Miffed with your makeup melting off your mien before you’ve even commenced your morning commute? We feel you, #gurl.
Click through the gallery slides for a fantastic fivesome of tried-and-tested tricks to procure you the perfectly porcelain complexion of your dreams – even (and especially) in sweat-drenched and sweltering Singapore. Here’s to feeling fresh, flawless and fabulous, all day err’day!
Image: 123rf.com
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As a general rule of thumb, yours truly prefers comfortably creamy primers that lend luminosity to the complexion; swatch your salve at the counter to ensure your cosmetic of choice glides on like a dream for a dewy, perfectly polished finish. Once you’ve found your #HG skin saviour – for instance, we absolutely adore Elizabeth Arden’s mattifying and moisturising Flawless Start Instant Perfecting Primer, $60 – you’re basically set for life, especially on days when you can’t be arsed with tedious eight-step regimes: It’ll double up as a makeup-prepping moisturiser of sorts.
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A primer is pivotal for your peepers – it’s an almost non-negotiable essential if you want crease-free concealer and colour application. A cream-type concoction like Nars’ Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, $37, provides a perfectly even canvas for smudge-proof shadow application, and works like a magnet to magnify the sheen and saturation of your shadow pots, so you get the biggest bang for your beauty buck.
Here’s a hot hack to try: Pat lightly into lids for better grab of pigments, then top up as and when your under-eye region starts to betray signs of fatigue – primers are surprisingly superb over makeup for reducing residual redness and the bruised blues of dark circles. Now you know!
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Loathe the short staying power of the pigments on your puckers? First trick of the trade: Moisturise your mouth by slathering on a generous glob of conditioning balm, then swipe on a liquid lippie – try the deliciously decadent Dior Addict Lipstick in sexy new summery shades, $49 – straight from the bullet.
Wait a beat, then apply a second coat. Next, blot softly with two-ply tissue – the oils in glossy formulas are the main culprits of colour slippage to achieve a concentrated stain of sorts. Apply the final layer of lippie and you’ll be well on your way to sporting budge-proof and beguiling kiss-worthy smackers.
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Craving crystal-clear complexion that doesn’t read as “sweaty” in Singapore’s clammy clime? The solution’s simple: Smooth on a silky finishing powder as the final flourish to your face paint – you can even try a beguiling bronzing finisher like Bobbi Brown’s Bronzing Powder, $65, for a hint of a tint.
Even better, we’ve found that the pearlescent pigments in the loveliest and lightest new loose powders tend to permeate our face with a dewy “day” glow, even in the dead of night – sort of like having a steady stream of sunlight trained on your face 24/7. Translation: You stay matte, not flat.
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Here’s a tough truth: Even the best laid face needs a contingency plan of sorts – and that may simply mean sprucing up with a sebum-sopping sheet.
Wicking away surface shine with say, Blotterazzi by Beautyblender, $37, freshens up your facepaint in a jiffy, and is so easy to boot. Just remember this axiom for budge-proof beauty: To keep your makeup staying on your mien, wiping is wrong and patting is perfect. Easy-peasy!
Right, then. Congrats on successfully laying the foundation of a makeup routine that will stand up to the challenges thrown at you by the weather gods. You’re all ready to “face” the day!
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