Heat and Humidity Defying Makeup Tips

Time and again purses left in automobiles result in molten lipsticks, smeary eye shadow and super-sticky mascara. Makeup applied to one’s face fails to fare much better, with smudgy eye makeup and smeary foundation rubbing off every which way.

Looking your best becomes a bit trickier when the warmer weather teases your tresses and melts your makeup quicker than you can bat an eye. A fully made-up mug may not be conducive to looking fresh and fabulous on a hot, sticky day, but a few heatproof makeup tricks and tips could really help you save face, literally!

Lip smackin’ fun, refreshing spray and sun protection…

For a cool, tasty treat, keep a stick or two of your favorite lip balm in the refrigerator. Fruity favorites become even more refreshing when chilled. Many brands of Chap Stick, lip gloss, lip balm and other lip treatments now offer products with SPF 15 to prevent burned lips. Keep an eye out for these sweet treats, as few things taste worse than burnt lips!

While adding items to your refrigerator, consider placing an invigorating body spray in the fridge to chill for a super-uplifting pick-me-up during the day’s hottest hours. For skin protection from the sun, also keep an eye out for special facial and body lotions that contain sunscreen along with the beauty ingredients for soft skin, greaseless feel and a nice fragrance.

Protect your makeup and your visage

First and foremost, putting makeup on while driving is a very bad idea. Full attention should be focused on the road, however it does become tempting at times to steal away a few seconds when stuck at a red light. If you lug your makeup along with you in the car on your way to work, the store, visiting family and friends or otherwise, be sure not to leave it locked inside your vehicle on a warm sunny day. It doesn’t take much to melt a tube of lipstick or cream foundation, making a mess all over your makeup bag, purse and your precious car!

Also, if swimming or exhaustive physical activity awaits on the agenda, waterproof makeup may be in order. Mascara runs quite easily when exposed to water and sometimes even to mere perspiration. A waterproof product allows you to keep your attractive look while remaining as active as you want to be.

Pressed powder may make a better substitute for cakey liquid foundation on warmer days, leaving skin feel soft, fresh and clean. If you require foundation every day, rain or shine, consider applying a thinner amount and dusting a bit of powder on top to prevent smudging, smearing and running of the makeup.

Taming your hair

To defeat the frizzies, try applying an ice cube to your tresses. For a new look, braid your hair while it is still wet for a tight, attractive look. If you wish to wear your hair straight, consider applying some spray gel or anti-frizz gel. When all else fails, tie your hair up in a trusty ponytail!

Allowing hair to dry naturally protects it from heat damage, but blow-drying on occasion can aid in straightening efforts and controllability. Special shampoos and hair care products provide relief for intense exposure to the sun and chlorinated water. Sometimes summer days and humid nights cause bad hair days despite your efforts, so keeping a hat or visor on hand may be a great solution. No matter where you go, keep a ponytail holder handy in case you need to put your hair up.

Pretty tootsies in strappy sandals

For a fresh, fun look with cool intentions, paint your toes to match your fingernails and show them off with the strappiest, sexiest sandals you own. Or, opt for a casual and comfortable look with a cozy pair of flip-flops. Perform a home pedicure and flaunt your fabulous feet at work and at play.

Wearing open shoes will keep your feet aerated, preventing sweating and helping to keep your body cooler. Painting your nails outside instead of cooped up in the bathroom gives a nice scenic setting and better ventilation for the strong nail polish fumes. Your nails may even dry quicker if allowed to dry outside in the warm fresh air.

While all these makeup tricks and tips may make your beautification process easier, sometimes it doesn’t hurt to go a few days without any makeup at all. Discover your own natural beauty by letting loose, relenting on routine behaviors and enjoying the chance to just be yourself.

Pefect Makeup Colors

Many women are clueless when it comes to choosing the perfect color for their makeup. Some try to follow the trends, but they do not realize that what may be the in color for the season may not look good on them. Some use colors that were recommended to them by their mothers, sisters and girlfriends. While advice from your intimate circle of females is always well-meaning, some pieces of advice are just meant to be ignored. Some stick to the idea of matching the colors of their facial palette with the outfit they have on. However, that idea does not work all the time.

The important thing that we women should always keep in mind is that the colors of our makeup should complement the colors of our eyes and skin tones. There are colors that look great on women with darker skin tones but look horrible when used by a woman with fair, pink-toned skin.

So, what color should we pick when we are choosing our makeup? Below are a few pointers:

Eye makeup. The trick with eye makeup is putting on a neutral base – either taupe, beige, light brown or ivory – over the lid before applying any color. After the base is in place, accent color using shadows and eyeliners should then be applied to define the eyes. The accent color should match or be complementary to the color of your eyes. Afterwards, cap your eye makeup with mascara.

For women with blue eyes, blues and slate grays are good accent colors, while medium brown is the perfect shade for the mascara.

For women with green eyes, greens and plums for accent colors and plum for the mascara.

For women with brown eyes, greens, bronzes and golds for accent colors, while blue for the mascara.

Lip colors. The best lipstick to use for our lips depends, again, on the tone of our skin. You may also want to pick a lipstick for daytime use and another one for nighttime use. To further define the lips, apply a lip liner that matches the color of your lipstick. Lip liners also help keep the color of the lips from bleeding. Another tip to try is to use a lip brush instead of applying the lipstick directly on the lips. This would keep the lipstick from smearing and the color from bleeding as well.

Fair-skinned women would look great with lips touched with pinks, peaches and mauves.

Lipsticks with gold, pink with a touch of gold, peach and light to medium brown best complement olive-skinned women.

Dark-skinned women should go for lipsticks shaded bronze, medium browns, brick browns, berries and burgundy.

Blushers. Moderation is the key to the perfect application of blushers to the cheeks. Blushers are meant to give the face a natural healthy color, and too much can look gaudy and artificial. Again, skin tone should be taken into consideration when choosing a shade for the blusher.

Bronze, light beige and peach blushers are good for fair-skinned women. On the other hand, fair-skinned women should avoid blushers with too much red or orange in them.

Women with olive skin tones would do well with bronze, apricot and light pink.

Women whose skin tone is medium brown should stick to medium pink, peach and light copper.

Rusts, berries and burnt orange are perfect for women with dark-toned skin.

Just to stress, skin tone and eye color are important factors to consider when choosing the right makeup. Of course, you can always experiment on colors, but when all else fails, these colors always work.