How to Make Your Make-Up Last in the Heat, As Recommended by Pro Make-up Artists

Words by Anna Gosling

Now that summer has arrived, so too have sunnier days, longer evenings and balmy nights – the perfect excuse to switch up your make-up routine and embrace the season’s social calendar. But with rising temperatures comes an unwelcome guest: humidity. Often the sworn enemy of even your most trusted beauty staples, it can turn a carefully crafted look into one with smudged mascara and an overly dewy complexion by lunchtime. While it may be tempting to give up your entire make-up routine (and you always could), a few strategic changes to your routine can make all the difference.

To help your make-up stay impeccable from sun-up to sundown, we’ve enlisted the experts to share their ultimate heat-proofing hacks. Whether the occasion calls for a your-skin-but-better glow or full glam, we’re unlocking the secrets to keeping your look in place – whatever the forecast.

Tip #1

Skin Prep Is Everything

Rich creams in this heat? That’s a recipe for your make-up coming undone. Look to lightweight, fast-absorbing gel moisturisers instead. Enter Tatcha’s The Water Cream: a hydration hero that effortlessly sinks into skin and leaves no sticky residue, creating a balanced canvas that won’t interfere with your primer.

Next, the right primer makes all the difference. As Warren Dowdall, Senior PRO Artist at Bobbi Brown, puts it, “Start every look with a great primer that preps and smooths without a heavy feel.” For a hydrating and smoothing effect, Charlotte Tilbury’s Invisible UV Poreless Primer is a go-to. Its lightweight formula creates a breathable barrier that extends make-up wear with the added benefit of SPF 50 protection – ideal for sun-soaked days.

For those who prefer a more mattifying finish, the Refine Blurring Extending Primer by Prada Beauty is a summer essential. Also oil-free, it grips foundation, reduces shine, and prevents slippage – the perfect first line of defence against heat and humidity.

Setting sprays can play a dual role, ideal for both prepping the skin and sealing in your finished look. Our pick? Vieve’s Invisiveil Setting Spray, which locks in make-up while controlling excess oil production to prevent unwanted sheen and slippage.

“Start every look with a great primer that preps and smooths without a heavy feel.”
— Warren Dowdall, Senior PRO Artist at Bobbi Brown

Tatcha

The Water Cream (50ml)

$85.00

Charlotte Tilbury

Invisible UV Flawless Poreless Primer

$51.00

Prada Beauty

Refine Blurring Extending Primer

$45.00Now $40.00

Tip #2

Switch to Skincare-Make-Up Hybrids

Summer is the perfect time to embrace a natural make-up look, whether it’s freshening up post-beach for a sunset dinner or simply surviving the morning commute with grace. Lean into hybrid beauty products that either double as make-up or infuse skincare benefits.

Take Victoria Beckham Beauty’s Cell Rejuvenating Illuminator. Ideal for subtly evening your skin tone while boosting luminosity, this active-infused hero creates a barely-there, radiant canvas. Plus, you can choose from three tinted shades.

For those after a naturally sun-kissed effect, celebrity make-up artist Zoë Taylor swears by Sisley’s Self-Tanning Hydrating Facial Skin Care, which “instantly warms up the skin and leaves it looking healthy and fresh.” For a dialled-up natural tan, Westman Atelier’s Sun Tone Bronzing Drops are a must.

Cream bronzers and blushes are an easy way to add colour to your look without feeling heavy, as they melt beautifully into your skin. Westman Atelier’s Baby Cheeks Blush Stick delivers soft, buildable colour, while NARS’ Laguna Bronzing Cream offers a streak-free natural finish that’s easy to layer – or leave as is.

Liquid blushes work wonderfully, too. “It’s all about sheer layers of product to avoid the skin feeling cakey,” says Jamie Genevieve, founder of Vieve. We love the Sunset Blush Balm in Pesca.

“It’s all about sheer layers of product to avoid the skin feeling cakey.”
— Jamie Genevieve, Founder of Vieve

Tip #3

Use Smudge-Proof, Waterproof Formulas

Some summer occasions demand a little more maintenance. Weddings, garden parties, the races – these are moments that call for high-performance make-up that holds its own under pressure (and flash photography). As Anastasia Soare, founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills, emphasises, these events call for “formulas labelled long-wearing, transfer-resistant, or waterproof.”

For oily or combination skin, Lancôme’s Teint Idole Ultra Wear Foundation  is a staple – oil-absorbing, shine-controlling, and seriously long-wearing. If your skin leans normal to dry, Prada Beauty’s Reveal Skin Optimizing Foundation offers buildable, breathable coverage that optimises skin texture while maintaining hydration. Both promise up to 24 hours of wear, perfect for sun-soaked ceremonies through to late-night dancing. Concealer follows suit: Estée Lauder’s Double Wear Stay-in-Place 24-Hour Concealer resists water, humidity and creasing.

To lock everything in, apply Huda Beauty’s Easy Bake Loose Powder to the T-zone, under-eyes and eyelids. Its finely milled texture sets and blurs without dulling glow – perfect for crease-prone areas or when a little extra staying power is needed. Warren Dowdall's pro tip? “Press your setting powder in rather than dusting it on. It helps really bind the product into the skin.” That’s where Beautyblender's Power Pocket & Blend Duo comes in – crafted to blend, press, and set with ease.
For eyes and lips that endure, water and smudge-proof formulas are a must. YSL’s Lash Clash Extreme Volume Waterproof Mascara delivers bold volume and up to 48 hours of wear, resisting water, heat, and sweat with ease. As celebrity make-up artist Zoë Taylor recommends, “Lip tints are a great way to add sheer, lasting colour”. This step calls for Victoria Beckham Beauty’s Bitten Lip Tint – a weightless formula that delivers natural colour and transfer-proof wear.

“Press your setting powder in rather than dusting it on. It helps really bind the product into the skin.”
— Warren Dowdall, Senior PRO Artist at Bobbi Brown

Tip #4

Touch Up Throughout the Day

Strategic touch-ups can make all the difference in keeping your make-up in check all day. Givenchy’s Prisme Libre 4-Colour Pressed Powder is a winner for controlling shine throughout the day, with a weightless formula that mattifies without drying the skin.

For more targeted touch-ups, Clé de Peau Beauté’s Concealer delivers just the right amount of coverage for blemishes that may reappear over the course of a long, hot day – and its sleek stick format allows quick, seamless application (without the need for a brush).

"Carry blotting papers or a pressed powder for touch-ups without disturbing your look" says Anastasia Soare. Our on-the-go essential are Hermès’ Plein Air Blotting Papers, effortlessly absorbing oil and perspiration to instantly revive and mattify the complexion. And for the final addition to your handbag-friendly heroes, VIEVE’s travel-size Invisiveil Setting Spray is ideal for refreshing your make-up and extending wear with just a couple of spritzes.