Your makeup might be gorgeous enough for a magazine cover in the morning, but how’s it looking come mid-afternoon? Sometimes not-so-hot. We know it can be a struggle to get your makeup to stay on all day. We want all women to feel like their most confident selves everyday, which was what inspired the start of our line of makeup for women of color and the tutorials to help. Read on for 10 easy tips and tricks to help keep your makeup looking fresh and you feeling beautiful from morning till night!
How To Make Makeup Last All Day in Ten Steps:
- Polish and nourish your skin to create an even template for makeup application.
- Use a good facial primer to prevent the skin from absorbing your makeup.
- Apply light layers of foundation, rather than a single thick coat.
- Lock-in undereye concealer by applying it with your fingertips or a beauty blender.
- Use a quality setting powder that sets your foundation and delivers a velvety finish. (Hint hint: we make a perfect setting powder for women of color designed for just this purpose!)
- Get no-budge eyeshadow by pairing an eyelid primer with setting powder.
- Enjoy eyeliner that never slides by choosing a long-lasting formula and setting it with powder.
- Mascara will move no more by doubling up on a primer and a waterproof mascara.
- Make lipstick last by using a lip liner, matte lipstick and setting powder.
- Refrain from touching your face, which smudges and removes makeup.
#1 Polish & Nourish Your Skin
Makeup is more likely to adhere to the skin, and therefore stay on longer, when the skin is exfoliated and nourished. The reason is that dead skin cells on the surface do not hold onto makeup well. Dead cells also slough off during the day, taking makeup with it.
Additionally, when makeup is applied to dry or rough skin, creases and lines are more noticeable and can detract from your goal of flawless skin. For seamless, all-day coverage, stay diligent with your skincare routine. This should include daily washing and moisturizing, as well as some type of exfoliation a couple of times a week.
#2 It’s Prime Time
Primers are one of the top secrets behind making makeup last. Primers provide expert staying power by blocking makeup from being absorbed into the skin. The sealing nature of primers also locks in moisture, which helps keep your skin looking healthy for longer.
There are a ton of primers on the market, from products that are skin-toned and appear a bit like foundation, to colorless ones that look like serum. The right product for you all comes down to personal preference, although a bit of advice for women with oily skin: consider an oil-free primer to control oils and give your foundation a matte finish.
Apply primer after your skin care routine by simply dabbing it on your face and working it in with your fingertips. Be sure to wait a minute or so before applying foundation. This will allow the primer to set properly. The foundation will stick to the primer better, and avoid pilling, which happens when foundation is put on too soon.
#3 Layer, Layer, Layer Foundation
Here’s another big secret to getting makeup to last all day: apply your facial makeup in layers. Essentially, you want to build up your foundation in thin layers, rather than applying one thick coat of product. An added benefit to this layering approach is that it delivers a natural, polished look as if you hired a professional makeup artist.
To begin, apply a light layer of foundation to your face. Now take your beauty buff or brush - such as Mented’s foundation brush - and buff the product into your face with quick circular motions. Looking for added staying power? Before you buff the product into your face, add a bit of setting powder onto your buff or brush. This step will really help incorporate the setting powder with the foundation.
Repeat this process of layering on a thin coat of foundation and buffing it in until you have achieved your desired level of coverage. Mented’s foundation sticks are actually meant for this technique, as they’re designed to be buildable. This will help you reach your desired level of coverage whether you’re looking for lighter or heavier, and achieve a perfect finish no matter what.
#4 Concealer Locked-In
Concealer, the trusty makeup product that covers up blemishes, dark spots, under eye bags and discoloration, is applied after foundation. Concealer can be dabbed on and blended in with brushes, but we also recommend using your fingertips to really blend it in and make it last, especially when applying on the gentle skin under the eyes.
Here’s why: your fingertips will heat up the concealer slightly, enough to make it bond better with the rest of your makeup. When applying concealer under your eyes, work from the inner corners outwards to avoid creasing or blotching of the product. Some women use an eye primer under their eyes instead of a concealer to make it last longer. The color of an eye primer can be pretty stark, so be sure to blend it in well and combine it with a skin-colored powder or foundation.
Mented’s foundation sticks are multi-purpose and can actually be used as concealer as well. We recommend using our foundation shade finder to identify the right shade match for concealer for your skin tone, which should be a shade or two lighter than your regular foundation.
#5 Set Your Face with Powder
What is setting powder? Setting powder, as the name suggests, sets the makeup on your face. Setting powder is an absolute must for getting makeup to stay exactly where you want for hours and hours. There are tons of setting powders available on the market, but not all are created equal. A good setting powder should:
Be soft and lightweight for a natural feel and undetectable finish
Set makeup so it stays in place longer
Help conceal fine lines and wrinkles
Combat shine while locking in moisture
Mattify oily skin without over-drying
Mented makes just such a setting powder with a tint. Compared to translucent setting powder, skin-toned powders offer the advantage of slightly more coverage, making them usable for the days you go without foundation. Our setting powders cover the full range of complexions in these three shades:
- Light/Tan
- Medium/Deep
- Deep/Rich
The trick behind how to use setting powder starts with simply turning the container over and sifting some of the contents into the lid. Dip a brush into the small powder pile, tap off the excess and lightly buff your face. Use a very gentle touch so as not to disrupt the foundation or concealer underneath. When a quality setting powder is correctly applied, you’ll be admiring an even complexion with a gorgeous, diffused finish.
Pro Tip: Beat under-eye makeup creasing by looking up when you apply your foundation, concealer and setting powder. Doing so tightens the skin so product doesn’t accumulate in fine lines. Also, blot on your setting powder in this area by laying and pressing your brush flat against the skin for a moment, rather than making stroking or buffing motions. This technique helps to avoid makeup creasing or an undereye area that seems to highlight your fine lines and wrinkles, rather than conceal them.
# 6 Get No-Budge Eye Shadow
While the eyelids aren’t in the T-zone - the central area of the face infamous for oily skin - the eyelids can still be quite oily. And as most of us know all-too-well, oily skin and lasting makeup don’t pair well. To keep your eyeshadow from sliding off mid-day, first coat on a good eyelid primer. We know it’s tempting to forgo owning another beauty product and try a facial primer on the lids. However, even for the woman with a streamlined approach to cosmetics, we recommend using a separate eye primer.
The reason is that facial primers and eye primers are formulated differently. The key ingredient in facial primers is water or silicone, which makes them lightweight. A facial primer gives the skin a smooth feel, while helping to fill in pores. An eye primer, on the other hand, contains thickening ingredients with a much tackier quality. Its thick consistency acts as a barrier between the oils on the lid and your eye makeup, thereby avoiding makeup creasing, fading and transfer. What’s more, eyelid primer is formulated to make your eyeshadow color pop, so it appears like the color in the palette when applied.
In addition to an eyelid primer, set your eyeshadow with setting powder. You can use the setting powder a few different ways. The traditional way is to dust setting powder over the eye after eye primer application. If a colorfully-bold eye is your goal, apply the primer, a cream eye color (which serves as your base color), then your setting powder, and finally your other eyeshadow colors.
Setting powder can also be dusted on after eyeshadow is applied. This sets the eyeshadow and blends the colors together. Keep in mind that setting powder after eyeshadow will diffuse the pigmentation. Of course, this is a great technique when you want to tone down eyeshadow that may appear too bright.
#7 Get Never-Sliding Eyeliner
Tired of eyeliner that is sharply drawn around the eye at the beginning of the day and is barely there by your mid-afternoon coffee run? Try dusting setting powder right at the lash line before and after eyeliner application.
Also, go for a wax-based or waterproof eyeliner, rather than a pencil eyeliner. If you really want to seal that liner in for the long haul, dip your wax-based or waterproof liner into an eyeliner gel palette. With doubled-up long-wear eyeliner products set with setting powder, that gorgeous lid of yours will look exactly as you want until you are ready to take it off.
#8 Get Motionless Mascara
It is easy to fall prey to the various ways that mascara can run amiss. There’s clumping mascara that falls off the lash. There’s mascara that mixes with eye oils or sweat. There’s mascara moved by an errant touch of the hand. Mascara is notorious for its stubborn desire to migrate, but there are methods to change its ways.
Our first recommendation is eyelash primer. Applying a smooth coat of primer can help mascara stay put and separate lashes for even coverage, all while also thickening and lengthening them.
Additionally, consider getting a waterproof mascara. If your favorite mascara doesn’t have a waterproof formula, there are waterproofing top coats available. Waterproof mascara is not for everyday wear though. Try limiting it to occasions where you’ll be exposed to water, sweating or crying - think swimming, work-outs and weddings. Regularly donning waterproof mascara will dry and thin out the lashes. There’s also a decent chance you’ll lose an eyelash or two while removing hard-to-remove waterproof mascara.
#9 Get Lipstick That Lasts
Lipstick is arguably the most difficult type of makeup to keep in place. Eating, drinking, licking your lips, and seemingly at times doing nothing at all, will fade lipstick color. To keep your lipstick on as long as possible, we suggest:
Moisturizing your lips
Outlining your lips with a lip pencil dusted in setting powder
Applying a matte lipstick
Lightly tapping a brush with setting powder onto a one-ply tissue that is placed over the lips
Matte lipsticks, like Mented’s beloved nude Dope Taupe, are ideal for long wear since they are formulated with more pigment and less moisture. Semi-matte lipsticks also work wonderfully for all-day wear, but may need a bit more reapplying since they have additional moisturizing properties.
#10 Don’t Touch
Our last tip should come as little surprise. You’ve worked hard to hone pro-level techniques that make your makeup look fantastic and last all day. Now don’t work against yourself by touching your face. That means no eye rubbing, chin touching, cheek-on-hand leaning, blemish picking and all the other common, often unconscious habits of face touching. Not only does touching your face remove makeup, but you’re also introducing germs that are ripe for acne creation or getting you sick.
Mented Tips and Products for the Win
After reading this, you shouldn’t ever have to ask yourself again, but how do I keep my makeup on all day? Mented is founded on the belief that all ladies deserve beauty products and tips that make you feel like your most beautiful self. Empowered with these tips, you can feel more self-assured that your makeup will look great all day, no matter what life throws at you!
