If you want to stop your eye makeup from smearing or travelling down your cheeks this summer, follow our fool-proof tips
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Balmy summer days are hardly the time to attempt a sharp winged liner look. If you’re lucky, the humidity will blur any neat edges before an oily lid causes your cat eye to run. But that doesn’t mean you should give up on eye makeup altogether.
Your eyelids are just an extension of your forehead so if you suffer from an oily T-zone chances are greasy eyelids are an issue, too. Tackling the problem comes down to using products that grip onto makeup and mattify your eyelids in the same way that they would your face when things get slick in a heat wave. For makeup artist Daniel Martin, who created Meghan Markle's wedding day look, the secret lies in a fine layer of skincare underneath primer and avoiding setting sprays, "which are chemical and clog pores."
Ahead the best tips for ensuring your eye makeup is summer-proof – from the best eye makeup remover to the best eyelid primer and more...
Don’t use an oil-based eye makeup remover the night before
An oil-based makeup remover will leave a film of oil on the delicate skin surrounding the eye. Instead, makeup artist Marie Thomsen swears by holding a re-usable pad soaked in micellar water against your eyelid for 60 seconds to soften your makeup so it slips off. "It's gentle and won't leave any oily residue," she adds. "Swipe outwards and tidy up any smears with a micellar-water-soaked cotton bud.”
Eye creams are great – but not if they're thick
Yes, the skin around the eyes is thinner than elsewhere on the face so it's a good idea to apply an eye cream to ward off dehydration, wrinkles and dark circles. In doing so, be sure to choose a gel or mattifying formula rather than taking a thick, creaming moisturiser up to the lash line, where it can smear the eyeliner you’ve so deftly applied. Let the gel sit for a few minutes before moving on to makeup.
Good options to try include Clinique All About Eyes Serum De-Puffing Eye Massage and Estelle & Thild organic Refreshing Eye Gel, which touts light-weight hydrator aloe. The Silk Cream from Tatcha, the skincare line that Martin swears transformed his skin, can be applied all over the face as the gel-like formula is fast absorbing.
Photo: Ben Beagent
Apply eyelid primer
Martin is a fan of applying primer to the eyelid to prevent eye makeup from creasing. Likewise, makeup artist Marina Andersson is a fan of Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion for acting as an adhesive for the eyeshadow you place over the top of it. "If you're doing a smoky eye and need the pigment to grab the eyelid better, then an eye primer is your best friend," she says.
Use water resistant eyeliner and mascara – then set your concealer
Switching out your mascara for a water-resistant (read: not water-proof) formula is an easy way to prevent unsightly black streaks while else ensuring lashes don't look spidery and brittle. We love Lancome Paris Lash Idole Waterproof Mascara.
Gel and liquid eyeliners such as Hourglass Voyeur Waterproof Gel Eyeliner and Rare Beauty Perfect Strokes Matte Liquid Liner dry quickly upon application, making them a superior option over pencils in summer. But for added staying power, trace over the line with a powder eyeshadow in a matching shade.
Finally, if you want to set the concealer under your eyes and keep it from creasing, apply a finely milled loose powder such as Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder.
