Do you dream of once-and-done makeup? Warm color, luscious lips, and dramatic eyes that last from sunup to sundown? Starting with healthy skin goes a long way to keep your look fresh.
These pointers from professionals can help your makeup stay put no matter where the day -- or night -- takes you.
Prep and prime your skin. A few key products can help make your look last. Emmy Award-winning makeup artist Kevin James Bennett suggests stocking up on two essentials.
- Hydrating serum. Look for one with hyaluronic acid for lightweight yet long-lasting moisture.
- Primer to seal in skin care ingredients and prep your skin for foundation
Layer, Layer, Layer
The experts agree: Starting with a few well-chosen layers can help your makeup last all day and night.
Foundation: Celebrity makeup artist Tanya Rae (who counts Bette Midler and Megan Hilty as clients) takes a multistep approach. She applies moisturizer and primer, allowing time for each to soak in. Foundation comes next, blended with a damp sponge, and then a light dusting of translucent powder to set it all in place.
Cheeks: Marina Gravani, a Los Angeles makeup artist who's worked with Mariah Carey, uses cream blush to give cheeks a healthy flush. She adds a pop of powder blush over it for staying power.
Eyes: You don't need a special primer for your eyelids, says Scott Barnes, the artist behind J.Lo's signature look. Instead, lightly dust the lids with powder before applying shadow to stop color from sliding.
Lips: A moist start keeps lip color going strong. Rae suggests a generous coat of lip balm. Blot with a tissue to remove excess.
From there, use lip pencil to trace the lip line and fill in the lips. Blend the liner with a brush for solid coverage. Then apply lipstick, blot with a tissue, and dust with translucent powder while the tissue is on the lips. Remove the tissue, reapply lipstick and top with gloss.
Next, finishing spray can help preserve your artful layers of color. It protects your makeup from normal wear caused by heat, moisture, and touching -- and keeps your skin looking fresh.
Midday Makeup Touch-Ups
Fix your foundation. Gently dab your foundation with a damp sponge to freshen your look, suggests Alicia Mizrahi Siller, a film and TV makeup artist.
If your foundation settles into fine lines, Gravani suggests spritzing with a skin mist. Next, use a makeup sponge to get the foundation out of nooks and crannies.
Eliminate oil. Blotting papers keep your look fresh longer. They absorb excess oil without disturbing makeup. Plus, they're perfectly portable -- taking up little to no room, even in the smallest clutch.
"Avoid [making] multiple touch-ups with compact powder," says Bennett. While powder may hide an oily shine, too much gives you a thick mask of products on your face.
Remove rogue eye makeup. "Sometimes the simplest of things are all you need," says Barnes. Tuck a few Q-tips in your bag to clean up any eye makeup that's out of place. For stubborn smudges, add a little moisturizer to the Q-tip for easy cleanup.
Lasting Looks for Dry Skin
A skin care plan that moisturizes your skin is the best first step when you're battling dry patches. Good makeup choices can fight dryness and keep your look fresh longer. For those with very dry skin, Siller suggests a buildable tinted moisturizer in place of foundation.
Rae suggests using a cream foundation, blush, and bronzer. Then top it off with a translucent powder for staying power.
To stop flakiness on the spot, Bennett suggests you gently pat moisturizer directly on trouble spots and allow a few minutes for it to absorb. Then use a makeup sponge to reblend, and you can add a little extra foundation if needed.
