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Look hot, not bothered

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!

8 Best Radiance Enhancing Makeup Primers

Pick the perfect primer

Bewitched, bothered and bewildered by the proliferation of primers piling up on the beauty aisles? Your best bet, buddy, is to lock in on lotions that lend luminosity to your complexion, sans greasiness or excess weight – and that means no tawdry tinsel or gaudy glitter in the formula, please.

As a general rule of thumb, yours truly prefers comfortably creamy primers; 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.

Oh, and here’s another bit of ace advice: Avoid layering a rich serum underneath if you’re wary of weighing your skin down with too much product. Our suggestion: Pair your pretty pink primer with a watery day serum for maximum hydration and minimum heaviness.

READ MORE:
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Eye shadow primer prevent eyeliner smudging

#NoteToSelf: Prime your peepers, too

We hope we’re seeing eye to eye, so to speak, when we say that a primer is pivotal for your peepers – it’s an almost non-negotiable essential if you want crease-free concealer and colour application.

Excellent for eyeshadow enthusiasts, 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!

READ MORE:
10 Eyeshadow Primers For Flawless Eye Makeup
The Best Eye Shadow Primers For Every Skin Type

FRESH Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment Sunscreen SPF 15 $34
FRESH Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment Sunscreen SPF 15 $34

Stick with sheer stains on your smackers

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.

 

Photo: Pixabay

Be a powder-puff girl

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.

READ MORE:
5 Unexpected Uses for Loose Powder
Keep Oily Skin At Bay And Help It Stay Matte With These Face Powders
What Kind Of Make-up Powder Should You Use?

blotterazzi

Blot baby, blot

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!

Text: Eugene Quek, Her World Plus / Additional reporting: Arissa Ha

READ MORE:
The Best Long-Wearing Foundations That Will Last All Day And Night
10 Hacks to Get Your Lipstick To Last All Day
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