“Look glowy, bronzed and flushed – not sweaty, shimmery brown and overheated.” Katey Denno just gets us. After many the beach shoot as a green celebrity makeup artist, Katey knows what she’s talking about when it comes to summer makeup tips and sun-proofing your beauty routine. Take a few tips from the best in the business before you hit up that next pool party…
“It’s too hot to wear makeup,” is something I don’t hear very often these days, despite the rising summer temps. The ongoing surge in cosmetics sales continues as does the full-face of makeup application trend.
There is an art to wearing makeup in tropical climates and on beaches, and after years of working on photoshoots in high temps on small islands, I’ve learned some important lessons. Referencing the photos above, I took great care to ensure that Edda and Dan’ee look glowy, bronzed and flushed – not sweaty, shimmery brown and overheated. I definitely lean towards ‘less is more’ in these settings, but if you’re a diehard makeup wearer, here are some tips to keep you looking gorgeous…
Concealing Foundation:
Because the goal is to keep the foundation from sliding off your face, skip the moisturizer. Make sure your skin is hydrated by using a hydrating toner, face oil and eye cream at night. If you’re going to apply foundation – unless you’re super dry – forego the full face of moisturizer (if you must, use that hydrating toner, followed by 1-2 drops of a light face oil), and apply your sunscreen liberally prior to foundation. I love to use the cream foundations from Kjaer Weis in the heat. I use them sparingly, as if they were concealers, spot covering where needed. They melt into skin wonderfully, and will mix with your natural oils as the day goes on, leaving a glow, instead of a greasy, sweaty look, which a lot of oil-rich foundations can impart.
Sun-Ready Primer:
A primer can help by keeping your own oil production somewhat suppressed, and will give your foundation something to adhere to. Try the moisturizer and sunscreen primer in one from Suntegrity, and apply your foundation sparingly on top.
Shimmerless Bronzer:
Use a cream bronzer with little or no shimmer for the most natural glow. Place a drop or two of Gressa’s heavily pigmented, shimmer-free liquid bronzer into your face oil or moisturizer for a slight sun-kissed enhancement for fair to medium-tan skin tones, or press W3LL People’s Cream Bio Bronzer (which has extremely fine, glowing shimmer) from your fingertips onto your cheekbones, blending well.
Smudgy Eyes:
Opt for cream shadow sticks (I’m a big fan of the ones from Ilia) or just eyeliner (Au Naturale has some great shades with good staying power and creamy, smooth application) and go for a smudgy lash line look, rather than attempting to prevent any other eye makeup from mixing with eyelid oil and smearing down your face. If you absolutely must go for the gusto with an eyeshadow-heavy look, start with a primer. The feather-light formula from Ilia Beauty helps by creating a hydrated, smoothed base that will hold onto the shadow better as the heat rises.
Creamy Blush:
Cream blush is the way to go when your oil production and the humidity are on the rise – and the green beauty industry has this market cornered. I’m particularly fond of the densely pigmented ‘multiple sticks’ from BITE beauty, as they’re more on the matte side, which helps their pigment stay put longer – whether on your eyes, cheeks or lips.
Blotting Papers:
Blotting papers are essential in a heat wave. Enough said! In general, I tend to avoid powdering the face at all costs, but during a heat wave I’ll make an exception. I’m a fan of the Alima Pure Satin Finishing Powder, applied with a small fluffy brush – just where needed. I like to press the powder in and then use the fluff to whisk away the excess.
