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Zoe Newlove

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Advice from a Make-up Artist | The Key to Long Lasting Make-up

Author Zoe Newlove
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Make-up artist Zoe Newlove discusses the key to long lasting make-up. Top tips and Product Advice
For
some reason last week I came down with a bit of writer’s block. Something that
doesn’t often happen, as I am always buzzing with ideas, so I found the
whole concept quite strange. If this blog is ever quiet,  it is not down
to running out of things to write about, it is pretty much down to bad
organisation. Nevertheless, I took to Twitter to ask what you guys
wanted to find on this bloggy of mine, and the legendary Helen from Love Cats Inc – she has a sick ass blog too that you simply have to go check
out – started throwing idea after idea at me….

Make-up artist Zoe Newlove discusses the key to long lasting make-up. Top tips and Product Advice
Make-up artist Zoe Newlove discusses the key to long lasting make-up. Top tips and Product Advice

 

Imagine me running around a dodge ball field, and the dodge balls are Helen’s ideas, that was what happened over Twitter. The one that stood out to me the most, and one I actually get asked quite often as a make-up artist, is how do you make you face stay on? What is the key to long lasting make-up?I am here to answer this question today. 

Prep & Skincare

If you want your make-up to stay on, the first thing you need to ensure is that you have a clean canvas to work with. Don’t be piling on a new layer of make-up over last night’s party mask. Your skin can also change slightly depending on your diet, the weather, your lifestyle. So don’t think because you have “normal” skin that it doesn’t get dehydrated. Ever find your foundation sinks straight into your pores? Your skin is most likely thirsty. Make sure you prep it properly with a serum and a moisturiser. I actually love using facial oils as they really help bring your skin to life and act as a wonderful base to foundation. 

For dry skin I love products such as Weleda Skin Food, Avene Hydrating Serum, Clarins Hydra Quench Cream. If your skin is oily/combination then I recommend Liz Earle Skin Repair, Dermalogica Active Moist or Simple Oil Balancing Moisturiser. Facial oils such as Nude Progenius Treatment Oil, Antipodes Divine Facial Oil and Darphin Eight Flower Nectar Oil are incredible.
I am guilty of always forgetting to look after my lips but these are just as important so get yourself a decent lip balm. I love the Dr Paw Paw Original Balms as they are good for all areas of dryness. Please for the love of god do not use Vaseline – it will just dry out your lips further in the long run, trust me.
Make-up artist Zoe Newlove discusses the key to long lasting make-up. Top tips and Product Advice

Prime

You can get all kinds of primers for all areas of the face these days, and if you want your make-up to last then you do need to start using a primer, especially if you have older skin. They act as a barrier between your skin and make-up, ensuring that they work in harmony with one and other. I love the Laura Mercier face primers as well as the Smashbox Cosmetics Primer Water. If you don’t like the feel of a million creams on your skin then do try a water spray primer. Benefit Cosmetics will be bringing out a primer for your lashes later on in the year. Too Faced and Urban Decay do fantastic eyeshadow primers, and M.A.C Cosmetics do an awesome lip primer – if you can ever get hold of it as it is always sold out.

Foundation

Whether you wear foundation, bb cream or a tinted moisturiser, do try and use a brush. With a buffing brush you can really work the product into the skin ensuring that it is seamless. You can use a flat foundation brush if you want a fuller coverage but make sure that you set it correctly with a powder afterwards (I will talk about that next). I love Crownbrush for cheap but good quality make-up brushes. You can read about my personal collection of them here. 
As for the products themselves, if you want your base to stay put, then don’t spend a fiver on a cheap foundation, get a decent foundation. I love No. 7, Clinique, Lancome, MAC Cosmetics, Make Up For Ever, Charlotte Tilbury, Giorgio Armani and Bare Minerals for foundation – I will do a more in depth post on my favourites very soon.

Concealer

 

Take time when concealing, even more so than with your foundation. Add a little bit at a time, as it is easier to put more on than it is to blend it out and it to go cakey. Use the right concealer for the right areas of the face. Liquid concealers are best for under the eyes, and heavier, creamier concealers are more ideal for blemishes / problem areas. I will be doing a full post on colour correcting and concealers too – time to share my make-up artist knowledge more often I think.

Setting Powders & Sprays

I think this is the step most people skip. I personally do not need to set my make-up daily, but if I do want it to 100% stay put, then I will choose to do so. If you are the kind of person whose make-up disappears 3-4 hours into your day, then I would recommend looking into a setting powder. I absolutely adore the Vichy Dermablend Setting Powder as it really does work at increasing the longevity of your base. I also really like the Make Up For Ever HD Pressed Powder and the Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder for setting underneath the eyes. Urban Decay do setting sprays if you prefer this quick finish.

Top Tips:

Use a fan brush as they are so lightweight and pick up just the right amount of product without disturbing your make-up underneath.

Dust setting powder over oily lids before applying your eye primer or eyeshadows. 

Eyes

Have oily eye lids? Your eye shadow forever creasing and moving? Your eyes are moving all the time so unfortunately there is not a complete cure for creasing, but there are ways to prevent it from happening immediately. Use a cream eyeshadow or an eye primer first, and buff this with a fluffy brush into the eye lid. You need to get the base right before applying your colours. Think about the quality of eyeshadow you are using. MAC, Urban Decay and Too Faced do some stunning shades and the quality is brilliant. Waterproof eye liners and gel liners are less likely to budge than that of a kohl pencil. Too Faced Bulletproof 24 Hour liners are the best I have tried (review here).

There you go, if you follow this advice you should be on your way to having make-up that stays put all day long. There are foundations that state how many hours they last on the skin now, and there are so many primers and powders that you cannot really go wrong. The only other advice I could offer would be to wait a few minutes for your skincare to settle in before going in with your primer and foundation. Check with your fingers the texture of the products you are leaving on your skin. If it feels tacky or likely to move, then it most likely will do. So ensure you have buffed it into the skin further or applied more powder.

Another tip, mostly forgotten about, drink plenty of water throughout the day. If you are sat in an office with air conditioning or warm heaters on, your skin is probably suffering. Keep your body topped up with liquids so that you skin does not start drinking your make-up.

If you have any further questions feel free to let me know in the comments below or drop me a tweet via Twitter @ZoNewlove.

18 Comments

  • Pam Scalfi

    yay! I soo needed to read this! I must get the smashbox primer, my current ones doesn’t really work.

    Ever tried the Urban Decay foundation? I personally love it, but a make-up artist’s opinion is always welcome! 🙂

    Pam xo/ Pam Scalfi♥

  • Steph Marston

    Loved this advice! Would you recommend using the Smashbox water spray AND the Laura Mercier primer or do they both do the same thing? Steph x
    http://www.stephstyle.com

  • Shireen

    This is such a brilliant post and full of tips and tricks, thank you! I almost never use primer because of my dry skin but recently I have been loving a light swipe of powder on my t-zone, it does give the whole makeup a different and more polished look.

    Shireen | Reflection of Sanity

  • Jodie

    There’s so many tips and tricks here I didn’t know, I think I need to get a fan brush now!

    Jodie, xo // Jodie Loue

  • Kiran

    Great post! Love these tips.

    Kiran | http://www.alittlekiran.co.uk

  • mika

    I love all these tips! I’m always finding new ways to keep my makeup on longer, so I’ll remember these as well! I really enjoy using Laura Mercier primers, they are so divine.

    xoxo
    http://www.hellohimawari.com/

  • Liz | Lipstick & Confetti

    These are all great tips! Long lasting makeup is a must have for me so I appreciate any tips I can get!

    xo, Liz

    http://lipstickandconfetti.com

  • Isabella Clark

    This is fantastic, coming from someone who knows absolutely nothing about make up it was super informative! Definitely going to start giving my face a proper prime before starting next time(I definitely had the sinking into pores problem on my nose). Thanks again, awesome post! x

    http://isabellaweb.com/blog/

  • Jasmine Talks Beauty

    Oh my gosh, this post is exactly what I needed! My makeup seems to wear off so easily or just not look very ‘fresh’ as the day goes on. I will definitely be checking out the combination skin skincare recommendations. I will try applying setting powder with a fan brush too. Thank you for the tips 🙂 xx

    Jasmine Talks Beauty | High-End Palette Giveaway

  • Becky

    Thanks for all the info! It’s quite a lot for me to take in haha, so I’ll probably be referring to this page often. Some people swear by Vaseline – maybe it works differently on different people, haha.

    becky ♡ star violet

  • Alina

    This was such a helpful post & I’ve loved reading it from your side as a makeup artist. It actually reminded me to use my Vichy Dermablend powder more after as I’ve been ignoring it lately. I also need to get my hands on that Smashbox Water Primer because I’m usually not a big wearer of primer so hoping this will help with hydration levels further x

    Beauty with charm

  • kat clark

    Such great tips Zoe! Any tips on dealing with topping up makeup throughout the day without it looking obvious? My foundation always disappears (even with a good primer) and I wonder how to make it look great at 5pm without taking it all off and putting it back on again xx

  • Karan K

    Thank you for these tips! Definitely need to add some of these to my birthday wishlist xx

    Karan| studentbeautyhack

  • Emily

    This was such an interesting post to read with some really great tips! Thanks for sharing! I absolutely love my Vichy Dermablend Powder, it definitely helps to prolong my makeup! x

    emily x ❤ | emilyloula

  • Jess

    This is such a helpful post, thanks for sharing!

    Jess
    myblogjessica.co.uk

  • Emily Valentine Parr

    I love skin food and Hydra Quech too! those are some sexy tips Zoe – wouldnt expect anything less, your makeup it flawless xx

    http://www.stylelobster.com

  • Vicki

    Thank you for all the helpful tips! Such a great post =) xx

    http://thebeautyprep.blogspot.co.uk/

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