I can’t even begin to describe how many times I’ve left the house with a full face of makeup just for it to melt away within minutes of stepping out into the New York City sun. I’ve experienced my fair share of hot and humid summers over the years, as I spent a good number of them in the South visiting family, but this is the first year I’ve been forced to reevaluate how I go about my daily makeup for extended and heat-defying wear time.
Over the past couple of months, I’ve finally cracked the code on which products stick around all day and how to apply them for the best possible results. Because I’m not one for gatekeeping, I’m sharing them with you! Below, I’ve pieced together an edit of my favorite foundations, concealers, liquid blushes, and more for sweat- and humidity-proof makeup you can count on.
1. Creating an Even Complexion
Hourglass
Veil Hydrating Skin Tint
I’ve just recently fallen in love with skin tints, and I don’t know why it took me so long! Hourglass’s Veil Hydrating Skin Tint stands out to me because it’s lightweight, boosts skin moisture by 52%, and delivers a stunning dewy glow with sheer coverage that lasts all day.
Customer Review: “I absolutely love this skin tint from Hourglass. It’s so lightweight and blends effortlessly, giving me that perfect no-makeup makeup look. I pair this with the Hourglass concealer, and my complexion looks flawless!”
Armani Beauty
Luminous Silk Natural Glow Foundation
No matter what weather I’ll be facing in a day, I know I can count on this Armani classic. I’ve put it to the test all summer and can happily say that the Luminous Silk Natural Glow Foundation continues to blur my imperfections with a glowy finish, even when I’m in high temperatures.
Customer Review: “Of all the foundation products I have purchased this is the only one I have repurchased. The coverage is excellent without feeling heavy and thick. My skin looks flawless and the color is a perfect match, which has been issue with other lines. I love this product and will continue to include it in my make up arsenal.”
Merit
The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Foundation and Concealer Stick
I’ve found it extremely helpful to have this multipurpose complexion product in my bag at all times for quick touch-ups. Its lightweight, buildable formula can be used as a foundation or concealer. It has fatty acids to lock in moisture, and a dash of sea daffodil extract makes dark spots and pigmentation disappear.
Customer Review: “I’ve been using this product for a couple weeks, and it’s easily one of my favorites. Recently I’ve used this instead of foundation and concealer for a more natural look and it goes on the skin super smooth, blends well, and leaves a natural finish.”
Bobbi Brown
Skin Concealer Stick
Another concealer stick I’ve been using lately has been this one by Bobbi Brown. Its long-wearing formula works to even and brighten complexions with medium coverage and crease-proof comfort. I especially love breaking it out to help disguise the dark circles and hyperpigmentation around my eyes and mouth.
Customer Review: “It is such an amazing concealer. I love the consistency and all of her products. I definitely recommend anyone looking to buy it. It is nice and creamy, and I love the color match. I love the shade range as well.”
2. Adding a Natural-Looking Glow
Saie
Glowy Super Gel Lightweight Dewy Multipurpose Illuminator in Sunglow
During the summer, I’m all about achieving an ultra-glowy look that doesn’t involve me sweating out my makeup. This best-selling multipurpose illuminator gives my complexion that sun-kissed, “lit from within” glow in seconds without leaving my face glittery. Its formula features skin-loving ingredients like plant-derived glycerin, olive-derive squalane, and rosehip-seed oil.
Customer Review: “When I say this is the best product I’ve ever put on my face, I mean it. Mix this in with moisturizer and it leaves the most beautiful bronze look on your face. I don’t even wear foundation or concealer anymore since I started using this. Swear by it.”
Typology
Illuminating Glow Drops
Adding a drop or two of Typology’s viral Illuminating Glow Drops to my moisturizer in the morning has completely transformed how glowy and flawless my base makeup looks throughout the day without ever having to add a highlighter. It’s enriched with antioxidant vitamin C and soothing aloe vera to help deliver radiance to the complexion over time.
Customer Review: “Skin looks fresh and bright after usage! I used it along with my moisturizer. I also used it as a highlighter after applying all my makeup on. Looks great and natural.”
Huda Beauty
Blush Filter Soft Glow Liquid Blush in Peach Sorbet
Whenever I’m asked how I achieve a “just pinched” wash of color on my cheeks, I never fail to bring up the lightweight liquid blush by Huda Beauty. Its formula features finely milled micro-pearls and buildable pigments for high-impact glow with a soft-focus finish that melts into the skin. If you want an airbrushed look to your makeup, this is the way to get it.
Customer Review: “[It] sounds extreme but even with all the new blush releases this summer, Huda knocked it out of the park. Gorgeous color, blends perfectly no matter what method I use, pigmented, fresh but not shiny/dewy, lasts just long enough. All I need is to find a shade for winter and I’m set.”
Live Tinted
Blush Crush Liquid Blush in Emotionally Unavailable
Another blush product I’ve been obsessed with is Live Tinted’s Blush Crush Liquid Blush. Its creamy formula is buildable and blendable, offering a natural flush of color to the cheeks that will last all day in all temperatures. Its unique formula is infused with great ingredients to hydrate, brighten, and boost the skin’s clarity, such as peony, açaí-fruit extract, and vitamin C.
3. Keeping the Brows in Place
Anastasia Beverly Hills
Brow Wiz Precision Eyebrow Pencil
Humidity can be the worst enemy of brows, especially when you sweat as much as I do in the summer heat and are constantly wiping them. The Brow Wiz Precision Eyebrow Pencil has proven itself to be one of the few brow products I can count on to still be there after running around the city all day. Not only does it glide on effortlessly and offer natural-looking strokes, but it also delivers high color payoff that doesn’t budge.
Customer Review: “The best brow pencil product is Anastasia Beverly Hills. Thin lines look realistic and the product never irritates, never migrates and has always been super easy to remove at night.”
Merit
Brow 1990 Ultra Fine Eyebrow Gel Pencil
The second eyebrow pencil I have in my makeup bag is Merit’s Brow 1990 Ultra Fine Eyebrow Gel Pencil. It has a micro-fine tip that creates soft, natural-looking fullness (I’m talking “’90s Brooke Shields” brows) and doesn’t pull or tug on your hairs. It also sticks around without needing reapplication throughout the day.
Customer Review: “If you have always struggled with achieving the perfect brow like me, the Brow 1990 is a game-changer. This ultra-fine pencil easily creates soft, natural hair-like strokes, providing fullness and definition. The soft gel formula glides on smoothly, making it almost impossible for beginners to mess up.”
Ilia
In Frame Clear Eyebrow Gel
Over the summer, clear eyebrow gel has been the name of the game for keeping my brows in check through even the hottest of days. The In Frame Clear Eyebrow Gel adds shape and structure to the brows with eight hours of hold. Its formula also keeps the brows nourishes using a blend of hydrolyzed quinoa—a protein-rich extract—and a hair-renewal complex.
Customer Review: “I like this product. It makes my brows in shape and fuller. I use it every day, and nobody know that I use the gel on my brows. Looks natural and beautiful.”
Milk Makeup
Kush Clear Eyebrow Lamination Gel
Yet another eyebrow product I like to use to ensure my makeup stays in place all day is Milk Makeup’s Kush Clear Eyebrow Lamination Gel. It offers a brushed-up, laminated effect to my eyebrows for eight hours of wear and features a nourishing formula that includes hemp-derived cannabis-seed oil.
Customer Review: “A great eyebrow gel that does the job! I have dark hair and it didn’t flake at all. Easy to use and the consistency wasn’t sticky, but thick enough to allow the shape of your eyebrows to stay in place! Love using it when I want a quick lifted eyebrow look.”
4. Securing Smudge-Proof Lashes
L’Oréal
Voluminous Panorama Waterproof Mascara
Looking for smudge-proof and waterproof lashes? The Voluminous Panorama Waterproof Mascara is clump-, flake-, and smudge-resistant and has up to 24 hours of comfortable wear. It uses a multilevel bristle brush that grabs each of my lashes and creates a fanned-out finish I can’t get enough of.
Customer Review: “The Panorama Blackest Black Mascara is one of my favorites! My lashes were fanned out and so voluminous. Because it’s clump, flake, and smudge resistant, I am able to wear it at work and to the bar afterwards without having to reapply. It’s so good!”
Chantecaille
Longest Lash Faux Cils Mascara
I love achieving the falsie look but don’t like to wear false lashes on the daily. This mascara delivers the falsie-inspired look I love while enhancing the length, thickness, and fullness of my natural lashes using peptide technology, rose water oil, and a blend of natural waxes. It also features a double-helix applicator brush, which keeps my lashes clump-free.
Customer Review: “I find that this mascara actually nourishes my lashes so they are healthier. That … makes this so worthwhile. It’s also an easy-to-use mascara, as it doesn’t clump, and the brush is perfect for coloring and separating my lashes for a natural look.”
Milk Makeup
Kush High Volumizing Mascara
This buildable vegan mascara helps me achieve the volume and length I’m after with a nourishing formula that features vegan beeswax to prevent fallout, hemp-derived cannabis-seed oil to soften and condition the lashes, and hollow heart-shaped fibers to leave the lashes looking full and thick with every application. In other words, I’ll never be without this mascara.
Customer Review: “I tried the mini size, and I am definitely getting the full size next time. This is my favorite mascara ever and its applicator is just perfect for daily use. It does not clump on your lashes like most of the mascaras, and it gives a natural-looking volume to your lashes.”
5. Maintaining Glossy and Hydrated Lips
Summer Fridays
Lip Butter Balm in Sweet Mint
For luscious lips, I always reach for Summer Fridays’ Lip Butter Balm in Sweet Mint. It delivers instant moisture and shine while soothing parched lips for hours on end. I love how it’s crafted with a cocktail of vegan waxes with shea and murumuru-seed butters for a smooth, non-sticky finish that can be worn alone or layered with other lip products.
Customer Review: “This product it so hydrating and smells so good. Feels so good on the lips too! If you are debating on getting it I would say that it is sooo worth it!”
Polite Society
Polite Pout Glossy Lip Balm French Caramel
Juicy color can be achieved with the help of Polite Society’s Polite Pout Glossy Lip Balm. (My favorite shade is French Caramel.) It has a plush, cushiony texture and feels incredible on the lips thanks to a blend of moisturizing hazelnut, peony flower, and cherry blossom to nourish and condition the lips. By fall, I’m sure I will have collected this glossy lip balm in every shade.
Customer Review: “I am particular about lip gloss, balms, oils etc, and this one does not disappoint. The French Caramel has a great smell near to caramel as advertised and [adds] the most natural full tint to the lips while keeping them hydrated.”
Hourglass
Phantom Volumizing Glossy Lip Balm in Impulse
Hourglass’s all-in-one glossy balm nourishes, hydrates, and visibly plumps lips while also delivering a wash of buildable color and a high-shine finish. I’m a huge fan of how easily its formula glides across the lips and offers comfortable wear for hours. I always have my favorite shade, Impulse, tucked away in my purse for quick touch-ups when I need them.
Customer Review: “When I first put this on, I knew I was going to love it. The formula is super glossy and I was impressed with the color payoff. Paired this with a makeup forever lip liner and stayed on for so long.”
YSL Beauty
Loveshine Lip Oil Stick in Caramel Swirl
I think I’ve discovered one of the best pinkish brown lip colors for deep and neutral skin tones like mine: YSL’s Loveshine Lip Oil Stick in Caramel Swirl. No matter what shade you decide to go with, however, you can count on this lip product offering a creamy, buildable formula with 24-hour hydration and nonstop shine.
Customer Review: “Now my favorite lip product! Perfect neutral pink with a bit of depth for me. It feels so good on my lips, but isn’t sticky and my long hair doesn’t get stuck. Wonderful.”
6. Adding the Finishing Touch
Caudalie
Beauty Elixir Prep, Set, Glow Face Mist
To deliver major glow and help lock in my makeup all day, I always cary the Beauty Elixir Face Mist with me. It can be used to prep the skin, tighten pores, and set makeup for a dewy and glowing finish, making it the must-have multipurpose product for someone always on the go.
Customer Review: “I love this! Especially during the summer, I have oily, sensitive skin, and on days when I need a hydrating refresh this does the trick. I was pleasantly surprised since my skin is ultra sensitive, but this works. Plus, the scent is calming.”
Morphe
Continuous Setting Mist
This Morphe setting spray enhances the look and performance of makeup for a naturally radiant finish with even and controlled application, meaning you won’t see any splotches on your makeup. Its high-performing formula features nourishing vitamin E, vitamin B5, and a blend of fruit extracts to keep your complexion looking its best.
Customer Review: “I have tried many setting sprays, and this is definitely the only one that works to keep my makeup on and also doesn’t leave my face feeling wet, like I sprayed myself with a bottle of water in the face. Love this!”
