It was around February that my weekly screen time reports started to scare me. When the work days were long, the days cold, and alone time scarce, I started staying up until the late-night hours gave way to early morning—watching the lives of others through a ceramic glass screen and wishing mine felt a little more… fun.
With 20/20 hindsight, I can see that this was a bout of seasonal depression fueled by a mild social media addiction. This is also precisely why I swore that when the temperatures rose and my friends came out of seasonal hibernation, I would make every effort to create memories that live in my mind rather than my social feed. Now that we’ve reached August, I’m proud to say that I’ve achieved this goal—seizing every opportunity to twirl on the dance floor, sip wine under humid stars, and traipse through ancient French coastal towns—all without worrying about my makeup when a friend whips out her phone for a candid. Not because I’m not wearing it (I love playing with the stuff too much), but because I’ve edited my collection down to a few long-wearing mainstays that never crack under sweaty pressure.
You, too, should worry less about the way you look in a photo, to onlookers, or in your phone’s front camera when you step outside this summer. Embrace these last few weeks of laid-back August bliss with certainty, knowing your glam is staying how it looked when you left the house. So go ahead—give that kiss on the cheek, eat the pasta, and dab your brow. These formulas are here to stay.
10 Summer-Proof Makeup Products I’ve Trusted this Season
I don’t know about you, but there’s nothing that irks me more than a carefully crafted lip that I know won’t stay in place past appetizers. To keep my lip combo locked down, I’ve been reaching for the Wonderskin Wonder Blading All-Day Lip Stain in this earthy-nude hue, Hush. In under one minute, the temporary dye stamps a lip-defining line wherever I trace the wand, offering sculpted dimension and neutral color that will last all night long—through several dinner courses and late-night dancing, too. Viral beauty products can be hit-or-miss, but this lip stain is a grand slam.
If there’s one product I’ve used every day without fail this summer (aside from SPF), it’s this oil-blotting, makeup-setting, and shine-controlling powder from Fenty Beauty. The translucent powder is essentially a pulverized blotting sheet—blurring the look of pores, excessive oil, and locking your makeup in place for your longest days and nights. If it’s a particularly sweaty day, I’ll keep the compact in my purse for safekeeping, but chances are I won’t need to use it at all.
They say that the skin is your canvas, but every skilled painter knows that the finest work starts with a good base. When the temperature won’t stop climbing and my day demands makeup, I won’t hesitate to reach for One Size’s Secure The Sweat primer: a blurring, sweat- and shine-proof formula that locks makeup in place for up to 12 hours, even in slippery conditions.
I love cream blush and glossy lip balms as much as the next beauty savant, but I know they have little staying power in sweaty summer circumstances. Enter, Benefit’s Benetint: a lip-and-cheek stain that temporarily dyes the skin with the faintest whisper of watercolor pink. The shade Playtint is my personal favorite, but there’s a wide range of juicy hues to fit your fancy.
I could be stranded on a deserted island, and I’d still wish for a good eyeliner. If I could only bring one to said island, it would be Prada’s Pradalines Waterproof Pencil. This no-budge formula is the one I rely on for long days that turn into longer nights, with a heat- and moisture-resistant formula that glides and blends with ease before drying down into an immovable force. It stays opaque in the waterline, never flakes, and survives the surprise rain showers that pepper East Coast summers.
You don’t expect me to recommend a waterproof eyeliner and not a mascara, do you? Clinique’s High Impact High-Fi Mascara came into my life earlier this year, but it’s been a staple this summer. The flake-free waterproof formula is not only lengthening and long-wearing, but volumizing, too. (An impressive feat for a waterproof mascara.) It’s stood up to salty ocean swims, dance sessions, and even a few long hot girl walks.
If you prefer to stay away from face makeup during the summer, I don’t blame you. There’s little that will keep your makeup planted firmly on your face when the temperature reaches dripping highs. But if you do find yourself in the situation that a bit of extra coverage is necessary, I’d recommend Make Up For Ever’s HD Skin Waterproof Concealer: a long-wearing formula that blurs, smooths, and hydrates the skin for up to 36 hours of wear, no matter the weather.
This setting spray is simply the best in the biz. In addition to Fenty’s Invisimatte Blotting Powder, I always mist my handiwork with a healthy amount of One Size’s On ‘Til Dawn Mattifying Waterproof Setting Spray. The hairspray-like mist sets your makeup in place with near-impossible force, locking in your makeup for up to 16 hours without feeling heavy or making your skin look greasy.
If I need to touch up my lips on the go, I need to have an instant fixer-upper on deck (read: not a lip stain that applies midnight blue and comes with a waiting period). That, my friend, is YSL Beauty’s Kiss Shaper Sculpting Lip Liner. This long-wearing lip pencil boasts up to 8 hours of wear and is impressively transfer-resistant, making it the perfect lip stain touch-up or on-the-go lippie if a stain is too inconvenient.
I’ll say it until I’m blue in the face: When looking for long-wearing makeup, do not discount the drugstore. This impressive foundation from Maybelline quickly became my favorite long-lasting drugstore foundation earlier this year, earning the lilac tube a place in my summer makeup kit expeditiously. The silky, lightweight formula feels undetectable on the skin and can be intensified to build coverage. The best part is that it boasts up to 30 hours of wear for just $12—that is, if you snag it on sale today.
