Base Makeup That's Primed to Last

If your makeup doesn’t stay on or it’s simply disappearing throughout the day, you may need to add some steps to strengthen its staying power. 

But what are you missing, and does it really make a difference? Well, think of applying makeup like building a sandcastle. A well-constructed base prevents your structure from being swept away by the waves.

Likewise, your makeup should begin with a good base. If you skip out on that, the colours and texture of your makeup aren’t going to last, says Marie Soh, who is a make-up artist and the founder of local makeup and image consultancy company, 27A.

Simply put: Your makeup isn’t going to last if you don’t get your base right, especially not in Singapore’s humid weather.

So, here are some tips on how you can get your makeup to last and look snatched throughout the day.

“Prime your skin”, a phrase you may have caught many YouTube beauty gurus or makeup artists using. It’s the step where you cleanse, treat and moisturise your skin before you apply makeup products. This ensures that your makeup will blend well on the skin and look flawless.

Other than having clean and plump skin, you should smoothen out your skin texture before applying makeup.

Enter the makeup primer, a product that often missed out by most. Face primers are the secret to filling in the lines and pores on your face, according to Marie. Primers come in many forms – from pearly creams to silky gels. There are also primers specifically for eyelids, which help keep the colour of your eyeshadow looking vibrant. A good primer should melt into the complexion without leaving any residue and provide a smooth and invisible base for your makeup.

Marie’s tips on how to apply a primer:

• Use your fingers, as it’s the fastest way.
• Dot the product all over your face and blend it outwards.
• Avoid the eyelids unless the product is eye safe.

Clé De Peau Beauté Long-Lasting Hydrating Veil: A light-weight face primer that gives the complexion a dewy, smooth, radiant finish. It helps makeup to stay true for up to 8 hours and offers a flawless finish. It provides SPF 21 coverage and treats the skin with CDP exclusive ingredients such as the Light-Empowering Enhancer and the Skin-Empowering Illuminator for added inner glow. Suitable for use on eyelids.

Anessa All-In-One Beauty Compact Light: This sunscreen-makeup primer-foundation-in-one offers a silky finish on the face and SPF50+ PA+++. Thanks to an Aqua Booster Beauty Technology, its UV protection film is strengthened by sweat and water, giving skin a constantly dewy and fresh look.

After ensuring that your skin’s texture is optimal, pick out a foundation that suits your skin. Foundation will help to even out the colour of your face by covering up redness, micro-capillaries and other minor blemishes.

When choosing your foundation, match it to the skin on your face and neck. You’ll know it’s a match if a shade blends well upon application.

There are a few types of foundations for you to choose from, depending on the look you’re going for. To achieve a natural look, opt for a liquid foundation as it won’t cake up or settle into the lines of your face. Solid foundations (that come in stick and cake forms) are favoured by those who prefer heavy coverage. 

And if you’re looking for products with added benefits, some foundations also offer some sun protection and curb T-zone shine.

Shiseido Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Cushion Compact: A Shiseido first in cushion foundation that self-refreshes nonstop with ActiveForce™ technology. It will stay on despite the heat, humidity, sebum, pollution and creases caused by facial movement. It is weightless and easily buildable.

Shiseido Synchro Skin Radiant Lifting Foundation: A medium-to-full, buildable coverage foundation formula featuring innovative Light-Adjusting Technology that covers fine lines, wrinkles, uneven skin tone, and acts on dryness. It boasts hydrating properties and sun protection.

Concealers are probably the trickiest of base makeup products to apply and may seem like an unnecessary step to some. While foundations can even out skin tone, concealers offer more targeted coverage to hide dark circles, face shadows that cause gauntness, and blemishes.

There are two main categories of concealer: liquid and stick or solid compact.

Liquid concealer is best for light coverage over larger areas of the face like the sides of the nose, around the mouth and under the eyes.

On the other hand, stick and compact concealers are more suitable for heavier coverage on smaller, specific areas of the face, such as to cover dark pigmentation, pimples and other blemishes. Like foundations, concealers should match your skin tone too.

Marie recommends applying concealers, whether liquid or solid, with a small concealer brush as a first step and then using your fingertips to give it a final finish.

Besides universal flesh-toned concealers, there are also those that colour-correct as well. When choosing the right colour-correcting concealer, remember the simple rule that cold and warm colours cancel each other out. As a guide, green concealer cancels out red zits, purple concealer minimises yellow spots, and orange concealer takes care of bluish dark circles and gauntness shadows.

Concealers can also be used to add highlights to the face when you apply it in small dots horizontally over the centre of your forehead, down the centre of your nose, under your eyes and in a curving arch at the top of your chin, just under your bottom lip. Gently blend it into the surrounding skin with your fingertips or a brush and then set it with powder.

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer Crema Catalana: This easy to wield concealer is known for its luxurious texture and luminous finish. It contours, highlights, corrects and perfects all skin tones. It is also enriched with hydrating, multi-action skincare benefits and a light- diffusing technology that takes years off every face.

Face powder, also called setting powder, is an important final step to ensure your base makeup is well set, and so that your makeup colours will blend well and last.

As far as application tools go, Marie’s go-to is a large, fluffy powder brush. Begin by dusting a light coat of powder all over your face and then press the bristles into the powder to give it a second sweep across the face in long, arching strokes.

If there are oily or red areas on your skin that need more intense coverage, additional powder may be needed. As a final base-setting move, place your brush into the powder again, then firmly press it into the skin; this step helps the powder to sit tighter on the skin for a more polished finish.

Now that you have laid your base, your face is all set for this season’s latest makeup colours.

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