Hi babies! this is my first post! My name's Hannah, and i recently relocated from Kansas City, MO to Los Angeles! But i have a question.

Usually my foundation/powder/concealer (MAC Studio Fix Liquid/MAC Studio Fix powder/NYX Concealer stick) are the LOVES of my life, and it stays on all day, keeps me relatively matte, natural-looking etc. in more temperate/colder weather ie, most of the year.

BUT in the summers at home (Kansas City, usually 95+ degrees, 70%+ humidity, awfullll) and, more specifically, the summers here in Los Angeles (90-100 degrees, low humidity, full sun, more like an OVEN than a SAUNA) are giving me lots of trouble. my makeup WON'T STAY ON MY FACE. not only does it sweat off, but it makes trails down my neck, creases around my nose, etc. I hate to do it, but every year I resort to wearing no makeup on my face, and only eye makeup, since i tend not to sweat on my eyelids, hahaha.

And, since i've been in LA, i've gotten some dry spots on the tops of my cheeks and around my nose that are a) hard to exfoliate, since they're back within hours of exfoliating and b) hard to cover, since everything just gets cakey, and especially in the heat, makeup just sticks to the dry patch while melting off everywhere else!

Are there any products I should try to curb the melting? I'm totally willing to buy new foundation products or primers (i just use Olay lightweight day moisture w/ SPF right now), or change my regimen.

sorry, long post, long question!

x/o hannah johnson.

Hi Hannah!

Since I'm a MAC gal all the products I'm going to reccomend are MAC - others will probably have other suggestions. Not that other lines aren't good, I just don't have a good familiarization with them.

First, your skin. Microfine refinisher is a great exfoliant for the dry patches, but only use 3x a week MAX and be sure to moisturize after. And I know it sounds like a pain when it's so incredibly hot, but you need to moisturize day and night. Your makeup will have adherence issues otherwise.
Next, you must go at this with a light hand and embrace the dewy - not that you have a choice - because if you don't embrace it the heat will turn your face into the aforementioned makeup slip and slide. This means using a light touch with emolient products (products that start out wet get less angry with you when you sweat... )I like Tech in the summer because you can "adjust" it with your fingers when it starts to slide. You can do the same with your fix fluid - just use less of it and skip the fix powder in favour of Blot - it is a girl's best friend in this oven... it doesn't deposit color but soaks up the gross oil and helps matte out your skin.
Cremeblushes have better staying power.... if you MUST do a full monty eyeshadow try using paint underneath to get it to adhere and help it last - or just use paint on its own. The technakohls coming out this week should ease some of your pain as well.
And aviators or any other type of sunglasses with a separate nose piece - those huge plastic glasses will not help you when you sweat.
I hope this helps!

Hey! Whenever I know I'm going to be sweating a lot (what a lovely thing to anticipate, too) I skip the foundation and try to go as bare as possible - sunscreen, a dab of concealor, and loose powder. If I wear foundation, it's ERA which is about as meltproof as I've found. A light application of blush, and I use a waterproof e/l and mascara. Keep the eye light too and put focus on the lips, because your l/s won't melt off, right?

have you thought about trying the new matte MSF's or something from BE? a Mineral FOundation?

YES! As I said in my ecstatic thread from yesterday, I found that the new MSF naturals are AMAZING in the heat.

lol, i've been in los angeles most of my life, temporarily re-located to seattle, and am now back living in LA. when i moved back to LA from seattle, my skin tripped out, because of the weather and pollution differences. here are some tips i've found regarding makeup and skin care, pretty much all MAC.

-microfine refinisher twice a week, to exfoliate. this is nowhere near as harsh and drying as you'd think. i have pretty dry skin, and i use this, its only improved my skin's appearance. the micro-grains slough off dead and dry skin cells, leaving skin glowing, smooth, and soft. definately worth the investment, because a little goes a long way.

-moisturize daily, i use either studio moisture cream, or studio moisture fix, both day and evening, before i apply my makeup, and after i wash my face at night.

-i always let my moisturizer soak in for awhile, before trying to put on my makeup. then i'll use prep and prime skin, strobe cream, or moisturegleam, basically as a form of foundation primer. i don't always wear foundation, but when i do, i'll appy all my eye makeup, foundation (studio fix fluid) with a foundation brush, then a light dusting of a shimmery MSF and loose blot powder.

-to keep everything on, FIX+ IS YOUR BEST FRIEND. a few sprays when you finish your makeup, throughout the day if possible, keeps your face in tact.

hope this helps some...i know its awful, especially this summer, but really, sometimes the best bet is to wear strobe cream, or something slightly shimmery, and just skip foundation all together. proper skincare is really the most important thing, in this weather, because then you can usually get away with either no foundation, or lightweight tinted moisturizer.