Especially on greasy skin like mine.
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When I was new to the world of beauty, I believed what I saw (misleading advertisements) and what I was told (misleading sales assistants). After experimenting with numerous products, reading/watching tutorials and practice sessions, sense started prevailing in me.
I realized that a cleanser is not going to stop oil on my greasy skin, mere skincare products won’t help me fight acne, under-eye cream won’t banish dark circles if I’m not getting proper sleep and a fixing spray won’t keep my makeup from melting on my sweaty face if I’m under constant heat and humidity. Yes! Gasp!
Learn from the four biggest skincare mistakes I made as a beginner.
I learned to keep realistic expectations and can’t thank enough artists like Jordon Liberty, Lisa Eldridge,
I learned to make peace with my super oily skin (prone to dehydration and acne) by being gentle with it. But yes! Handling makeup on it in hot, humid weather isn’t easy. But also not impossible! Thanks to some unglam looking products in my life which totally fix my makeup melt-down.
Let’s get started with these essentials!
Blotting oil product
I mentioned the importance of blotting sheets in this post on the makeup mistake worsening your acne. It absolutely makes no sense touching up your oily face with powder on top of it in an attempt to mattify it. It’s unhygienic and doesn’t work.
Use a blotting paper to first absorb the excess oil and then, use powder to touch-up. Personally, I only use two blotting sheets on an everyday basis and don’t use powder. My skin’s happier this way.
Read more: Top 10 foundations for oily acne prone skin
But the blotting product that has changed my life is MURAD blotting perfect. It is an oil-blotting cushion. I tap the liquid on my skin and my skin is instantly mattified! COMPLETE MATTE!
It is expensive, I don’t have a backup right now and I’m scared of finishing it. Two backups are already on their way though from a friend 😀
Micellar water
If you have a super greasy skin like me, you will understand when I say that having a fresh skin to begin with makeup is refreshing, especially when you want to go from AM to PM. On those days, this is what I do:
Apply a very light layer of foundation and do rest of makeup. After work hours, I wipe my face (leaving my eye makeup untouched) using micellar water. Then, I apply moisturizer, foundation, cream blush, powder, mist and done! This hardly takes 15-20 minutes.
If you don’t apply makeup, use micellar water mid-day to get rid of oil. Follow up with a mist and feel refreshed! I have compared different micellar waters in a post on different makeup removers for oily acne prone skin.
Water
No, I’m not going to ask you to dip your face in water. I tried that trick a few times and it didn’t work for me. Not practical, left my powder looking weird at some placed and my dry patches flared up.
If you want your concealer to last without creasing and your base to look as fresh as possible, do this:
Press loose powder on your skin with a DAMP sponge. It will mattify your skin completely. Don’t get alarmed by the MATTE finish if you have a greasy skin especially. After an hour or so, it will merge with your skin’s naturals oils and look completely fine.
Fixing sprays
When it comes to Delhi’s heat and humidity (top it with a sweaty face like mine!), even sprays that are supposed to lock makeup in place for hours fail. Not completely though.
After trying a lot of fixing sprays, this is what I’ve noticed: My foundation still may fade but it fades evenly and it doesn’t look pathetic at all. It doesn’t transfer on my clothes not does it disappear completely. Yes, my blush lasts for longer.
More than on face, I use them to prolong the wear time of my brows and eyeshadows.
Primers
I neither use primers nor fixing sprays on a daily basis as they don’t suit my skin that much. However, I use them on days when I know I would be wearing makeup for very long hours or don’t have much time for touch-ups.
After trying a lot of primers in the recent years, I have finally found some that work beautifully for my skin type and doesn’t cause breakouts on my skin. I’m going to do a post on my favourite soon.
A good primer such as ‘Hylamide HA blur’ blurs my pores , smoothens my skin, makes me use less foundation and basically, prevents foundation from collecting or sinking into my pores. Revlon photoready color correcting primer is also another option.
It is unrealistic to expect your full face makeup to look as fresh as it was in the morning by the time you have got home. But with the right products and techniques, you can definitely make it survive and keep it looking neat even after long hours. What are your beauty favourites for the hot weather?