Whether you are attending a party, a family get-together or giving a business presentation – you always want to look great, right?
But hot summers and extreme sweating are a major concern for us make-up enthusiasts. They make our makeup drip, and make us look like a hot mess.
Well, no worries. This blog post delves into some of the best products and tips to prevent your makeup from sweating off your face, so you can always look your best in all circumstances!
11 Sweat-Proof Makeup Products
Oil-Free & Matte Skin Primer
Before you start doing your makeup, try using a primer to prevent sweating off makeup. Primers come either as creams or as gels. They smooth your skin and serve as a base so that your makeup stays on longer.
After you put moisturizer and/or sunscreen on your face, primer should be the first step in your makeup routine before you even apply concealer and foundation.
If your skin is oily and/or sweaty, you want to use an oil-free & matte primer to cancel that out. An excellent example of oil-free skin primer is best-seller Smashbox’s Photo Finish Primer.
How to apply? Take a small drop in your hands, rub in both palms, then apply evenly on your face. Let it sit on your skin for 15 seconds before you move to the next steps of your makeup routine. And don’t worry about colors: primers work well for all skin types.
Light-Weight, Oil-Free & Waterproof Foundation
Once your prime has dried, you can apply your foundation. Foundation will even out your skin tone across. Make sure you pick the right tone though, not too light, not too dark, so it looks natural. Also don’t forget to blend it all the way into your neck: you don’t want to look like you have a mask!
Foundation comes in different forms: liquid, cream, or powder, and you’ll probably need to try all three at some point to see what you prefer. In general, liquid foundation looks more natural, cream foundation lasts longer, and powder foundation helps with a matte finish.
When you are afraid your make up may sweat off your face, you want to pick a lightweight, oil-free, and water-resistant foundation, like the Lancôme Teint Idôle Classic Long Wear Foundation or the Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation.
Lightweight & Waterproof Concealer
Not everyone needs concealer, but if you have blemishes, dark spots, or big dark under eye circles like me, then concealer is a must to hide them. Concealer also helps shape your brows, and can serve as a primer for eyeshadow.
If you know you’re going to sweat your makeup off during the day, you want to pick your concealer wisely and pick a lightweight and waterproof one.
Like foundation, concealers come in different forms: stick, liquid, or cream like IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Full Coverage Waterproof Concealer. That’s the one I’ve been using for the last few months and it stays on great.
Another cream concealer with great reviews is the Lancôme Effacernes Longue Tenue Undereye Concealer.
If you prefer a liquid one, you may want to try Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Flawless Concealer that also has great reviews on Amazon.
Once you’ve applied your foundation and concealer you’re good to apply you blush or bronzer.
Waterproof Mascara
Waterproof mascara like Lancôme Définicils High Definition Mascara will definitely help prevent your makeup from sweating off your face.
I wouldn’t recommend wearing mascara every day for months or years though. It can really hurt your eyelashes. Because it’s tougher to remove, you tend to rub your eyelashes hard when you remove your makeup. And over time, that makes you lose eyelashes. I know because it happened to me…. And eyelashes take a very very long time to grow back, trust me. So, you want to make sure you only wear waterproof mascara on special occasions!
Another waterproof mascara with great reviews is Lancôme Lash Idôle Mascara.
And when you do wear regular mascara that sweat off your face, use little wipes or blotting paper to fix it throughout the day.
Waterproof Brow Pencil
When the skin and eyes are done, it’s time for brows! And of course, no one wants to have their eyebrows melt under sweat and water, so a waterproof brow pencil is the solution.
The classic L’oreal’s Waterproof Brow Pencil comes in 10 shades and lets you draw your eyebrows, giving a perfect outline and a great look.
How to apply? Clean and brush your brows. Next, use the brow pencil and draw a neat outline of your eyebrow shape. Fill in the gaps with light, gentle strokes. Then blend with the brush.
Setting Spray Or Powder
A setting spray will lock all your makeup in place and ensure it lasts longer in case you’re at risk of sweating it off. We use hair spray to keep our hair in place, so why not makeup setting spray?
The e.l.f. mist setting spray for example includes green tea, cucumber and aloa extracts to keep your face hydrated and make your makeup last up to 16 hours.
Long-Wear Lipstick
Like the rest of your makeup, lipstick tends to smudge but also gets everywhere as you eat, drink, etc. That’s when long-wear lipsticks come in. Most long-wear lipsticks, like Lancôme L’Absolu Rouge, last about 12 hours. Matte lipsticks usually stick better than shiny ones that contain oil. Because matte lipsticks don’t contain oil, they also tend to dry out your lips so make sure you only wear matte long-wear lipstick on occasions.
Hair Ties
That ones seems obvious, but of course having your hair down will keep your neck and face warmer in hot weather/ sweaty days, so an easy solve is to keep your hair up to feel cooler, reduce sweating and prevent your hair from sticking to your makeup.
The options are limitless: ponytails, buns, braids, etc. and there are tons of hair accessories available. I like having spiral hair ties on me at all times, and usually get the clear ones so I don’t need to worry about them matching my outfit, and so I can carry one around my wrist all the time.
Blotting Paper For Touch-Ups
If all fail, and your face is still sweating off makeup, you can try blotting paper for touch-ups. Blotting paper help absorb the oil or sweat from your face. And unlike tissue papers, they won’t tear. These charcoal blotting tissues come in small packs you can carry in your purse. Just tap one on your face to absorb the sweat.
Waterproof Mascara Remover
So, you wore waterproof mascara to fight the sweat, and now you’re back home and it’s time to remove it. It’s tougher to remove than regular mascara and you could hurt your lashes by scrubbing too hard, so you want to make sure you an oil or balm to remove it softly.
This Japanese waterproof mascara remover is a mascara brush that you dip in a gel/oil and brush onto your lashes before you use your regular make up remover. It helps strip the lashes cleaner before the big wah.
How to apply? Use the comb brush and apply the remover smoothly from the roots to the upper end of the eyelashes. Then blend with your makeup remover balm. Finally, rinse with warm water.
If you want to apply a nice little something on your lashes before you go to bed, castor oil is famous for helping eyelashes get fuller and thicker.
Makeup Remover Balm
Once you’ve applied your waterproof mascara remover, apply makeup remover balm all over your face, massage gently, and rinse with warm water and a little towel.
I find make up remover balms to be way more convenient than liquid ones ( they don’t spill, you can travel with them, you don’t need cotton balls, etc.) and after about a year of using makeup remover balms I won’t be able to go back to anything else.
I tried a few brands and so far, my favorite is the Juno Skin Cleansing Balm because it has the right texture and is not too expensive
How to apply? Take a small amount in your hands and warm up in your hands until it becomes oily. Gently massage on your face. Rinse with moderately warm water and wipe off with a warm damp washcloth.
Recap: Steps to apply make up and prevent sweating off makeup
- Moisturizer
- Sunscreen
- Primer
- Foundation
- Concealer
- Blush or bronzer
- Eyes: eyeshadow, mascara, eyeliner
- Eyebrows: brow pencil
- Lips: lip pencil, lipstick
- Setting spray
(Wait a bit between each step to let things dry before moving to the next steps)
Recap: Steps to remove make up
- Mascara remover
- Make Up remover/ cleansing balm
- Rinse with warm water and damp washcloth
- Moisturizer
- Castor Oil for Eyelashes
