Long-lasting make-up tips

After putting in so much effort perfecting your eyeliner and getting the perfect shade of red on your lips, there is nothing worse than looking in the mirror a couple of hours later and seeing a melted, faded mess. To help make sure your precious beauty routine is worth your while, we’re sharing a few tips, compiled with some help from Byrdie and Marie Claire, which will keep your make-up look fresh and flawless all day. 

Wash your face. Washing away dirt, sebum and old make-up will help your fresh make-up stay in place a lot longer. If you put fresh make-up on a dirty face, it’ll flake away.

Exfoliate a few times a week to get rid of dead skin. Putting make-up over dead skin will cause it to flake off during the day. Your make-up will look better on a smooth skin.

Apply face primers. They create a flawless base, diminish the appearance of pores and help your make-up stay put. Smooth one on your face before applying foundation, to prevent creasing or melting. An eyeshadow primer will help your favorite shadow go on more smoothly, as well as work as a barrier between your oily lids and eye make-up.

Use a translucent setting powder. It’s simply a clear or very lightly tinted face powder that sets and mattifies your face without the added coverage of a coloured powder. A drugstore brand will work just as well as one from a high-end brand.

Use waterproof mascara. Waterproof or smudge proof mascara work well to keep your eyes looking fresh all day. Just make sure you don’t sleep with it, as it will clump and make your lashes fall off.

If you have oily eyelids, swap your normal eyeliner for a waterproof formula (because of their wax-based formula, they’ll stay smudge-free).

Use an invisible lip liner to keep your lipstick from fading. First, fill in your entire lip with the liner and then apply your lipstick. Finish by tracing around your lip with the lip liner again to prevent feathering and creasing.

Prepare yourself for any melted make-up emergency by carrying a beauty emergency kit in your bag at all times. A powder compact, concealer, blotting papers and cream blush are essentials.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 5^th, 2014.

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