As more weddings continue to be held outdoors, even as pandemic restrictions are lifted, beauty products will have to work overtime to fight prolonged exposure to heat and other environmental elements. But don’t sweat it — we’ve got you (and your face) covered with several products designed to provide long-lasting wear. Many are sweat, transfer and fade resistant.
All About That Base
Dr. Marnie Nussbaum, a dermatologist based in Manhattan, recommends using sunscreen with titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, because, she said, “these mineral ingredients are more effective, last longer and block the rays as opposed to chemical ingredients that absorb them.”
“Look for broad spectrum, water-resistant products with an SPF of 50 that lasts for 80 minutes,” Dr. Nussbaum said.
Sunscreen should be applied first and absorbed into the skin first before other products follow. “If you put it on top of your moisturizer or makeup, it won’t penetrate through your skin and will offer no protection,” she said.
Developed for sensitive skin, La Roche-Posay’s Anthelios Mineral Tinted Sunscreen ($33.50) is a water-resistant, mineral-tinted sunscreen that contains titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. It provides a non-whitening, matte finish with a tinge of color.
Neutrogena’s oil-free Sheer Zinc Face Mineral Sunscreen ($12.99) also contains zinc oxide, and has “dry-touch” properties for a non-greasy, lightweight finish.
Primed Positions
“Different from your moisturizer and serum, a primer will form a barrier between your skin and makeup so that makeup stays on longer and doesn’t absorb into the skin,” said Dusty Kuskie, a makeup artist in Orange County, Calif. “Primers,” which go on after the sunscreen, “coat the skin, fill in fine lines, pores and wrinkles while giving you a smooth and even finish.”
One/Size’s Secure the Blur Makeup Magnet Primer ($30) has hydrating and so-called blurring effects, while controlling shine for a matte finish. Glycerin and microspheres soften imperfections, minimize pores, eliminate fine lines and even out texture and tone.
Smooth, tighten, lift and enhance your complexion with Victoria Beckham by Augustinus Bader Cell Rejuvenating Priming Moisturizer ($60). Wrinkle-blurring powders reduce fine lines. Amino acids, micro algae extract, peptides and other ingredients plump skin enhance elasticity, balance, brighten and increase skin’s radiance.
Eyes See You
Stress and lack of sleep, not to mention sun glare, can cause your eyes to look tired, sunken and less radiant.
Strivectin’s 360 Tightening Eye Serum ($69) offers a triple peptide blend that tightens and firms, while caffeine and kakadu plum extract helps to improve tone, brightness and reduce dark circles.
Soleil Toujours’s Mineral Ally Eye Glow + Illuminator SPF 15 ($68) has similar results, thanks to repairing peptides, antioxidants, vitamins, red algae and botanicals. Mineral sunscreen adds an extra layer of protection.
Both products provide specially designed applicators to create a cooling effect while massaging and de-puffing your face’s most sensitive area.
Lashes and Brows
For those post-wedding photos taken when the light is just so, you’ll want to make your eyes pop, even when the sun is in them.
Prep and protect lashes with Lancôme’s Cils Booster XL Enhancing Lash Primer ($27). Its conditioning formula includes micro-fibers and vitamin B5 and E, which help create a longer, fuller, thicker look.
Tears are rendered powerless with Maybelline New York’s Volum’ Express, the Colossal Waterproof Mascara, complete with “mega brush,” $8.77. This mascara offers 36 hours of clump-free, flake-resistant, water and smudge proof volume.
And brows can be assured shape and fixed positioning with Too Faced’s Pomade-in-a-Pencil, $23, coming out July 5. It has thickening, filling, sculpting and waterproof capabilities, paired with 36-hour hold, and comes in eight shades.
Got You Covered
Keep skin breathable without looking caky or flat with foundations designed to be transfer-proof while offering many colors.
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Foundation ($44) is available in 44 shades. This weightless, long-lasting, full-coverage foundation offers a poreless, matte finish while moisturizing skin for 24 hours.
Those wanting an oil-free option can try Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation by Nars ($49). Available in 34 shades, the buildable, full-coverage formula lasts for 16 hours and is designed to match your skin color. Fruit extracts, like watermelon, raspberry and apple, help improve appearance and smoothness. It also provides sweat, transfer and fade resistance.
Power in the Powder
Loose or pressed powders reduce shine and offer setting properties. “You want to look for talc- and mica-free products because if used too much, these ingredients can cast a white look or give a flashback in your photos,” said Daniel Martin, a makeup artist and the global director of artistry and education at the skin-care company Tatcha.
Mr. Martin suggested using a large, fluffy brush to set the makeup, then a powder puff afterward to push in and lock down the applied products. “If not, product just sits on your face,” he said.
Released in March, Dior’s Backstage Face & Body Powder-No-Powder, $40, is a long-lasting, multiuse, buildable gel-based powder that has plumping and soft-focus pigments that help erase imperfections. Micropearls increase radiance and brighten complexion. Ten shades provide a natural or bronzing visual.
Tatcha’s translucent Silk Powder ($48), which also debuted in March, delivers radiance properties, thanks to Japanese pearls, blurring effects, and oil-absorbing silk extracts. Each helps protect the skin and extends wearability. This setting powder also deflects blue light rays and filters pollution.
Lip, Stick
Lips need to be kissable while also kiss-proof; color that stays on you, not others. Embellish Beauty’s Red Carpet Liquid Lipstick collection ($25) is formulated with avocado, grapeseed and jojoba oil for hydration, and kaolin and silica to help prevent feathering and fading. It comes in five shades. Tip: Apply first coat and let dry, then apply another for smudge-proof, 12-hour wear.
No need for a lip pencil with Yves Saint Laurent’s Tatouage Couture, long-wearing, high pigment, smudge and transfer free lip coloring that is designed to offer both. The high point of the applicator tip applies like a liner; flipped on its side it goes on like a lipstick. The 12 shades offer a matte look paired with high pigment color.
Hold, Please
Finish your look with a smudge, water and fade proof, long-lasting setting spray, which are designed to secure and extend the life of your makeup while providing an additional barrier against environmental aggregators.
Benefit’s POREfessional Super Setter ($32), a pore-minimizing setting spray, has pore-blurring powders and shine-reducing properties that also hold makeup for 16 hours.
Danessa Myricks Beauty’s Set It Forever Mist ($26), an oil-control setting spray, uses an anti-shine formula and temperature-control technology to manage oil while promising a 16-hour, matte finish appearance.
Protective Portables
“It’s important to reapply sunblock every two hours, especially when you’re out in the heat for extended periods of time,” said Dr. Michelle Henry, a dermatologist in private practice in Manhattan who is a fan of pocket-size SPFs. “Items like these are easy to use, are great for extra protection, especially your vulnerable spots like your nose, chest or top of your ears.”
They also absorb oil and remove shine, she said, “which if not corrected, can make your face appear greasy in your photos rather then matte or dewy.”
Supergoop Defense Refresh (Re)setting Mist SPF 40 ($14 for a one-ounce size), gives skin a moist boost while also protecting it and your makeup. Peppermint and rosemary oil give you a soothing mental moment.
Single-use blotters like the Luminess SPF 30 Sunscreen Setting Powder ($20), an ultra-slim, pre-soaked zinc oxide powder on a sponge, let you pat, press, and focus on the whole face or specific areas. There are 18 individual packets.