Summer Makeup

I used to have only one step for summer makeup .  . . do not wear any. This is because I always had heavy makeup and I sweat. Things would get awful quickly and it certainly wasn't a cute look. Recently, however, I've found a routine that actually works for me.

First Step: Be as cool as possible before you even put anything on your face. Be in a cool area where you won't start sweating in the middle of things. Be hydrated and have hydrated skin. In my case, cutting off my hair as also helped a lot.

Two: Minimal foundation. For me, this was always the biggest problem. My foundation would just float on my skin and streak when I would get too hot. Now I'm using a powder color corrector as lightly as possible before putting a tinted primer with a slight shimmer in the middle of my face and a clear primer over the outer areas. Basically, anything you would contour darker is getting that clear primer.

Once that sets, I just add a thin layer of BB cream to those outer areas and blend the two aspects where they need blending. It isn't the sharpest of contours in the world, but it gives enough of a definition while keeping my skin feeling as naked as possible. If you feel the need to set that with powder, go ahead. To be honest, I probably won't because when I'm hot and sweaty, powder is the enemy of my face. I mostly just keep things under control with a tissue.

Three: Select something to showcase. I'm in glasses most of the time, so if I'm going to showcase just one feature, it usually won't be my eyes. My eyebrows, on the other hand, serve as a great showcase. I'll fancy them up with a bit of cream eyebrow shadow and set it with a dark brown. My lips usually get painted something pinkish, though sometimes I will go in with a more intense lip, especially for an evening look.

Four: Accept that you will have to do touchups. Even in the best of circumstances, makeup can begin to go wonky. Carry a bit of product around with you so you can touch things up when you need to. If you're going from hot cars cooler houses, it might be best to do checks as you change temperatures. Though, as minimal as this is, things won't go as wonky as they certainly could.

Now I will admit, on most days, I'm still going to opt for no makeup at all. However, it's nice to have some options that I know will work if I want to shake things up.