Get Your Face Ready to Get Wet

The summer brings hot weather, which brings sweat. You can use makeup to try to make your shiny skin matte, but what good is it if you just sweat it right off? Here are a few tips and products to use on the hottest days to make your look sweat and water-resistant.

Washing your face feels so good on hot days, there’s nothing like removing all of the day’s sweat with a cleanser. The only problem is that washing your face too frequently will dry it out, making your oil glands work harder to add moisture, which means that your skin will end up oilier than it started. Only use a cleanser twice a day, morning and night, and use toner if you need a quick refresher in the middle of the day. Ecologica Rose Water Spray acts as a refreshing pick-me-up and toner.

Much like how you have seasonal pieces in your wardrobe, you should have seasonal moisturizers, too. Heavy lotions are better kept to the winter months when skin is drier. If you need to apply a thicker anti-aging cream during the summer, use it at night. In the morning, use a light moisturizer like Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel. Elle magazine spoke to makeup artist Angela Lanvin, who recommends “laying a tissue on your face and gently tapping” because “the tissue will pick up any excess moisture.”

Oil-free, oil-absorbing primer is your friend. It will fight shine and keep your makeup looking fresh for a longer amount of time, plus it will provide a base for your foundation. Apply a primer like Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Light prior to an oil-free foundation.

Speaking of oil-free foundation, it’s is the next step in your sweat-free summer look. Adding oil to your face is like asking your skin to shine in the heat, so make sure you choose an oil-free option. Revlon PhotoReady Makeup is not only oil-free, but is suitable for sensitive skin and contains SPF 20 to protect you from sun damage. Some foundations were made to resist the elements like Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup with SPF 10. It promises to last through heat, humidity, and clothing changes.

Eye makeup doesn’t fare well in wet conditions, so it’s important to choose the right product if you may face some sweat or a surprise water balloon fight (summer can get crazy). Avoid cream eye shadows, as they tend to crease even in cool conditions; powders are more likely to stay put in the heat. To avoid raccoon eyes, waterproof is the way to go. There are waterproof varieties of liquid and pencil eyeliners, like Maybelline’s Ultra Liner Waterproof Liner and Unstoppable Eyeliner pencil, respectively. Most mascara brands come in waterproof varieties, but Good Housekeeping found that Maybelline New York Great Lash Waterproof Mascara was their “Best Overall Waterproof Mascara.”

When your skin starts to shine even with all of this prevention, blotting papers will save your look. There are two kinds, one with powder and one without. The Body Shop’s Nature’s Minerals Blotting Tissues leave a light powder and keep your makeup intact. Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets (which I keep in my purse) leave no powder, but absorb oil and remove shine.

Unless you never leave an air-conditioned building, odds are that you will sweat this summer. Hopefully with these tips, your makeup won’t show it.