With days getting warmer, we look at the best coverage options for your skin to look its best
Going into the warmer seasons, the days become longer and brighter. With warmer temperatures, we tend to lighten up on everything from the types of foods we eat to the clothes we wear to our bedlinens and even room décor. So, it makes sense that our beauty routines should also adjust to the change in seasons—specifically how much foundation we wear. Or whether we should wear it at all. “Adapting to seasonal weather changes may make us evaluate how much foundation to wear, or how to wear it. We may decide to wear less or wear it differently,” says Melanie Hutchinson National Education Manager, IT Cosmetics Canada.
For Janice James, Field Executive Training Manager for Estée Lauder, she personally stays with her foundation routine but ramps up the sun protection. “I’m definitely someone who wears foundation in the summer and I’m also really big on the SPF thing as well. I feel like foundation is that extra layer of protection in addition to the SPF,” she says. But for those who really would rather lighten up on the makeup look and feel for summer, Maddox Lu, Benefit Cosmetics’ Senior National Education Manager and National Trend Artist, says that concealer is the “secret weapon” for achieving a polished result.
“Truly why you wear complexion products is to hide those booboos that you don’t want people to see but that’s not necessarily all over the skin,” Lu explains. “It could be redness around the nose. It’s hereditary dark circles around the eyes, scars and marks. That’s why concealer is a great way to go because you only apply it where you need it. You still show real skin.” David Vincent, national makeup artist for Lise Watier, says that often skin issues brought on by colder winter weather disappear in the warmer months and skin often appears healthier, making people more confident with less coverage.
“For summer it’s all about the texture,” Vincent states. “You want something comfortable. You want something that will give you a feel that is light, and your skin can breathe.” To create a lighter texture with your foundation, Hutchison suggests mixing foundation with face moisturizer for sheer coverage. You can decide how sheer by how much moisturizer you add into the mix. Or use a damp beauty sponge or makeup brush with half the amount of foundation normally worn to create a thinner texture to make the skin appear more natural. Another option Hutchison say is to “transition to a powder foundation and customize for a sheer-full coverage with a beauty sponge, or makeup brush.”
James says for those committed to wearing foundation in the summer, Estée Lauder’s Doublewear is formulated to take on hot weather conditions as it is oil free, oil absorbing, oil controlling, sweat proof, humidity proof and provides 24-hour-wear. “This one literally doesn’t come off until you take it off,” James states. “If you’re worried about your makeup melting into your skin, this is a really good choice.” For those who find that a concealer isn’t enough, or foundation is too much, a CC Cream may be a good option. It provides coverage for imperfections that you want to minimize or conceal and blends out well with the rest of the skin. Vincent says the Lise Watier CC Cream is his go-to because of the broad range of colours. A multi-purpose formulation, it has an SPF 25 and Vincent says, even when used sparingly over the face, the pigment will adapt to the person’s own skin tone to ensure the overall look of the skin appears even.
IT Cosmetics’s Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream, which performs much like a foundation, provides medium coverage with high protection of SPF 50.
Whether one opts for minimal coverage or full foundation, the experts agree that skin should be prepped with a moisturizer and SPF. Even if other products like CCs have SPF, James insists that those products aren’t applied as thoroughly as you would a sunscreen cream. And it’s important to use one specially formulated for the face, like Estée Lauder’s Protectionist Pro SPF, to facilitate the application of other products. For those wanting to eliminate a step, Estée Lauder’s Original DayWear with SPF 25 provides both protection and hydration.
“SPF should go on first [before makeup],” advises Lu. “You want to put it everywhere, on every inch of skin that is exposed to the sun.”
James agrees but says that you can also dab on sunscreen throughout the day where you feel the sun is most affecting your skin.
Primer is another important step before makeup application, and for many brands, it’s been created to be a multi-benefit product. Benefit’s new Pore Professional Hydrate Primer is a skin smoothing, pore and line minimizing balm with hyaluronic acid, says Lu.
Lise Watier’s Oh My Grip primer is a four-in-one product that extends your makeup for up to 16 hours, says Vincent. Formulated with hyaluronic acid, it hydrates and smooths skin. Vincent adds that it provides a lift or tightening effect when applied.
The key is to let everything set on the skin before moving onto the next step. So when you put on your moisturizer, wait a couple of minutes and to let it soak in, says James. Then follow with the SPF, allowing it also to set into the skin before applying your makeup.
As the beauty industry continues to bring innovative products to the marketplace, it also upgrades existing products increasing their efficacy and injecting new benefits into formulations. Going into this summer season sees setting sprays, which extend your makeup wear through heat, humidity and perspiration, reflect that trend.
Benefit created the Pore Professional Super Setter which Lu says also blurs skin texture. Something he believes is unheard of to date for a setting spray.
Lu says people are also using the setting spray to set their skin care “because once you spray it on it creates a protective barrier. So external environment stressors and things like that won’t come in contact with all the benefits that you’re soaking up from your skin care.”
Vincent adds that a setting spray can be used under the makeup like a primer. “Sometimes I spray my brushes or sponges with Magnifix setting spray. It mixes with the formula of the foundation or the [CC] cream and adds some binder to the formula to make it even more long lasting,” he says.
Hutchison says that setting sprays when formulated with beneficial ingredients like hyaluronic acid and coconut water in IT’s Your Skin But Better Setting Spray can be a great on-the-go refresher for throughout the day.
Bronzers and powders, lightly applied, can help with combating the effects of oiliness and sweat.
“You can go with a mattifying powder at least for the T-zone or a little bit under the eyes or around the nose,” suggests Vincent.
The approach to bronzer has changed, says Lu. Rather than the tanned, or heavily contour look, it’s all about a healthy glow.
“Bronzers just equal looking healthy. So, when your skin is a little bit sun kissed, your dark spots look a little less visible. Your dark circles are a little less visible. Discolouration is evened out. It’s that feel good, look good, natural beauty approach to makeup,” Lu observes.
A natural approach to beauty is a good fit for the summer season when warm weather signals relaxation for many of us. Perhaps taking a relaxed approach to one’s makeup will be what will make us most comfortable. Remember you wear the makeup. Don’t let it wear you.