Top tips for makeup in the heat

Flippin' hec, it's been HOT hasn't it?! You might be someone who abandons makeup when it's hot and sweaty and that's fine, but if you're like me and would rather still wear a full face of makeup despite the weather then read on! I thought I'd share a few of my top tips for keeping your face in place in the sweaty weather.

1. Exfoliate

It's tricky to create that long lasting summer glow without prepping your face first. By exfoliating your skin you're ridding it of those dead skin cells, helping to make your skin fresh, smooth and ready to be painted! If you want to go the whole hog then dermaplaning at home is a great and more thorough exfoliation technique. As well as helping to remove the dead skin cells you're also gently getting rid of peach fuzz on the face with a blunt scalpel-like tool. There are loads out there but I personally am loving the Hollywood Browzer. Applying makeup to fresh dermaplaned skin helps it to blend beautifully and makes your makeup less likely to settle into pores or fine lines and wrinkles. 

2. Moisturise

Don't make the mistake of skipping your moisturiser in an attempt to keep your face less oily. Summer heat can dehydrate your skin, and dehydrated skin will actually just get oilier! People often think your skin will be dry if it's dehydrated but thirsty skin will increase its production of sebum, natural oils, to protect itself from drying out. So, make sure you grab a moisturiser with an oil free formula. I normally use SeneGence SeneDerm DayTime Moisturiser (normal-oily) but on particularly hot days I switch this out for Temple Spa Moisture Matte Moisturiser which gives a mattifying effect.

Speaking of moisturiser, if you're not desperate for full coverage it might be worth wearing tinted moisturiser rather than foundation. For any areas where you do want fuller coverage, use your concealer, but the rest of your face might appreciate the break from foundation! You could also try mixing a little powder into your tinted moisturiser to help give you more coverage. I use SeneGence Colour Correcting Tinted Moisturiser (CCTM) which gives a pretty good medium coverage anyway. Another option is to mix a little oil free moisturiser in with your foundation before applying. Your face will thank you!

3. SPF

Protecting your skin from the sun is always always ALWAYS important, but especially in the heat. Lots of moisturisers/foundations/makeup have built in SPF but be sure to check! My main moisturiser, CCTM and foundation have a mechanical shield* equivalent to SPF 15 each (so wearing all 3 equates to SPF 45) but during the summer I like to wear sunscreen too. As a general rule, sunscreen should be the last step in your skincare routine - apply it after your moisturiser. 

Now, topping up your SPF throughout the day once you have a full face on makeup on presents its own challenges! There are plenty of tips and tricks out there but personally I like to use a powder SPF, plus it doubles up as a nice mattifying product! I've been using Derma E Sun Protection Mineral Powder SPF 30. I just whack it on over the top of my makeup a few times a day and don't need to worry about it smudging or smearing my makeup. Easy!

*a mechanical shield is a chemical free protective covering/barrier - it's basically like wearing an item of clothing over the skin. 

4. Primer

Right, skincare done. Before you jump straight into your makeup though, be sure to prep your face with an oil free primer. You can apply with a brush but I prefer to use my fingers for primer and let it sit on the skin for a bit. Primer will help hold your makeup in place through the day without feeling like another layer of product. For a good while I was going between SeneGence Silk Primer and Pore Minimiser and Smashbox Photo Finish Oil & Shine Control Primer. I genuinely loved both of these but I've very recently discovered a new fave... Aldi's Lacura Primers! The Lacura Snapshot Ready Primers are clearly a Smashbox dupe and I'm very much here for them! I've tried all four (Illuminating Primer, Radiance Primer, Foundation Primer & Even Skin Tone Primer) but I think my fave in the heat is the Foundation Primer. It provides a really silky but matte base and is a dream under foundation/CCTM. 

5. Wear something highlighting/brightening under the eye

I couldn't live without SeneGence Eyeluminator. It's an eye cream mixed with "pearlizer", a glowy liquid makeup product that beautifully highlights and brightens while moisturising. I tend to wear it under my under eye concealer but it can be worn alone if you like to wear less/no makeup in the heat. It's also lovely for waking up tired eyes in the afternoon if that's what you need! I just tap a little on under my eyes with my ring finger over the top of my makeup. Another option I'd really like to try is Tatcha's undereye illumiating treatment, which can also be worn alone or under makeup.

6. Embrace liquid/cream products

Generally I like cream blush as opposed to powder anyway as I find it much better in terms of longevity, but in the heat I lean towards cream for contour/highlight too. I use SeneGence BlushSense and like to use a cool toned foundation about 3 shades deeper from my base colour for contour. For liquid highlight I love Benefit's highlighters, SleekMakeUP and SeneGence's mini Pearlizers. Powder products can have a tendency to go cakey if you're potentially going to get a bit sweaty so I do avoid them. Another good option for blush is using a stain like Benetint Cheek & Lip Stain. Stains are pretty long lasting even when tested by the heat!

Oh, and as a cheeky little extra:

    6.a When it comes to blush (& highlight too), don't overdo shimmer! If we're a little sweaty, we're at risk of being a little shinier - too much sparkle will just enhance any oiliness and shine. We're human, we sweat. We may get a shiny forehead/nose/upper lip...but let's not draw attention to it eh?!

8. Bronze bronze bronze!

Hopefully the glorious weather will help to give us all that beautiful, natural looking sun kissed glow but until it does, fake it 'til you make it! To keep it as natural looking as possible just apply your bronzer to the high points of your face like your cheekbones, forehead and nose...basically where the sun would naturally hit. Bronzed skin makes your eyes and teeth look whiter and gives an overall healthy glowy look to the skin. You could always dust a little along your collarbones too for a really cohesive look. I love Benefit Hoola for a matte finish, or SeneGence Bronze Dust if I want a bit of sparkle!

9. Set it!

You've put all that effort in - don't let your makeup melt away in the heat! Setting sprays really work to seal in your look and help it to last as long as possible. I love love love Urban Decay All Nighter. It's so light, feels so refreshing and it keeps your face in place! Normally I love a dewy finish and use the original All Nighter but, let's be honest, sweating in the heat will give me enough of that dewy glow (!) so I'm favouring the Ultra Matte version at the moment. It works just as well and helps to keep me looking dewy rather than sweaty. 

If you want extra help keeping the shine at bay, you can set potentially troublesome areas with translucent powder before your setting spray. I focus on the Y Zone (forehead, nose, chin, under eyes) and use Morphe Bake & Set setting powder in translucent or SeneGence Translucent Powder.

If you have anymore helpful hints or tips when it comes to makeup in the heat I'd love to hear them!

Love Clare x