How To Keep Your Makeup Looking Fresh All Summer Long

I feel my temperature rising. Not just the opening lyrics to Elivs Presley’s 1972 classic “Burning Love,” it is also how I feel all summer in New York City as the rising mercury and dew point leave my complexion anywhere from a little too dewy to straight up drenched in sweat. The result? The makeup I carefully applied to yield a subtle, summery glow looks shiny and smudged not long after leaving the cool confines of my apartment.

While I might not be venturing into the sweltering subterranean subway as often this summer, COVID-19 face coverings provide a new challenge for keeping makeup and skin looking fresh during the warm weather months. To combat the shine-inducing side effects of summer’s steamy temps, I knew I needed to call an expert — in the form of Urban Decay global makeup artist Steve Kassajikian — for advice.

Summer Makeup Made Simple

“Summer is about looking really fresh and glowy,” Kassajikian tells me over email, unknowingly confirming that he fully understands my ideal aesthetic and, hopefully, how to maintain it for longer than a New York minute. As he describes it, some of the simplest and most versatile summer makeup looks involve:

• Natural skin
• Bushy, feathered brows
• Warmer tones on the eyes and cheeks
• Bold lashes

With that in mind, Kassajikian shares three pro tips for keeping your makeup in place and skin naturally radiant all summer long.

1. Set Yourself Up for Success

Longwear makeup tends to leave my skin a bit more matte than I would like for the summertime, but Kassajikian offers a couple ways to extend the lifespan of any complexion product without an overly dry or mattifying result:

• Mix a pump of your face primer into your foundation to ensure long wear
• Wet your beauty sponge with setting spray when applying foundation

Bonus points if you still apply a primer before foundation and setting spray on top. He recommends the Urban Decay All Nighter Face Primer, All Nighter Setting Powder, and All Nighter Setting Spray. “Your makeup won’t move all day,” he says.

2. Add Glow Strategically

Just because I am concerned about radiance veering into shiny/sweaty territory doesn't mean I can’t still add a bit of (strategic) luminosity to my look, Kassajikian says. “Prep the skin with a beauty oil before applying foundation to hydrate and make the skin look luminous,” he explains, adding that the Drop Shot Oil by Urban Decay works particularly well because it’s specifically formulated to complement foundation.

While the oil trick will provide an all-over glow, Kassajikian also has a tip for making key parts of the face shine bright like a diamond — in a good way. He suggests wetting powder highlighters (I’m a fan of the Hourglass Ambient Strobe Lighting Powders and Westman Atelier Super Loaded Tinted Highlights) with a setting spray to give the illusion of dewy skin.

3. Don’t Be Afraid to Touch Up

Truth be told, there is no surefire way to keep makeup in place all day, but there are plenty of ways to touch it up without messing it up. Kassajikian says a good setting spray, like the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray, is a must, and it’s also worth keeping a pressed translucent powder on hand to touch up the t-zone. “It will remove shine without adding layers of product,” he shares. The Fenty Invisimatte Blotting Powder is a good oil-absorbing option, while the Supergoop 100% Mineral Invincible Setting Powder is infused with SPF 45.

Summer 2020: The Eyes Have It

With face masks and coverings de rigueur for summer 2020, Kassajikian says we can expect to see a shift in how people wear makeup. “I predict everyone will be wearing more eye makeup to ensure they stand out from the mask,” he says, echoing the all-about-eyes trend that is currently playing out in aesthetic medicine. “I also feel that people won’t go as heavy on foundation and lips will stay more muted,” Kassajikian adds. Lightening up on foundation and other complexion products should also help to keep some of those mask-related breakouts (a.k.a. maskne) at bay.

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