Products That Make Your Makeup Outlast Your 9-to-5

There’s nothing more annoying than leaving home with the confidence of a good makeup day, only to look in the mirror at noon and have to reapply the day’s face before the lunch hour is over. Is it too much to ask for the end-al -be-all secret to making makeup last all day? Considering the amount of time it takes us to put together a fierce face, i think it’s a small favor.

Makeup artists and experts will point out that A+ makeup starts with good skincare. But you already knew that. Of course, even the most meticulous of skincare routines can’t guarantee makeup wont smudge at some point. But no need to fret, a few tips and beauty products will ensure those hours spent in front of the mirror are well worth it…you’ll be wearing your morning makeup well past happy hour.
PRIMER
Unless you’ve got superb skin genetics, a primer is a prerequisite (and a no-brainer) for makeup that stands the test of time…of your 9-to-5 that is. It’s one more step to your skincare routine, but one giant leap toward #flawless makeup. Primer seals in moisture, fills in pores, soaks up excess shine, and blurs fine lines, creating a clean slate for long-wear makeup.
Apply primer post moisturizer and wait a few minutes before laying down foundation  (you wouldn’t want to defeat its purpose). Be sure to use a primer suited for your skin type: moisturizing for dry skin, mattifying for oily skin, and everything in between.
Eyes require some prime too. If eyeshadow tends to cake and crease by your afternoon Starbucks run, consider using an eyeshadow primer to keep it all in place. An easy way to prime lids: after moisturizing, dust a little setting powder on eyelids before applying eyeshadow.

TRY:
1. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion ($20)
2. Smashbox Iconic Photo Finish Foundation Primer ($36)
3. Pixi By Petra Flawless & Poreless Primer ($18)
4. Revlon Photo Ready Perfecting Primer ($9)
5. Cover FX Blurring Primer ($38)

SETTING POWDER
Dry skin types may be able to skip this step, but dusting on a setting powder instantly soaks up shine and sets makeup for the day. A mineral or illuminating powder is a safe bet for dry skin, it’ll set makeup and add luminosity instead of mattifying, which will make a dry complexion look dull. A translucent powder adds a light veil so you won’t feel buried under product and you won’t have to worry about shade-matching. Those with combination skin can simply dust setting powder on areas that tend to get oily.

TRY:
5. Laura Mercier Mineral Powder ($42)
6. IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Pressed Poreless Finish Airbrush Pressed Powder ($29)
7. Maybelline Master Fix Setting + Perfecting Loose Powder ($9)
8. Too Faced Primed & Poreless Pressed Powder ($30)

SETTING SPRAY
Makeup artists won’t let their clients walk the red carpet without a spritz of setting spray, so we should follow suit. Think of this as your “topcoat,” the very last step to your face painting routine, ensuring that everything stays put. Many setting sprays are gentle enough to use throughout the day, sprucing up makeup without touch-ups. Steer clear of products containing alcohol, they may work well (that’s because alcohol strips the skin of moisture), but in the long-run, accelerate aging of the skin. No thanks.

TRY:

9. Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray ($31)
10. Cover FX Mattifying Setting Spray ($31)
11. L’Oreal Infallible Makeup Extender Setting Spray ($17)
12. MAC Prep + Prime Fix+ ($24)

OIL-BLOTTERS
Just as oil and water don’t mix, oil is makeup’s greatest foe. Excess oiliness causes makeup to melt off, cake, and build up in corners and creases…#gross. Everyone gets a tad oily from time to time, and those with oily skin understand the struggle of the afternoon shiny T-zone. But no need to throw in the towel, oil-blotting sheets on-hand is a quick way to blot away the shine, without having to re-do makeup (in a bind, a toilet seat cover can also do the trick…crazy, we know!). For those with extra oily skin, use an oil-blotting sheet right before applying foundation to soak up “oiliness” left over from your moisturizer and primer.

TRY:

13. Murad MattEffect Blotting Perfector ($39)
14. Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets ($4)
15. Shiseido Pureness Oil-Control Blotting Papers ($19)
16. Boscia Black Charcoal Blotting Linens ($10)