Makeup to last a workday.
No powder touchups, either.
One of the main factors we stress when it comes to our makeup reviews is longevity. If we can’t get our makeup to last a full workday, it’s not really worth purchasing in our minds.
Our issue with a lot of short-form makeup video content these days is the first-impression/try-on application (great for seeing what products look like IRL), but a stamp of approval after immediate application is wild to us. There is often zero follow up, so we tend to look for our reviews from long-form bloggers, Substack writers, and our friends on IG who have their individual product update systems down pat.
We’ve seen a significant reduction in foundation reviews on the internet these last few years, especially since the rise of “clean girl” aesthetics. While this style is lovely—natural and subtle, yes, but not unique or creative, let’s be honest—it’s not meant to last more than a few hours, and if you live in a humid climate, good luck. So today, we’re walking you through a makeup routine that will last a full workday (8+ hours), give you the coverage and flexibility you may need, yet still look skin-like, subtle (if you want), and forgiving to the natural oils and environmental factors that affect how our products perform overall throughout the day. If you work in a humid climate, or directly outdoors for more than 2-3 hours consecutively, this routine probably won’t last, but if you’re indoors and partially outdoors (for lunch, commuting, etc.), it should keep you going just fine.
Skincare:
We want to emphasize the use of a sunscreen here and not a primer, simply because most of us commute to work in direct morning light and it’s more important that you get adequate sun protection than you get a sticky base to grip makeup—although there is some overlap, which can be helpful.
We don’t have a hard-and-fast rule for which sunscreens are best, but we do at least recommend skipping your morning moisturizer if you’re on the oilier side and want your makeup to last over that sunscreen. Do a hydrating skincare routine, plus your a.m. serum of choice, skip the moisturizer, and go for a sunscreen that can still moisturize and prime your skin (examples include Ultra Violette’s Supreme Screen, Naturium’s Dew Glow, and HaruHaru Wonder’s Black Rice). Alternatively, if you feel you still need a lotion, go for a more fluid option or sunscreen primer (such as: Allies of Skin’s The One, Garnier’s Ambre Solair—EU version, or Beauty of Joseon’s Aqua Sun Relief). Pilling is the main issue to be on the lookout for and unfortunately it’s not something we can guarantee will/won’t happen with the other products in your routine + application methods, but the above recommendations tend to not pill on us significantly, especially if we give them some time to set on the skin before applying our makeup with brushes in stamping motions.
Base:
If you’re looking for higher coverage across the entire face, we recommend opting for a foundation. Two foundations we think are criminally underrated given their longevity and comfortable feel include the Smashbox Always On foundation, a medium-coverage, mid-weight option that builds on itself nicely, works well with textured, dry, and oily skin alike, and will last a ridiculously long time (like, 20+ hours if you prep it well!), and the Nars Soft Matte Complete Foundation, a thinner texture but high-coverage and very matte option that adheres well to skin (prime and hydrate well if you’re dry). We don’t wear these on a daily basis anymore, but when we had more prominent skin concerns, they were on regular rotation—we still keep them on hand for special occasions. In all honesty, if you want a base product that you don’t have to worry about after setting, a liquid foundation is your best bet.
If you’re looking for lighter coverage, try opting for spot concealers rather than skin tints/tinted moisturizers because the latter do not tend to last more than about 4-6 hours before breaking down, as they are more emollient in texture. We’ve been spot-concealing over applying foundation in the last year or two, and it still holds up for many hours, but feels lighter on the skin. Some of our favorite products for this purpose include the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, the Nars Soft Matte Complete Concealer (better for covering up hyperpigmentation than its Radiant Creamy counterpart in our opinion), Rituel de Fille’s Soft Sorcery Weightless Serum Concealer, and Danessa Myricks’ Yummy Skin Lift & Flex Concealer. We’ve tested all of these extensively in the hospital and school, at amusement parks, for special occasions as well, and they stay solid.
If you want something convenient and quick to apply, a stick option would work as well, but these tend to be balmier, with a more emollient feel and finish (but thinner texture overall, making them superior to skin tints) than foundations and concealers. We can still get some stick options to last a full day on us (Merit’s Minimalist and Ilia’s Skin Rewind), but we have to set them very well, especially if it’s humid. More on how to do that below.
Cheeks:
We love the look of a cream blush and bronzer, but those suckers do not last on their own (except Danessa Myricks’ Yummy Skin blushes—the Upsalite technology they use to keep product adhered to skin is unmatched).
Our best rec is to apply your favorite cream products, then set with a powder version OR set your full face with a translucent powder, then apply your creams alone. We find the slightly thicker textures and soft-matte finishes of Phytosurgence’s cream blushes to do a solid job of adhering to powdered skin, allowing the colors to fade gracefully without looking greasy or patchy throughout the day.
Powder:
A translucent setting powder is a non-negotiable step for us, and a velour powder puff is the icing on the cake. For initial makeup setting, we will pretty much always opt for a loose powder, simply because there’s more product, it’s easier to control application on the puff and how it is dispensed onto skin, and we truly feel that loose powders melt and adhere to skin better than pressed powders. We recommend the velour puffs because they don’t absorb product the way a brush would and deposit the powder seamlessly in one press rather than having to move back-and-forth or reapply in layers for a cakier look. For lighter coverage looks, very dry skin days, or reapplication throughout the day, we will use a pressed powder, but very rarely do we use them to set wet makeup initially.
Our favorite loose powders for getting the job done are Huda Beauty’s Easy Bake, Viseart’s Seamless Setting Powder, and the original Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder. We’ve tried plenty of powders over the years—these are the best for balancing extended wear time with oil control and minimized cakiness.
Setting Mist:
You don’t need this step, but in the warmer months, we like a bit of extra insurance, so we’ll regularly go for a setting spray. There is nothing better than Urban Decay’s All Nighter mist for us. You do a couple spritzes and makeup binds together better, preventing cracking and creasing for longer. If you feel that your skin looks a bit powdery or one-dimensional before setting spray, you can opt for a fixing mist (think Mac Fix+ or our favorite hybrid option from Slurp Laboratories), but we rarely do this step in the morning. Very dry skin may benefit from it, though, or if you’re reapplying powder later in the day and want a refreshed look.
Eyes:
As far as eyeshadow recommendations go, we have to say, skip cream options altogether if you’re wary of creasing. Personally, we don’t mind a little creasing throughout the day, so we’ll still reach for creams from brands like Phytosurgence, MOB, Merit, Jones Road, and Violette FR, and you can always set these with powders as well (including just dusting a bit of translucent loose powder over the lids!), but for the most efficient option, powder eyeshadows are your friend.
Now, for eyeliner recommendations:
MAKE Beauty Continuum Waterproof Gel Liners: for waterlining/tightlining/smudging. This has a stiffer texture, so it stays put for longer.
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil: for waterlining/tightlining/smudging. This has a creamy texture that sets quickly, and comes in a ton of cool colors.
Make Up For Ever Aqua Resist Smoky Eyeshadow Stick: for waterlining/tightlining/smudging. This has a creamy texture that takes longer to set, so you have more time to manipulate it (we prefer this for smoky liner looks).
Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner: for a liquid pen option
Mascaras are tricky—they can be affected by how watery your eyes get, how oily the skin of the orbit of your eye is, environmental factors, how often you touch your eyes, etc. We don’t tend to have issues with most mascaras flaking or smudging on us, so we’ll skip our “long-wearing” recs simply because all of our mascara favorites last a full day on us. Some of those favorites include: Thrive Causemetics’ Liquid Lash Extensions, Rituel de Fille’s Levitation Lash, Ilia’s Limitless Lash, Merit’s Clean Lash, Kulfi’s Badi Lash, both of Victoria Beckham Beauty’s mascaras, and Sweed’s Lash Lift. All amazing, many of which are tubing options as well.
Brows are straightforward, as we have two major options with incredible hold that don’t look shiny or feel super crunchy, yet remove easily: MAKE’s Infinite Hold and Kulfi’s Free the Brow.
Lips:
When it comes to long-wearing lip products, you generally have two options: (1) a classic c. 2015 liquid lipstick, or (2) a lip stain. We’re not huge on either of these types of products as they’re not super comfortable and tend to wear off in unpredictable ways, so we will instead go for a lip liner + creamy lipstick or tinted lip balm in the morning, then bring a balm to work with us for easy reapplication throughout the day. No matter what we’ve tried, none of our lip products really make it past lunch (gracefully, that is), and because we have dry lips at baseline, one quick reapplication of a balm mid-day is enough for us. Some of our favorite on-the-go options include Phytosurgence’s Calm Conditions balms (you cannot go wrong with these stiff stick balms for blind application!), Eadem’s Le ChouChou, Topicals’ Slick Salve, Cocokind’s Ceramide Lip Blur Balms, and Naturium’s Phyto-Glows.
We’re not crazy about the lip liner stain trend going around—they tend to crack, crumble, and fade unevenly on us—but if you’re looking for lip oil-to-stain options that can stretch to around four or five hours, NYX’s Lip IVs and Kulfi’s Lassi Lips do a solid job, and they feel very comfy on initial application which is a huge plus.
Reapplication (Sunscreen & Powder):
We’ll be totally honest with you, we have probably reapplied sunscreen at the end of the workday to commute home a total of five times between the two of us. However, we have reapplied sunscreen over a “full face” of makeup a number of times for special occasions, so here’s our process for that: (1) we use a microfiber sponge—you can try the velour puffs or disposable sponges, but they’re a bit too flimsy in our opinion, or they soak up too much product. The Juno & Co. one is your best bet. (2) Grab your favorite fluid sunscreen of choice and pick up a bit of product on the dry sponge. (3) Dab/press the sponge into skin, don’t drag! (4) Take a finger and mesh your makeup with the sunscreen if it looks streaky. (5) Reapply blush if you want, or powder—this is where a pressed option works best. That’s it! Not a horrible process, but it takes some time to fully cover the face.
If we need to reapply powder throughout the day (this is a rare thing for us, but if there’s a special occasion that requires somewhat fresher makeup after work, we’ll do this process), a blotting sheet is the first thing we reach for. These soak up the oil that has come to the skin’s surface, so you can get a more matte look with the blotting sheet alone, but it will also maintain the integrity of your pressed powder by preventing the oil on your face from creating a gross film on the powder’s surface. Take a little puff or fluffy brush and lightly apply—you don’t want to go quite as heavy-handed with the powder here as you would in the morning during initial application, as it can look quite heavy. If you also have a setting spray or fixing mist on hand, you can reapply here, too. Some of our favorite pressed powders include the Kosas Cloud Set, Em Cosmetics’ Portrait Mode, and if you’re looking for more coverage or just want a versatile tinted option, MAKE’s Diffusion Set.
Oof, that was a lot, but we hope you found it helpful to creating a lasting makeup base! We tend to stick to this routine year-round since we live in Florida, and as much as our makeup picks have evolved over the years, the overall process hasn’t changed much.
This post is everything. I see so many of my summer oily skin favorites in here!