Sweat-Proof Makeup 101: Beat the Heat With These 8 Beauty Must-Haves

It’s hot here in Philadelphia — and yet, we drudge on, sweaty and sticky throughout our day. When it gets this toasty, we want to ensure that our faces don’t completely slide off our faces after ten minutes of sun exposure (think of all the wasted product!), so we hit up Victoria Roggio, a Philly-based makeup artist and founder of Make Me Up Pretty, who does a lot of summertime weddings. If anyone’s gonna know what products to slather on when it’s hotter than the platforms at Suburban during rush hour, it’s gonna be her. We chatted with Victoria to get her go-to sweat-proof makeup tricks — hey, if they can last through a mid-summer’s wedding, they can certainly withstand your workday.

If you’re trying to get sweat-proof makeup on lock, you have to start out right. Primers are essential for creating a smooth, sweat-free canvas for your makeup and Roggio is particularly fond of Smashbox Photo Finish (1) and Becca’s Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Perfector (3). She says that both are perfect for people with oily/combination skin as they really target oil build-up in the T-zone, leaving you with a clean, matte finish. To combat sweaty, oily skin after creating a look, carry around some blotting papers (my oil slick of a face loves these from Boscia (2)) to remove excess oil without disturbing your makeup.

Setting your makeup once you’re done is incredibly necessary to preserve your work. “I usually powder with Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder (5) on clients,” says Roggio. “It works for all skin types, especially blemish-prone skin. After that, I take either MAC’s Prep and Prime Fix+ (6) or Urban Decay’s All Nighter Setting Spray (4) to really lock everything in.”

For summer, it’s important that you only put on light, water-based foundation if you want to stay sweat-free. Something that allows you to breathe, like MAC Face and Body Foundation (7) or Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer (8), is key to keeping your face cool and happy. If you want to hop on the “dewy” trend, Roggio suggests mixing primer with foundation to get a sweat-proof glow. This also allows you to cut down on the amount of product you’re using. Score!

While wearing a full face of makeup isn’t exactly ideal in this climate, sometimes it’s unavoidable. To ensure that your makeup stays fresh and not melted this summer, stock up on these products and we can pretty much guarantee you a totally grease-free summer makeup look.