The Ultimate Beauty Guide

Your body’s natural air-conditioning system, a.k.a. sweat, can put a damper on your beauty routine when the temperature rises. Here are the tips you need to keep your makeup from melting, to stop hair greasiness, and generally to prevent your skin from turning into one giant oil slick.


1: Stick to Long-Wearing Formulas.

Budge-proof formulas really are a must during the summer. The trick is getting them to go on smoothly, since they tend to be thicker and don’t melt as easily into the skin. Celebrity makeup artist Brett Freedman’s solution? “Apply while the skin is still dewy with moisturizer. It’ll spread beautifully, then set to a long-wear finish.”


2: Apply Eyeshadow With a Damp Brush.
Wet your brush with a bit of water before dipping it into your eyeshadow, Freedman suggests. “It dries to a nice glazed finish that lasts.”


3: Be Strategic Around Your Eyes.
“I generally use foundation or tinted moisturizer around eyes to downplay and brighten,” explains Freedman. “Then I use concealer only on the inner, deep-set part of the eye. That way, you use less of the fuller-formula concealer.”


4: Spot-Treat Shine.
Get rid of oiliness when you notice it—before it makes your makeup run. Freedman’s rule of thumb: “If you are wearing foundation, I like to touch up with a low-pigment powder like MAC Blot Powder and a tight brush. If you aren’t wearing foundation, go for blotting papers and films instead.”


5: Lock In Moisture the Right Way.
“Moisturizing isn’t about adding oil to the skin,” says Aaron Tabor, M.D., author of Nutritional Cosmetics: Beauty From Within and physician researcher for Healthy Directions. “It’s about keeping moisture in. So use an oil-free or light moisturizer over damp skin and work from the inside out by drinking extra water to stay hydrated.”


6: Put On Your Antiperspirant at Night.
“This gives the ingredients time to start working even before your day begins,” says Dr. Tabor.


7: Deal With a Sweaty Head ASAP.
When you feel your hair begin to get damp, Freedman suggests reaching for dry shampoo, or try blotting with über-absorbing paper towels. “I know an actress who cuts one up into squares and keeps it in the gym bag so she can blot her hairline.”


8: Head Off Scalp Oiliness.
If you’re an active person and you’re having problems controlling the oiliness of your scalp, it’s time to make a switch to shampoo for oily hair, says Dr. Tabor—even if you don’t normally classify your hair as oily.


9: Switch Your Mascara Formula.
Waterproof mascara will stay put longer. Sensitive eyes? Freedman suggests looking for a weatherproof—not waterproof—formula. It’s a bit easier to remove.


10: Get Thee a Primer.
For days when you really want to make sure your makeup stays put, it’s time to turn to primer. You can wear it under your foundation or use Freedman’s genius trick: Mix a touch with full-formula foundation to give a tinted moisturizer feel with the added staying power of the primer.