Tips N’ Tricks on How to Make Your Makeup Last All Day

Makeup can be an exciting and fun way to ‘spruce-up’ your face. The options are endless! You can choose a fun going-out look, or a comfy by the fire look for a family gathering. However, pairing makeup that fades with the regular blood, sweat, and tears of a normal day can be frustrating. Most commonly, eyeshadow, blush, bronzer, and lipstick are the first signs of wear after a long day of working out, being at the office, or partying. To keep your face looking fresh for the entire day, here are a few hacks and products you can choose from.

Remember that your face is like a canvas. Are you simply going to just slap something together, or are you going to be an artist like Leonardo Da Vinci, and prepare your canvas? The Mona Lisa hasn’t lasted this long only by sheer luck. Da Vinci prepped the canvas, used paints of great quality, and set the finished painting appropriately. To make your makeup last long, you must think like an artist, as Da Vinci did while painting his masterpiece.

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Skincare is one of THE MOST IMPORTANT things you could do to make your makeup last longer! You will need: a good exfoliator to smooth out your skin and remove any dead skin cells, a cleanser to remove any impurities, a toner to balance the pH of your skin and shrink your pores, and a moisturizer to ensure your skin will be hydrated and ready for makeup application. Now, you can buy all of these products separately, or you can buy a full skincare set.

A great lifehack to find good skincare products is to look in the clearance section of your local store. Sometimes, you can find organic, all-natural, and cruelty-free skincare products for as low as 50 cents!

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Primer is one of the most important things you can do to make your makeup last longer! As an added bonus, a primer will protect the skin itself from the makeup, resulting in reduction of clogged pores, as well as fewer breakouts and blackheads. Primer can be in powder form, a liquid (almost like a cream or lotion), or a spray.

My recommendation would be liquid or spray since they tend to be of higher quality, and powder can actually clog your pores and make your makeup look very cakey.

There are also different kinds of primer: eye-makeup primer makes eyeshadows and eyeliners pop and last longer and facial primer can reduce oiliness or dryness of skin and make makeup show up more pigmented on the skin.

Primers can be anywhere from $5-$25. Before trying any other products, you should start by trying a couple primers to decide if you need more products listed below.

ADDED HACK! Dipping your eyeshadow brush into a priming spray will make your eyeshadow appear more vibrant and last longer. You can also use this hack with gel or pot eyeliner. Just dip your primed brush in and draw your lines.

First and foremost, keeping product on your face for the whole day can be challenging. However, finding products that last all day for you can be simple. Look for packaging hints, such as “long-lasting,” “24-hour stay,” or “water/sweat resistant.” Products listed under these terms are sure to last as long as you need them to, and if for some reason they don’t, many stores will accept a return, and exchange it for a different product, or simply refund your money.

Maquillage like lipsticks are usually the first to go, so be sure to find a long-lasting one. But be warned! Many lipsticks that claim to be long-lasting (usually matte ones) are extremely drying to the skin on your lips which may be very uncomfortable. You may have to pair a lipstick like this with chapstick underneath, lip gloss on top, or both.

Mascaras, especially the cheap ones you’ll find at the dollar store that claim to be waterproof, oftentimes are simply not. To test, try going under the shower with the mascara on, or rub the mascara wand on the back of your hand, depositing the product onto your skin. Place your hand under running water, and notice if it smudges. Then, try gently rubbing it, and notice if any product wears off. This is a fantastic way to tell just how waterproof a mascara is. Decide what kind of mascara you need by this practice.

While price ranges vary from product to product wildly, it’s absolutely possible to find great quality and long-lasting makeup from as low as $1 to as high as $100, if you know where to look and what to look for.

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If you aren’t in the mood to go shopping for lots of makeup or are on a budget, finding a very good setting spray will do the trick. Setting sprays are simply misted over your regular makeup, eye-makeup and all, and you’re good for the day. Depending on the packaging, setting sprays promise different things. Some are sweat-resistant, waterproof, or revive color with just a few sprays. Finding just the right one for you is vital; you may have to do some trial and error before deciding on the perfect spray for you.

Keep in mind that setting sprays may also be sold under the name “finishing spray.” Some sprays are labeled as BOTH priming and setting sprays; try to avoid these generally, as they aren’t as good of quality as others. The price range is typically $5-$34, but you don’t have to break the bank to party all night long!

Setting powder is used for facial makeup, particularly to preserve the highlights on your face. Simply dust or pack on some setting powder with a beauty blender or brush below your cheekbones to make your jawline pop, the sides of your nose to make it look slimmer, the middle of your forehead for highlight, and under your eyes to brighten, and voilà! You’ve got a perfect routine for keeping the makeup from the morning until the end of a fun night out with the girls.

The price range is anywhere from $8-$40. You might find it under different names, such as “finishing powder” or “mineral powder.” They all mean the same thing, so be wary of brands trying to convince you that you need 5 different products which all do the same job. Trying different brands and colors to find the right powder for you is also important.

There are two main kinds of powders: translucent and colored. Translucent is perfect if you’re already happy with the way your makeup looks, and colored is for added coverage. The great news is that you can use the colored powder for additional coverage of blemishes, scars, and other imperfections, just make sure to match your skin tone. Keep in mind that colored powders may appear cakey on top of your existing makeup, so less can be more!

HACK! Use a powder foundation on top of liquid foundation for added coverage, as it works the same way as a colored setting powder!

Eyeliner can be a super cute way to uplift any makeup look. From dramatic wings to artistic colors, eyeliner is a great way to show off your makeup skills and express yourself.

However, towards the end of the day, eyeliner tends to fade and smudge. Luckily for you, there’s a hack to prevent this! Simply find your favorite eyeshadow palette and find an eyeshadow that’s exactly the same color as your liner. Take a petite angled brush and dab the brush into the shadow, collecting some powder. Take the brush and pack the shadow onto your liner, and you’re done! Not only will your liner last longer, but it will be much more vibrant as well. A head turner!

Blotting sheets are inexpensive and tiny sheets that look like tissue paper for “blotting” off the excess oil that your skin produces during the day. They soak up the oil without damaging the pigment of your makeup, specifically facial makeup. They usually come in packs of 100 and you may only need one or two a day. The price range is typically from $5-$10… very inexpensive!

HACK! To make your own blotting papers, simply cut up some white tissue paper (leftovers from packaging gifts) into little rectangles, and pat onto any oily sections on your face to absorb the excess oil.

And there you have it! All the tips and tricks to make your makeup last until you’re ready to take it off before going to sleep.