Beauty Fix: The trick to keeping your makeup looking fresh in humid weather, your new favourite nail polish and more

Every week our Beauty Fix columnist takes on your questions about makeup, skincare, hair and more. Have a beauty question we haven’t answered? Email us at beautyfix@fashionmagazine.com.

I’m going to be on some long-haul flights this summer and want to know how to prevent my lips from drying out and flaking. Any pointers?
Determining a steadfast method of avoiding full-fledged plane dehydration has been my objective for quite some time now! First, keep up on your fluids (which also means avoiding alcohol and caffeine) and moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. Then, bring in the heavy artillery: Hourglass No. 28 Lip Treatment Oil ($49, sephora.ca). This oil is actually more akin to a gel formula and while it does leave your lips with a bit of shine when you apply it with the 24-karat gold-tip applicator, the benefits of this formula go far beyond the glossiness! The treatment oil contains 14 essential oils (including lavender, rose geranium and orange), 10 plant oils (all lipid-rich, such as jojoba, olive and sweet almond), as well as vitamins A, C, E and B5. This stacked formula is nothing to scoff at and it works wonders for in-flight lip moisturization!

Adding more makeup at the end of the day isn’t appealing, so how else can I freshen up before hitting a patio post-work?
I think the last thing anyone wants to do in this weather is add another layer of anything to their faces at the end of the day, right? Touching up with powder tends to just lead to a heavy makeup look, which is hardly desired in humidity, especially when makeup is much more apparent on the skin in natural sunlight. Depending on your skin type, you have options. If you’re the type of person whose skin rejects central air conditioning, putting it in desperate need of rehydration by the day’s end, spray on Chanel Hydra Beauty Essence Mist ($69, at Chanel counters), which contains hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and E to instantly give skin the much-needed bounce it’s missing. If your skin leans towards the combo-oily side of the scale, pack Mai Couture Salicylic Acid Blotting Papier ($24, murale.ca) in your purse. These fine blotting papers are dosed with salicylic acid in order to battle blemish-causing bacteria whilst mattifying skin without disturbing your makeup. Either way, you’ll be patio-ready in no time!

I find that bronzer makes my face look flat and one-dimensional. How can I change this?
The key to bronzer is to apply it rather strategically. Another key is to add a hint of blush in order to break up the areas of the face so that it doesn’t seem so one-dimensional. Using Dior Diorskin Nude Tan Paradise Duo in “Coral Glow” ($56, thebay.com), apply the bronzer shade to anywhere the sun naturally hits your face: temples, centre of the forehead, bridge of the nose, tops of the cheekbones and the chin are usually standard for this. When you’re satisfied with the level of bronzer colour, add a touch of the coral blush to the apples of your cheeks, pulling the colour back towards the cheekbone.

I’m a DIY pedicure kind of girl, but waiting for each coat to dry is beyond tedious. Is each layer of base, colour and topcoat necessary?
Traditionally speaking, individual coats of base, colour and topcoat and ample dry time are advisable for a long-lasting paint job. That being said, there are some really solid quick-dry polish formulas out there, so take a look next time you’re perusing the nail aisle. A real winner is Seche Nail Lacquer ($10, at select drugstores), which is a one-coat wonder formula that contains base, colour and topcoat in one, and virtually opaque coverage with one coat if you really feel like you can’t bear to sit through multiple coats drying. Seche is actually mostly known for their infallible quick-dry topcoat, Seche Vite, so anticipate the same glossy finish and rapid dry time from the brand’s lacquers!

My makeup seems to disappear on my skin by midday. Is there any way I can prevent this from happening?
Sometimes, less is truly more, and that is particularly applicable to makeup in the summertime. While we are used to layering multiple skincare products (serum, moisturizer, sunscreen) underneath makeup (primer, foundation, concealer, powder), different formulas don’t always get along (largely stemming from whether the products are oil-based or water-based) and can impact how your makeup wears throughout the course of the day. This is actually when a multitasking product like Clarins BB Skin Perfect Cream SPF 25 ($43, thebay.com) is a huge help, since it combines a broad-spectrum sunscreen, moisturizer and foundation into one product. Using one product eliminates the need for several different products that may not play nicely with each other once applied, and it’s a bit of a time-saver in the morning to not have to wait for different products to sink in and properly absorb before moving on to the next step in your makeup routine!

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