasing, blotting and smudging and can make you look really tired (even if you’re not). The best alternative to keep shine off is an aloe vera, green tea or mint infused blotting paper. Not only does it smell nice but also instantly freshens you up. And of course, it does the job better than the compact.
Give your lips the necessary coating
Lips are the first to start fading. But no, you don’t have to skip the morning coffee to keep your lipstick in place. The trick to long-lasting lipstick is a little concealer and powder. Start with a thin layer of concealer to coat the entire surface of the lips and use a lip liner to outline and fill in the lips. Bring in some translucent powder next and brush it all over. Now that your lips are prepped, grab your favourite lipstick and apply liberally. You’ll be pout-ready all through the day.
Buy for the cause
If you’re aiming to go from morning to night (or night to morning – we aren’t judging) with the same makeup, go for products that boast of doing exactly the same job. Look out for foundations with labels that read ‘long-wear’ or ‘all-day’, and mascaras and liners that say ‘sweat-proof’ and ‘waterproof’. If humidity decides to start acting against you, these are the labels that will save your day. Of course, so long as you’ve bought it from brands that honour their commitments.
Set it in
After you’re done with everything, the final step to simply lock everything in place is the (often skipped) setting spray. The makeup setting spray works just like the hairspray – and we wouldn’t skip that when we’ve tactfully worked up an up-do, would we? Then why should it be any different for the face! Some sprays even come with a sunscreen, just in case you’re obsessing about the fact that you completely forgot about that bit when you started.
Blow dry the lash curler
To make the lashes look even more voluminous naturally and all day long, blow dry the lash curler with hot air for a few seconds and then let it cool down with another dash of cold air (usually double the time for the latter). Curl how you usually do and bat away.
Keep your hands off
Yes, we know you love to see how silky your skin feels. But if you’re one of those who keep touching your face to check for perfection (or out of mere habit), we find it absolutely necessary to say ‘Stop!’ Not only are you transferring dirt from your fingers and nails to your face but you’re doing a jolly good job in messing up the makeup you spent hours on earlier. You can flip out your pocket mirror for a quick glance as many times as you want, but do keep your hands off your face, and especially your eyes.
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