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3 Easy Ways to Keep Makeup Looking Flawless All Day

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Stony Brook chapter.

The average day for a college girl is long. We wake up early, go to bed late, and no matter if our makeup took us two minutes to apply or two hours, we want it to last all day. However, we’ve all had the experience of leaving our rooms with our makeup looking perfect and then, a mere few hours later, most of it is gone. Where does it all go?

While we may never find out where all of the makeup disappears to, we do know ways to make it stay on your face longer. Adding these three steps into your makeup routine will make a huge difference in the longevity of your makeup.

1. Prime, Prime, Prime!

Primer should be the very first step of your makeup routine. It acts as a base for all of your makeup to stick to. However, any primer won’t do. You need to find one (or two) that works best with your skin.  I have combination skin so I end up using two face primers.  I start with the Two Faced Hangover Rx primer to hydrate and replenish my skin and then I go in with Makeup Forever Skin Equalizer in Smoothing to hide the pores and prevent oiliness. Honestly, it takes trial and error to find the perfect primer. Everyone’s skin is unique and it takes time to find which primers work best but once you do, it will all be worth it.

It is also important to prime the eyes. I apply an eye shadow primer to my lids and under my eyes to keep my eye shadow and concealer perfect and crease-free all day. My go-to’s are the Urban Decay Primer Potion and the Too Faced Shadow Insurance.  

2. Set Liquids and Creams with Powder

If you have on foundation, bb cream, tinted moisturizer, concealer, bronzer, blush, and/or highlighter that is a cream or a liquid formula, set it in place with a powder! This will keep it from moving all around your face during the day. My favorite powder is the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder. Not only will it keep your makeup in place but, because it is translucent so it will not change the color of anything that it’s setting.

3. Use Makeup Setting Spray

I’m not kidding, it’s basically hairspray for your face! After I finish my makeup, I drench my face with setting spray and my makeup doesn’t budge. Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray and L’Oreal Infallible Makeup Extender are two great options that I love. 

 

If you follow these thress tips, please be warned that this may happen: 

Beauty lover surviving college one step at a time!
Her Campus Stony Brook Founder and Campus Correspondent Stony Brook University Senior Minnesotan turned New Yorker English Major, Journalism Minor