How to Have Your Makeup Last All Day

 This is a major concern for many women.  It seems like whoever I talk to...working women, brides, moms, etc...everyone wants to know the secret to having their makeup last all day.  The trick is knowing which products to use...and quite honestly, being in the wedding industry as a Makeup Artist, I need to have my hard work last all day.  Here are some of my secrets that give me the results I need and keep my customers happy all day!!

Using primer products are the key to makeup longevity!

• Eye primers will conceal any little broken capillaries on the lid and creates an even canvas for eye shadows to show their true color.  Most importantly, it will hold those shadows in place all day. What is also great is eye primers will never crease because they are formulated specifically for this area and do the job flawlessly. There are so many great primers available now...currently I'm addicted to Urban Decay's Primer Potion. It comes in 2 shades...Sin, which is a shimmery pale champagne shade, or plain Nude...the one I use! It's a staple in my studio and on-location makeup kit.
• Foundation primers will be your new best friend once trying them. Basically primers are used to create the perfect canvas for your foundation application. Some have added benefits such as minimizing the pores, and even reducing the appearance of small fine lines. With a primer, not only will your foundation last longer, but it will look even and flawless.

Eyeliners: Anyone who knows me, knows that I can't live without my long-wearing gel eyeliners. It's no secret that Bobbi Brown is my favorite in this category. Mac and Stila are a few other great brands to try. I can't say enough about these eyeliners and I haven't used a traditional eye pencil for years. I feel these liners go on effortlessly with a little practice, and if it's longevity you are looking for, then look no further. I get countless emails from brides asking me what eye liner I used on them because they were amazed on how long it lasted!! Most brands come in an array of colors, and I get most use out of my black, brown, purple and navy shades.

Cream Shadows: This is one of my favorite products to use for clients that need their shadow to last all day. It's thick consistency goes on easily with either your finger or a synthetic makeup brush and won't crease or rub off. For an easy DAY look, you can just smooth on a lighter shade across the whole lid, add a little liner and mascara and go!  These are extremely easy to take from a DAY look to an EVENING look...just smudge a deeper shade thru the outer corners of the eye and top off with a little more liner and mascara.

The last step to a long lasting application of makeup is creating a long lasting lipstick application. I typically do a lot of steps assuring the lipstick I do won't bleed or easily rub off...here's what to do:

• First go around the lip-line with a concealer and blend in slightly to the lip...don't put concealer on the whole lip, just around the edges.
• Take a liner shade similar to your lipstick shade (I always go slightly darker with the lip liner) and gently go around your lip-line, while slightly feathering the color to your lips. Don't completely fill your lips in with lip liner, the idea is the gently fade in the color as you fill in. This will create a "stain" vs. a strong lip liner look when the lipstick fades.
• Next take your lipstick and go over the entire lip and then blot. Do another application of lipstick now with the same color.
• I always like to add a touch of lighter gloss on the bottom lip, not the top. This creates a more three-dimensional look and gives the illusion of a fuller lip.
• The last and final step ~ do not keep smudging and rubbing your lips together.  This breaks down the product and also blends everything together creating a one dimensional look.  This is a hard habit to break but does make a difference.

That's it! It seem like a lot of steps, but if you are re-applying lipstick all day...isn't it better to take a few extra steps in the beginning and not worry about it the rest of the day?!