Meltproof Your Makeup: Secrets From a Southern Belle

When I say I live in Florida, most people are envious. Sunny days, comfortable weather, a perpetual holiday, right?  Just visit in the summer… walk out of an air conditioned building and your very breath is sucked right out of you. Your clothes have melted permanently into your skin. Within seconds, hair frizz and makeup melt set in. Florida in the summer is not the place for the faint of heart when it comes to beauty!

Since moving has been out of the question, I set out to beat the completely insufferable conditions within which I was living, so, like every good fashionista and beauty guru, I sought out the most beautiful of my friends —you know the ones —perfect hair and makeup all the time, no cooler in the car full of makeup for constant touch ups-like me–the ones who look like they were born with it, but everyone knows better… and because they were friends, they shared, and as your friend, I’m sharing with you my Southern Belle Makeup essentials to beat the summer heat.

Meltproof Southern Belle Makeup Essentials

Beating Makeup Melt begins with the prep:

A freshly cleaned face is a must, with a light dose of skin care—save the heavy creams for nighttime or winter: heavy creams break down makeup faster.

Use a makeup primer. Not only will the primer help with a smooth foundation application, primer also helps makeup stay put.

For extra long wear, apply a very light dusting of setting powder over your primer. It seems counter intuitive, but it really helps wth staying power and it works magic with the finish of the makeup—I do it for all special occasions and outdoor photo shoots.

Choose a long wear foundation formula:

This seems like a no brainer, but we do get hooked on our favorites, and most foundations begin to break down around four to six hours, even the super expensive ones. Estée Lauder’s Double Wear is a southern girl’s favorite, because it stays put.

Set your foundation with a gentle dusting of setting powder on a soft fluffy brush, then using a puff or nearly dry foundation sponge, press the setting powder into the t-zone, let sit, then dust away any excess, so you don’t get all cakey looking.

Take Extra Care with Your Eyes:  To avoid mascara melt, switch to waterproof mascara and eye liner—aside from melting foundation, mascaras and eyeliners are one of the biggest offenders of all.

Use an eyeshadow primer on your lids and under eye area. Not only will it help the shadow blend during the application process, the color will stay true and will resist creasing.
Mist your completed look with setting spray.

Bonus tip: The fine art of the mid day touch up:

Blot away excess oil with blotting paper—extra bonus bonus tip: I keep some Starbucks napkins handy they work even better than blotting papers especially if you have super oily skin like I do—they are free and readily available!

Touch up spots with concealer.

Because blush sometimes fades by mid day, I apply a light dusting.

Apply finely milled pressed powder, pressing powder gently into the T-zone.

Give yourself a  cooling spritz of setting spray.

Final Super Bonus tip: Never, ever leave your favorite lipstick or sunglasses in a hot car!

If you are a belle from the North or the South and you have anything to add, please let us know! We’d love your tips and tricks for your southern belle makeup to beat the heat and stay on point all day.

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