I feel like every girl has this one thing in common: we’re always super busy. We’re busy working, studying or whatevs, but it’s a fact. We always have something to do. And I’m definitely one of those girls. But, being a make-up lover ánd having a combination/oily and acne prone skin makes me always worry my make-up. I often came home from a long day of uni and other activities, and realised that my face looked like a shiny mess. That sucks, let me tell you that. I had too much on my mind to be also checking my make-up all the time. So that’s why I was on a hunt to find products that would make your make-up last all day. Now I’ve found them! So if you wanna know what my secret is for a full face of make-up that will last you the whole day, keep reading!

 

1. PREP YOUR SKIN

The technique that I use on a daily basis and I’m going to explain to you in this post contains 3 steps. If you use all of these steps, your make-up will last way longer. First of all, I like to spray my face with the MAC Cosmetics Prep + Prime Fix+ Spray. This is a make-up spray that you can use under or over your make-up. I usually use it only underneath my base, because I feel like it makes my foundation apply easier and last longer.

 

After the Fix+ spray, I like to use a primer to mattify my face. I have oily/combination skin, but I wouldn’t say that my skin gets ridiciously greasy or something. Still, because I like to use pretty natural looking/dewy foundations, I end up with a shiny face after a couple of hours. And when you get oily, your foundation will slide of your face, causing your make-up to NOT stay all day. That’s why it’s so important to combat the oiliness by using matte products. This Make Up Forever  Step 1 Skin Equalizer Mattifying Primer (damn, long name) changed my whole face beat. With this baby, my make-up lasts 4934 times longer, I’m telling you. When you apply this, your skin feels almost stiff or squeaky – like all the oil is gone. If you apply your base after this step, there will be no natural oils on your face that will make it look greasy. This is perfection in a bottle you guys, best primer I’ve ever tried!

 

2. POWDER & BAKE

After you’re done with your primers and base, it’s time to set everything with powder. I have 2 types of powders that I like to use. The first one is the MAC Cosmetics Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder. This is a transparent powder that I use all over my face. I love transparent powders, because they always match my pale skintone and don’t make my base look cakey. I apply this with a big kabuki brush to my whole face. It mattifies my face completely, which is always a plus if you want your make-up to last longer.

 

Some swatches of the powders:

1. MAC Cosmetics Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder – perfect for setting your whole base.
2. Make-Up Studio Banana Powder – a banana powder to set your under eyes with. It has a bit more of a peachy undertone. It smells also amazing!
3. Sacha Cosmetics Buttercup Powder – another banana powder to set your under eye concealer with. This one has a true yellow colour. Perfect for darker skintones as well.

 

So the second type of powder, banana powders, are used to set your under eye concealer. I use a damp Beauty Blender to apply the banana powder under my eyes. I apply a very thick layer of the powder. Then I’ll let the powder set and do the rest of my make-up. This way, the powder is ‘baking’ or ‘cooking’ your under eyes. It means that it will soak up all the oils and make sure your concealer doesn’t slide or crease. After letting it sit for a couple of minutes, I brush it off with a kabuki brush. The result are bright under eyes (the yellow counteracts the purpleness of your bags) that won’t move!

 

3. LIP & EYE PRIMER

Of course there are also other parts you can prime to make them last longer. I especially want my lips and eye make-up to stay put all day. For my lips, I use the MAC Cosmetics Prep + Prime Lip. This is a transparent lip base. When you first apply it, it feels just like a lip balm, but after a couple of minutes, it will turn into that same squeaky feeling as the MUFE Primer. Again, this will give you a better lipstick application + make it last way longer.

Last, but not least I like to use an eye primer as well. I love the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. I’ve used this product for years and it never lets me down. It makes my eyeshadow apply more pigmented and last the whole day. No touch ups needed!

 

The test

Soooo, here’s the test… Sorry for the crappy phone pictures, but I wanted to give you a real ‘update’ through the day. The first picture is taken at 1 PM just after I did my make-up. The second one is taking exactly after 12 hours, after a long school day, train ride and Atmosphere concert. I’ve used all the steps I’ve mentioned in this how to. I have to say, my make-up looks pretty decent right? I’m definitely happy with the results!

 

I hope you found these tips helpful! If you have any further questions, let me know in the comments below. Of course, these tips will help – they’re not thé solution. I don’t think there’s anything out there that is going to keep your face on point whole day, especially if you have oily skin like me. Still, this will definitely help you out in some sort of way.

Little bit of a personal update: I just came back from the Atmosphere concert at Melkweg Amsterdam (it’s 2 AM when I’m typing this) and it was soooo amazing. Previous year they gave a concert on my birthday. I met Slug when I was waiting in the quieu to get in and I told him that. During the concert, he wished me happy birthday in his freestyle, so fucking awesome! This year the concert was 3 days before my birthday. This year, Slug almost stole my phone during the show, haha. And he wished me happy birthday again on his Twitter. Damn, fucking fan girl moment! <3

WHAT DO YOU DO TO MAKE YOUR MAKE-UP LAST ALL DAY?

xo Lilia