10 Summer Friendly Makeup Tips For Mature Skin

Even if you live in a fairly temperate climate, chances are your skincare and makeup routine will need a bit of an adjustment to cope nicely with the warmer weather.

Sometimes, a lightweight sunscreen, a tinted moisturizer and a concealer are all you need to look perfect under the sun. However, there is much more you can do to prevent your make-up from creasing and caking. Luckily, we’ve got a few tricks up our sleeve to beat the heat.

Preparation is key

During summer wearing less makeup on your skin will make it last longer. But before you start applying makeup, there are two things that are valuable additions to your beauty routine. Exfoliation is one of the most important steps during the summer months: it will help to brighten and smooth your skin as well as help you with the longevity of your tan. The second thing you can’t skip is hydration. Adding a hydrating mask once a week after exfoliation will help to keep skin plump, hydrated and diminish the appearance of fine lines.

Do you look after your make-up tools?

Applying makeup needs brushes, sponges and tools. You can use your fingers but never put them straight into your makeup pots, use a cotton swab or a spatula to remove the product from the pot instead. Keeping makeup tools clean is also important, especially in summer. Wash your natural hair brushes weekly with a makeup brush cleanser or a mild shampoo. Use an antibacterial wash for your synthetic tools. If your brushes are shedding hairs it’s time to replace them with new ones.

A perfect sweat-proof make up

When temperatures are hot, the last thing we want to do is apply fussy makeup (and then inevitably reapply as it melts off our face due to sweat). Here is a minimal makeup look that requires just a few standout products to keep you looking fresh.

• Apply a tinted moisturiser

These lightweight lotions serve double-duty by offering hydration along with just a hint of radiance or sheer coverage. They’re also the lightest option, with the least coverage, for your makeup base. Invest in a tinted moisturiser that’s slightly darker than your winter skin shade. Prep your face with water-based serum so your skin won’t become dehydrated or absorb the makeup you’ve applied.

• …or Swap the foundation with a BB Cream to even out your complexion
  

If you need a bit more coverage than a tinted moisturiser (but a lighter product than a foundation), a BB cream is your best ally. Foundation can feel heavy on your skin during hot weather or when you’re experiencing hot flushes. Use the less is more rule and only apply BB cream where it’s needed, a pea-sized amount is enough for your whole face! If you find the BB creams are too sheer, you could try a CC cream (camouflage/colour correction cream). It will give more coverage and correct any skin imperfections.

Favourite BB or CC cream:  Erborian

• Use a lightweight powder

During summer a dewy natural look is in vogue. Using a lighter application for your makeup base and not heavily applying face powder all over your face, will stop it caking if you perspire. A light dusting over your t-zone will suffice to set your makeup.

Favourite lightweight powder: Laura Mercier Setting Powder

• Don’t skip the blusher and the bronzer

Choose colours that compliment your skin tone. Cool skin complexion looks great with a blusher in pink and peach tones. Even if you have a tan, a shimmering bronzer on the low points of your face will give it some definition. Apply it to your temples, chin, jawline and below your cheeks.

Favourite blusher: Nars Orgasm
Favourite Bronzer: Nars Laguna

• Glow with a bit of highlighter

Highlighting the high points of your face will add more definition but the less is more rule applies here too. Avoid glittery products, use a cream highlighter and only apply it to the top of your cheekbones and brow bones. Don’t apply it over any deep lines as it will enhance them. Tapping it onto the area will give it a more subtle effect and give a glowy appearance.

Favourite highlighter: Milk Makeup Highlighter

• Frame your face by adding colour to your eyebrows

You may not need to add colour to the whole brow, just fill in the gaps. Eyebrow tinting can be a great solution to enhance your brows for a few weeks at a time during the summer so you don’t have to apply colour. Top tip: go one shade darker than your natural colour for your eyebrow tint to make it long-lasting. Trim and pluck any stray hairs to give your framed eyebrows a less heavy look.

Favourite eyebrow wand: Glossier Boy Brow

• Enhance eyelashes with a temporary tint

If you want to be mascara free this summer, a lash tint or LVL (lash volume lift) treatment is great for stopping panda eyes when you’re having hot flushes or feel like you’re melting in the heat. Some waterproof mascaras can flake off leaving nothing much by the end of the day. Better using one that’s easy to remove and not clumpy on your lashes.

Favourite mascara: Victoria Beckham Future Lash

• Play with a coloured eyeshadow

Enhance your eyes by applying a coloured eyeshadow. Satin ones are the best in summer and available as crayons or creams. Pink, nudes and golds look best on blue eyes. Darker skins and brown eyes can wear any shade. Green eyes look amazing with bronze, nude shades and browns. To ensure it lasts all day, even when your hot flush breaks out, apply a matte eyeshadow in a similar shade to your eyelid first and then your satin one over the top. Blend the cream or crayon softly to stop the colour from creasing.

Favourite satin pencils: Charlotte Tilbury Eyeshadow Pencil
Favourite cream eyeshadow: 3INA the cream eyeshadow

• Choose a long-wear lipstick

Keep lips moist and protected from the sunshine by adding a hint of colour. Find a nude similar to your skin tone or maybe a shade darker. Outline your lips with a matching lip colour pencil and fill them in with your chosen lipstick shade. If your lips are small, choose a colour that’s bright and opaque. If they are larger and you want to make them look smaller, choose a darker matte shade of lip colour. To give your lips more of a pout, apply a clear lip gloss just to the centre of them.

Favourite long-wear lipstick: Stila Stay all-day
Favourite clear gloss: Studio 10 Lip Perfecting Balm Gloss

• Finish with a setting spray

Give your makeup a long-lasting effect by spraying a makeup setting product over your finished look. When ready, close your eyes, hold the spray at arm’s length and spritz it over your whole face moving the spray from side to side. If you generally experience hot flushes while doing your makeup, keep it in the fridge. Ensure you clean the nozzle regularly so it doesn’t clog up.

Favourite setting spray Urban Decay All Nighter

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