Style News

Is there anything more annoying than spending ages on your makeup only for it to melt off your face? We'll wait. With warm weather on the horizon, we need our makeup prep locked in to withstand crying at weddings, standing over the barbecue and singing along at our favourite festivals. From prepping your face to choosing the right foundation for your skin type, here’s your failsafe guide to making your makeup stick, all day long.

Step 1: Prep the Skin

As the pros always say, great makeup starts with great skincare. The bare minimum? Cleanse, exfoliate and hydrate. Keeping skin buffed and smooth will mean products can be applied evenly and sink into the skin, rather than laying on the surface. Struggle with oily skin? Add a salicylic acid to your routine to soak up any excess that may cause your makeup to slip. And lastly, moisturise, moisturise, moisturise. This will help rid you of fine lines and creases and give a clean, even base for makeup to cling to.

Step 2: Prime

An extra step that’s worth every second, applying primer will help lock in your makeup all day long. The trick, however, is to apply the right primer for your skin type. Pat McGrath's Skin Fetish Sublime Perfecting Primer leaves skin matte and smooth. Hourglass' No28 Primer Serum is great for dry skin,  while Iconic London's Underglow Blur Primer does exactly what it says on the bottle: smooths, perfects and boosts radiance. 

Step 3: Foundation

Much like nailing the right primer, your foundation type is equally key. Skin on the dry side? Go for moisture-rich bases like the Givenchy Prisme Libre Skin Caring Glow Foundation. Estee Lauder’s Double Wear Sheer is heat and humidity resistant, waterproof, and delivers a fresh, matte, but lightweight finish. While Armani's Luminous Silk manages to leave skin radiant but with staying power. No mean feat.

Step 4: Set It

An important last step that will stop creasing and keep your makeup locked in. Apply powder to any high-shine spots – the chin, forehead and nose – and use under the eyes to stop any mascara falling onto the skin. The last step? A spritz of setting spray. Apply in an X shape across the face to hit each touch point.

Step 5: Eyes and Lips

Face makeup isn’t the only thing that can dry up or crease. If you have oily or combination skin, then you probably have oily eyelids, which, because of the folds in our eyes, exaggerates creasing even more. Opt for a dedicated eyeshadow primer for long lasting hold, or a cream shadow in a colour similar to your powder eyeshadow for a little bit more stick. Constantly have dry lips? Drench your lips with rich balms and oils every night before bed, prep for makeup with a lip scrub and dig out that red lipstick you’ve been putting off wearing.