Hey, Melty-Face: Want A Heat-Wave Makeup Prescription?

“It’s hotter in Toronto than in Bangledesh right now, and it’s high summer there,” commented the nice driver of the cab I hopped into earlier today (frozen stuff; no choice but to cab home). “My wife had a big meeting at work, but she didn’t know if she should wear makeup today — she takes the subway,” he added. So what did I do? I wrote down a basic, a hot-weather makeup prescription for Mr. Driver’s wife, Charmin. It might work for you, too — maybe tomorrow:

1) Primer — a lightweight formula so skin won’t feel suffocated. Cover FX BrightPrep FX SPF 50 ($45, coverfx.com, Shoppers Drug Mart) brightens dull skin; ClearPrep FX ($39, coverfx.com, Shoppers Drug Mart) tempers shine, and contains willow bark extract and salicylic acid to help clear congested skin.

2) Concealer — a high-pigment, long-lasting formula. Cover FX Conceal FX ($27, coverfx.com, Shoppers Drug Mart) is my go-to for dark-circle coverage without a lot of makeup. You need only a little, and its sticky-ish consistency holds fast to skin. Also brilliant for its stay-put ability is Bobbi Brown’s Creamy Concealer Kit ($44, Holt Renfrew), a corrector/concealer duo that allows you to customize the shade.

3) Eye liner — waterproof. If you have thick, dark lashes, you can skip liner (just know that I’m super jealous). Otherwise, try YSL Dessign du Regard Waterproof Eye Pencil ($30, Murale, Holt Renfrew, The Bay, sephora.com), or Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Eye Liner ($26, Sephora), which comes in a great range of shades including Blue Ribbon (navy shimmer) and Peacock (turquoise shimmer). If you like liquid, try Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner Waterproof Liquid Liner ($26, Sephora, makeupforever.com), which has an excellent fine tip for precision application. (Oh, five more great pencil liners here.)

4) Mascara — tube-technology. I continue to rave about Clinique Lash Power ($20, Shoppers Drug Mart, department stores); Lise Watier 24 Hrs Glam Mascara ($21, lisewatier.com, Shoppers Drug Mart) is another good tube-technology formula, impervious to oily and/or sweaty lids. And it comes in fun colours, too.

5) Blush — cheek stain. Not only can you use cheek stain on lips too, it’s weightless on skin and meltproof. Have you heard of Benefit Cha Cha Tint or Benetint ($36 each, Shoppers Drug Mart, Holt Renfrew, Sephora)? The Body Shop Tailored Cheek Tint ($15.50, thebodyshop.ca) is a good alternative; it adjusts to your skin tone.

6) Powder — translucent. Tried and true, won’t cake up and won’t give you white-powder-face in photos: Cover FX Matte FX ($22, coverfx.com, Shoppers Drug Mart) and MAC Blot Powder Pressed ($27, maccosmetics.com). “Powder forehead, nose and chin,” says celeb makeup artist David Goveia, so you don’t look like you’re wearing a matte mask.

7) Lips — gloss. Honestly, sheer gloss is just easy to slick on without looking. Even I don’t want to mess with lipstick in this heat (plus, I don’t want it to melt in my purse). Bourjois Paris Effet 3D Lip Gloss comes in a range of fab shades ($18 each, bourjois.ca), or try Revlon Limited Edition Flavor Gloss in Pineapple, Orange, Apple-tini, Colada, Grapefruit, Watermelon, Mint or Grape Fizz ($8.95 each, drugstores).

8) Fixing spray — really. I expected Make Up For Ever Mist & Fix  Make-Up Fixer Mist ($31, Sephora, makeupforever.com) to feel like a spray-on coat of silicone, but it doesn’t. It feels like… nothing, and it helped my face hold up to today’s hella humidity. Urban Decay has similar spray in a purse size ($11, Sephora).

There are waterproof eye shadows and bronzers and highlighters etc., but in temperatures like this, the less stuff on your face the better.

What’s your favourite melty-weather makeup item or technique?

The Canadians? Cover FX and Lise Watier; David Goveia is a Toronto-based hair and makeup artist (who has worked with Kiera Knightly, Christina Ricci, and Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen).

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Tagged as: Made in Canada, summer makeup