Earlier this week, I returned from a Texas-sized trip to Austin for SXSW Interactive. My schedule was totally jam packed: I had six completely full days of attending panels, going to networking events, filming a selfie tour of Austin and, of course, lots of parties at night. Most days, I was out the door in the early AM, having to dress in something that would easily translate from work to play — honestly, what I wore was the least of my worries.
What was really tricky was how to have my makeup look good from 8am until 2pm without having time to fully freshen up during the day. To get the job done, I had to hack the ish out of it, get creative and get kinda weird TBH to ensure I didn’t melt in the Texas humidity. Here’s how I did it, and the products that got me through SXSW from sun up to sun down.
USE BROW PRODUCTS AS EYELINER
Benefit Brow Zings ($32) is one of my all-time fave brow products, and it’s especially great for traveling because it comes with two tiny brushes and a mini tweezer inside the compact — boom. I happen to use the dark shade of Brow Zings, and frequently turn to the brow powder as a super long-wearing eyeliner. It’s a really flattering deep brown shade that is designed to seriously stay put after it’s applied, and, trust me, this product delivers. I’m not really sure what it is, but the way this powder holds onto the skin is better than most eyeliners I’ve used — especially in 90 degree Texas heat!
USE NUDE EYELINER AS LIPLINER
Okay, I know this one sounds bizarre, but it’s one of my favorite beauty confessions EVER! If you’re going to be wearing a super bold lip color for a really long period of time (12+ hours like I was at SXSW), ditch your normal lipliner for a waterproof and nude-colored eyeliner. I am a huge fan of Rimmel London Exaggerate Auto Waterproof Eye Definer ($7) in In The Nude. Not only will the eyeliner create a waxy, waterproof surface on your lips, but it will make the color payoff in your lipstick stronger. My long wearing lipstick of choice is Jeffree Star Cosmetics Velour Liquid Lipstick ($8), and I wore the shade Anna Nicole multiple days at SXSW — it’s the besssst.
SKIP MASCARA SMUDGES BY WEARING FALSE LASHES
Makeup smudges due to hot weather and being out and about all day/night are inevitable, especially when it comes to eye makeup. I knew I would fall victim to mascara and eyeliner smudges if I wore them like I normally would (aka when I’m in San Francisco and don’t have to worry about makeup-melting 90 degree weather). Not a cute look. Instead, I kept my eye makeup super light and wore false lashes instead — that way, I didn’t even have to wear mascara. I swear by Ardell Deluxe Pack Lash #110 Black ($6) because of the nifty little lash tool they come with; it makes putting on falsies 100% foolproof, I promise! False lashes + Benefit Brow Zings as eyeliner = eye makeup that is set in perfect place until you take it off, straight up.
FACE MIST IS YOUR BFF
Whether it was the long hours or the high temps, my makeup needed a touchup by 2pm every single day I was at SXSW. In a perfect world, I would have had access to my beauty product arsenal, but I was at panels, networking events and happy hours and left with the bare minimum when it came to reviving my makeup. One product I relied on multiple times throughout every day was my DIY face mist. By mixing witch hazel, mild face toner and a drop of tea tree oil, you’ll be left with a minty, refreshing mist that you can spritz any time you want to perk up your look. It’s a great way to cool down and give your makeup a just-applied look even though that’s definitely not the case.
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