10 expert-approved tips to make your makeup last all day! No smudging, no fading—just flawless, long-lasting beauty without touch-ups.
It’s incredibly frustrating to take your time on a morning makeup routine, only to have it smear, smudge, or crater by lunch. Oily skin, humid weather, and long work hours can make you feel like you’ve unlocked the ‘failed makeup’ past-time achievement on your first day of the rest of your life. The good news is, with the right steps and products, you can have flawless makeup that lasts all day without needing to reapply.
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We have compiled 10 tips we know to be tried and true, approved by experts, to support you in keeping your makeup fresh, flawless, and long-lasting.
1. Start with a fresh, prepped canvas
Long-lasting makeup starts with skincare! If your face isn’t properly clean and hydrated, makeup won’t adhere well.
Wash your face with a gentle cleanser made for your skin type.
Apply a lightweight moisturizer to balance your hydration levels. (Gel-based if you’re oily, creamier if you’re dry.)
Don’t forget the SPF in the morning, but let it absorb completely before your makeup routine!
Pro Tip: Exfoliate your skin twice a week to prevent your makeup from clinging to dry patches.
2. Always Wear Primer
Think of primer as the “glue” that will hold your makeup on. A good primer will smooth the skin, blur pores, and create a barrier between your skin and foundation to help everything stay in place longer.
For oily skin: Just get a mattifying primer.
For dry skin: Just get a hydrating or illuminating primer.
For textured skin: Pore-filling primers can work wonders!
Pro Tip: Only apply primer to the areas that need it (like your T-zone) and not all over your face to minimize buildup.
3. Use Long-Wear Foundation
Not all foundations are created equally! If you want your base to last prolonged, you want long-wear or transfer resistant.
Liquid foundations with matte or semi-matte finishes will generally be the longest-lasting types. Dewy foundations tend not to do well for long-wear.
Powder foundations are a great choice for oily skin, just make sure you layer them over a primer if you want them to have staying power.
Pro Tip: Layer thin layers of foundation and gradually build coverage. Thick layers often slide off your face and don’t hold well.
4. Set Your Bases with Setting Powder
Setting powder is your best friend if you want something to last longer. It may absorb excess oils and prevent creasing in your foundation and concealer.
Apply translucent setting powder for a natural-looking finish.
Use a fluffy brush or damp makeup sponge to dab the powder into the skin.
Anti-use this technique on the forehead, nose and chin–areas that typically become oily.
Pro Tip: “Baking,” meaning letting the powder sit on the skin for a couple of minutes prior to dusting it off, is great for a little extra staying power on wedding days or special events.
5. Choose Long-Lasting Eye Products
The eye area is prone to an abundance of smudging, creasing, and fading if you have oily lids. To help counter this, be sure to use an eyeshadow primer before applying any other eye products. Consider cream or liquid eyeshadow products, as those tend to hold up better (and creasing is less likely to occur). If you want your look to withstand sweat, tears or humidity, always use waterproof eyeliner and mascara.
Pro Tip: Set your eyeliner with a matching eyeshadow to stay locked in place.
6. Layer Cream and Powder Products
If you want your blush, bronzer or highlight products to last all day, layer your products. Start with a cream blush/bronzer/highlighter and then set that with a matching powder product. Brands like NutraNiche sell cream blushes and bronzers that last very well compared to competitor brands.
Pro Tip: Use this same trick with your eyebrows–fill your eyebrows in with a pencil and then set it with a powder or tinted brow gel.
7. Use Transfer-Proof Lipsticks
Lips tend to be the first to fade, especially when eating or drinking.
Pick long-lasting liquid lipsticks or matte bullet lipsticks for staying power.
Always line your lips with a lip liner that matches your lipstick before applying lipstick, which acts as a primer on your lips.
Blotting your lipstick to tissue and then reapplying it will give you double coverage.
Pro Tip: After you apply your lipstick, use a little translucent powder over your lipstick but use the tissue to put the product down because it will lock everything in place.
8. Use a Setting Spray
A setting spray is the finishing step that locks everything down. It will lock your makeup so it won’t melt, fade, or bunch up throughout the day.
If you have oily skin: this means you’ll want to use a mattifying setting spray
If you have dry skin: this means you’ll want to use a hydrating setting spray with a dew finish.
If you have an event that is a long duration: A long wear, alcohol-based product that will keep everything down.
Pro Tip: Make sure to spray in an “X” and “T” motion to hit every part of your face.
9. Blot and Don’t Powder Throughout The Day
If you have oily skin, if you find yourself constantly putting powder back on it may start to look “cakey”. Blotting papers are a game changer.
Simply press (don’t rub) the blotting paper on the oily spots.
If necessary, lightly reapply a fresh layer of powder after blotting.
Pro Tip: We advise you to keep a pack of blotting papers in your purse. This is your secret weapon for doing touch-ups without ruining your base.
10. Use the Correct Types of Formulas for Your Skin
At the end of the day, the formula you provide for long-lasting makeup comes down to what works with your skin, rather than against it.
For oily skin types, stick with oil-free, mattifying, long-wearing formulas.
For dry skin types, stick with hydrating, cream-based formulas, avoid heavy powders.
For combination skin types, you can mix and match—mattifying products work great for the t-zone, and creamy, hydrating products for the dry areas.
Pro Tip: Always try a new product prior to a big event, you’ll learn how it wears on your skin.
Making your makeup last all day does not mean doing touch-ups all day, rather, it comes down to correct prep, proper layering techniques and choosing suitable product. Following these 10 tips will give you much longer wear with your makeup and the confidence that you will go from morning meetings to late dinners freshening up.
FAQs
1. How can I make my foundation last longer?
Using a primer before applying foundation, apply thin layers of foundation and set with translucent powder, then finish with a setting spray.
2. Which makeup products are best for oily skin so it doesn’t melt off my face?
Use oil-free, mattifying primers, long-wear foundations, and waterproof eye products. Don’t forget about blotting papers and mattifying setting sprays.
3. What can I do to stop my lipstick from fading so quickly?
Always line your lips with a lip liner, apply a long-wear lipstick, and blot with tissue before re-applying. You can also dust a little translucent powder through a tissue to set lipstick.
4. Can I make makeup last without a setting spray?
Yes, you can, but setting spray gives you another layer of protection. Without a setting spray, you can use a primer and layer your products (cream and powders), and blot throughout the day.
5. Why is my makeup creasing under my eyes?
Creasing occurs when concealer collects into fine lines. Use a cream concealer that is lightweight and hydrating; apply in thin layers, and lightly set the area with a finely-milled setting powder.
6. How do I keep my eye makeup from smudging?
Use an eyeshadow primer, waterproof eyeliner and mascara, and lightly set the area with powder. If you want added adhesion from your eyeliner, you can also press a coordinating eyeshadow ontp the eyeliner.
