Long-Lasting Makeup Tips
From flawless makeup to the perfect hairstyle — here's how to make it all last.
MAKEUP
- Get gorgeous lashes all day! Heat up an eyelash curler with a blow dryer, then (carefully!) crimp your lashes twice: once in the middle, once near the tips.
- Layering is the key to lasting makeup from foundation to blush. The most important thing when applying the layers is to have a light touch. This keeps your look fresh and natural.
- For lasting foundation, apply cream or liquid formulas with a sponge only to areas of your face that really need it — avoid a "makeup mask"! Next, apply loose powder with a puff for more control.
- Add volume to your lashes by dipping a shadow brush in loose translucent powder, closing one eye at a time, and dusting the tops of your lashes. Mascara applied over powder will last longer.
- To make lipstick last longer, first apply a thin layer of foundation to lips. Line and fill in your whole mouth with a neutral lip pencil. Apply one coat of lipstick, blot, then finish with a light layer of gloss.
- For lasting eye makeup, first use a sheer, neutral-colored powder shadow as a base. Next, apply liner, followed by another light layer of powder eye shadow. Apply one coat of mascara, allow it to dry, then apply another coat.
- If you are having trouble with flaky lashes, try applying a coat of eyelash primer before your mascara.
- Before bronzing or self-tanning, always smooth skin by exfoliating and remember to shave your legs, even if you're a blonde. Peach-colored fuzz? No thanks.
HAIR
- Steer clear of hairspray, if possible. Nothing takes the sheen off shiny strands faster than dousing them with hairspray. If you must shellac, follow with a spritz of shine serum.
- The more you baby your hair, the better it maintains new color, so choose shampoos formulated for color-treated tresses and deep-condition at least once a week.
- To make sure hair doesn't fall flat, apply volumizer twice — the first time to damp roots and the second time to dry roots (after you've styled your hair).
- Wash your hair as infrequently as possible. Ideally this would mean twice a week, but every other day will suffice if your hair is oily or very fine. On alternate days, you can rinse your hair with tepid (never hot) water if necessary — or dust your roots with a dry shampoo.
- Avoid harsh shampoos. Most dandruff treatments are tough on colored hair, but they are death to redheads, accelerating the fading process by weeks.
- When using hairspray, be sure to spray it all over your hair (flip your head over and spray in toward your roots) — not just on the top layers.
- After coloring, ask your colorist for a "to-go" kit to apply two weeks after a salon visit. This keeps the color looking bright and fiery all month long.
- To make hairstyles last, layer styling products to get full benefits of both, like a styling cream and a shine serum.
- If you're going to spend a lot of time outdoors, use a styling product that contains UV filters — or throw a hat or scarf over your strands.
- Wait three days to shampoo after a color treatment so that the pigment fully penetrates and seals itself in the hair shaft before you wash.
- Keep face-framing tendrils in place by spraying your fingers with hairspray, then running them down the length of these shorter strands.
FRAGRANCE
- A perfume's worst enemies are light and heat (especially in steamy bathrooms!). Keep your bottles in a cool, dark spot and they could last a lifetime.
- Heat from the friction of rubbing your wrists together after a spritz will make scents fade faster, so lightly press your wrists together – don’t grind.
- Try layering your spray with a matching body lotion – the oil in the lotion gives the scent extra staying power.
- When purchasing a scent, ask for a handful of small samples at the counter and keep one in your makeup bag for easy, on-the-go respritzing.
- Know your strength: The longest-lasting and most expensive formulation is parfum, which has the potential to cling all day. Next comes eau de parfum (lasting from six to eight hours), then eau de toilette (four to six hours), and finally eau de cologne and body splashes, which stick around for one to three hours.
- Opt for small roll-on concentrates of perfumes that have long staying power and easy application.
- Fragrance aficionados have been known to wear two different scents at once to create a unique formula known only to them (it takes some experimenting!).
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