It's almost summertime, y'all. I'M READY for the pool parties, beach days, finding an actual job, blah blah blah, you get the picture. But whether you're meeting friends for lunch in 102-degree weather, or you're going to your first professional job interview, you want your makeup to slayyyy and STAY that way.
1. Moisturize. Moisturize well.
The secret to a good face with makeup is in fact, a good face in general. Take good care of your skin and it will come in clutch on the days you need it most. The best stuff on the market might set you back a little (OR A LOT), but you can find some really good deals on comparable moisturizers at T.J. Maxx or Marshalls.
2. Wear sunscreen even on cloudy days.
This should be a given by now. We all know how much the sun can damage our skin, it's literally roasting it. Sunscreen is like your sassy comeback. Always have a sassy comeback when someone roasts you. You'll be Twitter famous and your skin will thank you.
3. Use eyeshadow primer on your nose.
And when I say eyeshadow primer, I mean eyeshadow primer. Yes, they make this wondrous product. Yes, you should be using this—your eyeshadow will survive the gym, the shower, and probably the Apocalypse. Apply this on your nose before foundation and your pores will never have existed. It. Does. Its. Job. Check out Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer at Sephora and get yourself some free beauty samples with shipping.
4. Setting spray. Setting spray. Setting spray.
I once went swimming on a hot day in August with a group of friends. After half an hour, a girl said to me, “How do you still have your face on?” Smiling, but not too broadly at the idea that my face is only my face with makeup, I replied coolly: “Setting spray.” Urban Decay's De-Slick is my favorite right now, but Milani's Make it Last Setting Spray is a great drugstore dupe, and more importantly, my bank account's preferred product.
5. Carry blotting paper with you.
YEAHHH, NO, sweat is a very real (and oftentimes embarrassing) thing. Trust me. I'm an expert. God bless genetics and social anxiety. While some blotting paper can take your oil AND your makeup off, certain kinds, like Clean & Clear® Oil Absorbing Sheets, will only take off your oil. Press gently. And don’t go showing it to the girl on your left, she won’t be impressed with the massive BP-esque spill you’ve discovered. Unless she’s your best friend, in which case you may just earn yourself a high-five.
6. Carry extra concealer with you.
You can use concealer for just about anything these days: to contour under your eyes, to set your eyeshadow and better show the pigment, to hide government emails or stormy political scandals… Okay, maybe not that last one, and we’re much better off for it.
7. Just carry extra anything with you.
Always be prepared to walk into the bathroom for a quick fix-up. You never know when you’re going to be hugging your cousin at your grandmother’s funeral and step back to see an imprint of the right side of your face on his black blazer. Trust me. It will happen one day. You either run to the nearest mirror and save your face or attempt to not cry while trying to rub your contour off his coat and keep the conversation going while reaching into your purse for a Tide to go pen.
8. Don’t bother with eyeliner if you’re going to be late.
The wings. The wings. They just won’t mirror each other. One is bigger than the other, and it’s nine a.m. and you need coffee and you’ve got class in 20 minutes. Worth it? NO! Wipe off the monstrosity with a Makeup Remover Wipe, add some mascara, there will be no need for anyone to ask questions about the alien-eyed new girl in the back row.
(Alternatively, seriously invest in Kat Von D's Tattoo Liner and your wings will always be fly. That pun sounded better in my head.)
9. Use antiperspirant/deodorant the night before. And in the morning, if you want.
Deodorant is by no means makeup (although one terribly misguided hack back in 2016 was claiming that it could be used as a primer), but it is integral to making it through the day alive. The one thing they never told us in 8th-grade health class (amongst other things) is that antiperspirant doesn’t magically close off our sweat ducts right when we apply it in the morning like the fairy godmother we assumed it to be. It takes time to work and as most are pretty long-lasting, experts recommend that antiperspirant/deodorant be applied right before bed.
10. Use men’s antiperspirant/deodorant.
While we’re on the topic, I also recommend using Old Spice. Not only does it smell like your ex’s best friend’s hot brother who you met that one time at the movies and never saw again, but it also works way better and is way cheaper than female-oriented products like Secret or Dove. Sweat stains, begone!
*BONUS* If you don’t want to wear makeup today, here’s a hack: You don’t have to!
You have a cold, a sunburn, you pulled an all-nighter to study for your Algebra final while seriously rethinking your major and getting existential at three a.m. while looking up EDM YouTube videos to get you through those last few equations. Gurl. I feel you. Everybody else feels you. For God’s sake, grab a coffee, kill that exam, and go back to your dorm and cry and sleep and don’t worry about what people think of your non-makeuped-face. What really matters is you and how you feel.
Just remember to moisturize. 😉
