Hi friends!
I’m kicking off this new series today, (I didn’t want to call it a series, but it’ll be a recurring topic so I think that’s what a series is right?) which I’ll call “Beauty Scenario”. What it basically is, is a post where I pose a beauty related scenario, whether based on my own experiences, or based on questions I get from all of you curious cats, and we all get to gather around and have a good ol’ jaw about what YOU would do in that scenario.
You might be wondering how this is different from the other discussive “Your Say” posts that I have from time to time. Well, those tend to run a gamut of anything that enters my head from tampons to nosy questions about whether you shower in the mornings; but I thought we’d enjoy and benefit from something that’s a little more focused on beauty, since this IS supposed to be a “beauty blog” after all right? LOL!
I invite you to pose your own beauty scenario (you can always email me at [email protected] if you don’t want to ask it publicly in the comments) and I’ll bring it up the next time around 🙂
To kick things off, here’s a topic we see arise quite often.
If you want your makeup to last all day or for a few hours without melting off, what are the products you would use?
This is a real concern in our sort of tropical heat and humidity and while it will naturally depend on the situation and our skin types, here are my picks and why I pick them! Please do share yours – we’ll all learn from each other here 🙂
The most common answer I’d say, is to wear a makeup primer or makeup base. I however, don’t. It’s a personal thing, where I just don’t like primers so I don’t wear them. But it also means that I have to figure out products that work to stay on my skin, regardless of a primer.
First off, I have normal-dry skin so I need something that will stay on my skin without drying it out further. My regular sunblock (Shiseido Perfect UV Protector) works as my primer and because of its texture, it doesn’t break down and turn oily so it doesn’t mess with my makeup that goes on top.
My picks are therefore either the Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet or the Bobbi Brown Stick Foundation for face base. They don’t dry my skin and don’t turn oily and stay put for most of the day.
To set, I rotate between the Bourjois Healthy Balance powder or RMK Pressed Powder N or Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light. The Bourjois powder can be a little mattifying for me, so I use it sparingly with a large fluffy brush. The RMK powder controls shine beautifully without adding any weight to the skin and is a nice blend of pressed powder and adds a bit of dimension to the skin. While the Hourglass powder isn’t really a setting powder, I find that it does help control oil for me, and it gives my skin a nice glow, which like the Guerlain Meteorites, is imperceptible, but you’ll notice it when you look in the mirror. I didn’t include the Meteorites despite loving them, because sometimes, shine can be equated with oil and since I’ve been using the Hourglass powder, I’ve switched to that for days when I want to look polished for longer.
For a blush that lasts wonderfully on my skin, I always find myself reaching for the Hourglass Ambient lighting blush. In the picture above, you see the limited edition blush palette that I never reviewed because it sold out so quickly, but I absolutely ADORE it! The single blushes work very well as well and I alternate between using the blushes in this, or the single blush in Radiant Magenta or Diffused Heat. Their lasting power is incredible and it never looks glittery or shiny on skin.
For my eyes, it’s a no-brainer. If I need an eye colour that lasts, I always reach straight for my cream shadow sticks from either Bobbi Brown or Laura Mercier. I use a mix of the two brands, blending shades from each brand to my liking. Sometimes, I use a powder eyeshadow on top, but most of the time I don’t. Effortless technique and longlasting colour makes these super easy for me! For my brows, my absolute favourite brow pencil so far is the Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting pencil. Ah-May-ZING! I love it so much so remind me to blog about it one day if I don’t soon! LOL 😀
I’m less fussy about lipstick because I can quite easily top up colour as I go, but I always have a Nars Audacious lipstick at the ready in my pouch. The longevity is quite impressive, taking me for hours even through eating and drinking, without needing a touch up and the colours too are very easy to wear.
So on days when I know that I have to put a decent face forward for fairly long hours, these are the products I automatically reach for. They’ve served me well, and I hope they’ll help you too! 😀
Beauty Scenario: You need to wear makeup that will last – what products will you pick?
Do share your skintype too, which will be more helpful for those who might be looking for something to suit their similar skin type 🙂 I’d love to see what you pick – I could even learn a thing or two eh? 😀
Paris B
Beauty Scenario is a series of discussive posts where I invite you to share your thoughts on what you’d do in a beauty related situation. If you have a scenario you’d like to share and gain some insights from the MWS community please feel free to email me at [email protected] and I’ll pose it!
I’d primer me up like there’s no tomorrow. Hourglass’ Veil Mineral Primer is fab for my skin. I like, at the very least, a medium to almost full coverage foundation on top of that (I find that Estee Lauder’s Perfectionist Youth Infusing foundation fab. If I want something with higher coverage but not heavy, then it’s Revlon’s Photoready Whipped cream foundation). Eyeshadow primer, again, a must because I have oil slicks for eyelids. NARS Pro Prime, LORAC’s eyeshadow primer, the UDPP or TFSI … any of them would do the trick. Maybelline’s Colour Tattoo’s Bad to the Bronze is a must.
Usually if I need my makeup to last the entire day, I’d go for liquid eyeliner. For that, I’ll go for Kat Von D’s Tattoo Liner. Blush-wise … hmm … I’d go for Hourglass’s Ambient Lighting Blush too. Overall setting powder, I usually just go for the Meteorites. They work very well for me. 🙂
I’ve heard loads of good things about that Hourglass primer! But I dunno, primers always make my skin feel suffocated, which is weird of course. But maybe it’s just the primers I’d tried before this. Oh and you know, we won’t be getting that EL Perfectionist foundation? Sucks man! I heard it was really good stuff! 🙁
Hey there Paris, I would bust out my Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet foundation and my Make Up For Ever Pro Finish powder to keep from melting. For blush, it has to be cream ones like my Addiction blush stick. For eye shadows, it’s either Laura Mercier’s caviar sticks or Tom Ford cream shadows. They are tenacious. 🙂
Hiya Jacqueline! Man, I totally envied your Balinese holiday! Good point about the MUFE powder. I actually like the NARS Light Reflecting Powder which I naturally forgot to include in my list! 😛 I haven’t tried the TF cream shadows – one of these days I need to get me down to Singapore and check out some of the new beauty brands!
there’s nothing that stays on me all day!!!! unless I am strictly restricted to air-conditioned area…but if i were to keep the liner or the colors on my lid for a longer time, i need to apply 2 layers of UDPP. for the face? nothing really 🙁
Hahaha if we’re outside in the hot sun, I don’t think anything will stay simply because we’d wipe it all off with all the sweat! 😛
I swear by the combination of any eye primer with MAC’s Paint Pot in Soft Ochre for the eyes and once everything is done, I spritz a bit of Urban Decay makeup setting spray and everything will stay! Even of it doesn’t, you won’t feel the makeup breaking up on you, which is kind of strange…
I was told by a friend about the UD spray too! She showed me and seriously, her makeup did not budge the entire night although she was sweating! I thought it was magic LOL
Urban decay spray is the best setting spray in the world.. I am very oily.. This spray helps me a lot to go thru the day..
I used different types of foundation depends on my mood and the weather, so far I recommend Bare Minerals’ Ready Touch Up Veil. I’ve tried on different types of foundation (Nars,Giorgio Armani, Laneige’s BB cushion and Bobbi Brown’s foundation) and put on BM’s finishing powder and it last up to 8 hours (Not so much for Laneige’s BB cushion since BB cream type tense to get oily easily).
Oh btw, im having combi skin. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your views Fiona 🙂 It’s always so useful to see what others find works for their skin type. Thanks for sharing the tip about the Bare Minerals powder. I haven’t tried that, but it’s great to know that it works so well!
I think I’m the only one who doesn’t care so much for the Hourglass blushes hahaha. The only one that looked ok on me was Mood Exposure, so I gave this palette to my daughter and got that one in a single. And even then I just don’t reach for it that often. But you are right, it does last a long time for a powder blush. I always have NARS Audacious around too-by far my fave lipstick formula! I kind of have a lot of them now hahaha-I should show them all in a post someday.
I want a review on the Hourglass Brow Pencil-I have such a problem finding brow pencils that aren’t warm and are light enough. It’s so hard to find a good shade when you have grey hair I’m telling you!
Haha they can’t please everyone Tracy! 😉 But I do like them a lot because they stay put for pretty much all day on me and if you know heat, you’d know how important that can be 😀 You really should do a big round up of the Nars Audacious lippies you own! They really stay put don’t they? I’ll be sharing my thoughts on that Hourglass brow pencil too. I’m not sure of the shades because we don’t have a counter here and I bought it online, but you know, Bobbi Brown and Shu Uemura now have similar brow pencils too! I haven’t tried them yet though 😀
For me, the key to long-lasting makeup is a good primer. I find MUFE’s and RMK’s best for my oily / combination / erratic skintype, thought I’ve been gravitating towards the latter in the recent months! My current go-to finishing powder is Soap & Glory’s One Heck Of A Blot – a finely milled powder that doesn’t go cakey on the skin. I sometimes add in a spritz of Skindinavia’s makeup finishing spray, for days when I need my makeup to last a bit longer. =D
Ooh yes RMK makes a very nice primer that doesn’t suffocate my skin! I still have a bottle of it. Barely used, but at least it’s there for emergencies I guess 😛 I didn’t know Soap & Glory now has makeup? Goodness, where have I been 😛
I picked up SKII’s CC cream while I was in Japan on a whim and it has proven itself worthy of a spot on my dresser. I’m happy to go without it in the warmer months. However, in the cooler months, my poor skin is subjected to hot showers and harsh dry heaters, it’s dehydrated no matter what I slap on. Whatever foundation I have seems to be “slurped” up by my poor skin. This helps A LOT. For eyes, it’s usually NARS primer and Australis Voluptulash mascara. Oh, Marc Jacobs eyeliner is da bomb! Everything else will stay in place.
SKII has a CC Cream? Ok, I’m definitely out of it 😛 I actually read that the SK2 makeup wasn’t bad but I never tried them. Too scared to after breaking out from their skincare 😛 So you use this as a base then? Oh and thanks for reminding me about the MJ liner! I actually found one after I lost my previous one!
Speaking of finishing powders, have you tried the beautiful limited edition ones that maquillage releases every winter? i find them even better than meteorites in terms of lasting power and they give the same type of glow! have collected 2 thus far and will be collecting more :p
No I haven’t Germs but I’ve always wanted to! I just keep missing out because I forget 😛 They had a grinding one once right? I think they’d be cheaper to collect than Meteorites at their current prices >.<
I so agree with you on the Laura Mercier caviar sticks.. these shadows don’t budge even in the heat! I also like to use the Urban Decay all nighter spray, it really helps my makeup to last! Those Hourglass palettes look so gorgeous, I’m so sad the blush palette is no longer available.. hopefully they’ll bring them back soon!
Oh hurrah for loving the LM caviar sticks! I love them so much, I always buy a set at Christmas because you get more for less, and I get to shore up my collection haha! They also make a very good base for powder shadows if I want a bit of variety. The blush palette came back for a bit but only on the Hourglass website in the US. It’s so popular, they should just make it permanent the way they did the powder palette!
I don’t use primer either, does nothing to my makeup longevity so why bother the extra step lol i usually go with Bourjois healthy mix foundation, then top it off with either NARS or SK-II loose powder. As for blush I’d go for NARS Taos whenever I want a bulletproof blush, alternating it with Hourglass Radiant Magenta depending on my mood. I just slap on Maybelline color tattoo and line with Loreal gel liner. Lips-wise, currently I’ve been using Lime Crime Velvetines in Red Velvet. It can be drying but it’s transfer-proof and survive oily meals well. I usually always have my Revlon matte balm in my purse so if it faded I just top it off with Revlon matte balm, which is very seldom.
Actually I do feel that primer does extend the longevity of my makeup, but my face always feels like it’s suffocating. I think it’s psychological but heck, anything that makes me feel uncomfortable goes LOL Ooh you wear Nars Taos! I love that shade but my adventurous days are past, especially after I realised it was just too much work to wear super pigmented shades for me 😀 But that’s such a lovely colour!
I don’t really need makeup that last whole day; I just need half day or about 4 – 5 hours. Usually at noon, I will wash off everything and reapply again because I need to perform my prayer 🙂
As I’m a Bobbi Brown hardcore fan, most of my stuffs are from that brand. There are many tips from their online website; my most favourite is how to make lipstick last longer (it was from a wedding tip but why not use that tip for other events, too, hehe). Make sure your lips hydrated well especially if your lipstick is at dry side (I’m guessing those that don’t hydrate your lips). Use lip pencil to colour your lips fully, not just outline them. Apply lipstick and blot with tissue; repeat few times. I don’t use lip pencil but the tissue trick does work!
Another trick I learned when I visit their counter was make sure your face hydrated well before applying makeup. Use toner as this will make your absorb moisturizer better. It’s good to have a good primer before your foundation which is why it’s better to get your face nicely hydrated. I also find that if you find the good combination of sunblock and foundation, you don’t really need those fancy primer 😀
Use eye cream at bottom of your eyes only and there are two reasons (that I can remember, haha); if you use concealer for underneath the eyes, the eye cream help to prep the application and if you use eye makeup, it’s better not to use eye cream on your eyelids as this may smear your eye makeup *gasp!
All these tricks help me to keep my makeup last 4 – 5 hours. I’m not sure about whole day as I never have the need nor any chance to test the whole day lasting makeup 😀
Oh yes, in a way you’re probably lucky that you can wash off and start over halfway through the day 😀 But of course I’m sure that too comes with its hassle right? And I remember that you love Bobbi Brown so it’s great that you find so many things you love from the brand! Thanks so much for sharing the tips. I like the pencil trick. You know, if you buy a red lip pencil, you could even just use that as a lip colour and it stays on longer than a lipstick! 😉
Yes, agree; can be quite tedious to wash and reapply because I need to make sure my face is free of any water resistant or water proof product before I do my Wudu’ (ablution) 😀 I can just go makeup less but I still need sunscreen which unfortunately need to wash off and reapply, too, haha. I learned from skincare counter that if a product have SPF, it’s better to wash off with cleanser than just water. Unless you can suggest any sunscreen that I can just wash off with water and not require cleanser/makeup remover?
I find that bright and dark colours tend to last longer and even if they do lighten up throughout the day, the colours still look pretty compare to neutral or light shades 😀 The red pencil is a good trick but sometimes I feel so sexier when applying with a tube than a pencil LOL
Actually, no I don’t know of any good sunscreen that washes off with just water, because then they wouldn’t be very water resistant would they? As I double cleanse most days, the question of the ease of washing off sunscreen never really crossed my mind to be honest. But you are right. A good waterproof sunscreen would need a proper cleanser and cleansing oil/balm usually serves that function, aside from properly cleansing your skin thoroughly of course 😀
Oh and you’re so right about applying lipstick from a tube – where’s the fun in using a pencil right? That’s probably why I may start off my day with a chubby pencil at home, but touch ups always come from a tube. It’s sexier and heck, we ladies need to feel sexier don’t we? 😉
RMK is the answer for me. Their base, Gel Creamy Foundation and Pressed Powder N = impeccable, unmatched oil control and lasting power. And this is after trying many different products and combinations over the years … Bare Minerals, Chanel, Dior, Laneige, HERA, Philosophy, Bobbi Brown etc.