Listen, we’re all busy. We’re building our lives with our careers and our travels and our talents and our children, our loving and dreaming and breathing and creating. The last thing we need is our makeup holding us back in any way.
That’s why I’ve tested out some new alleged “all day” makeup products to see if they're up to snuff. Because honestly, who actually has the time to worry about concealer touch-ups or bleeding lip color when there’s a world we women have to take over?
Face
Finding a foundation that lasts all day without becoming horrifying-looking feels like an endless, uphill battle. Even worse are formulas that you love at first and then, after a few weeks of use, they just . . . stop working? Start caking? Start becoming effective only in showing where all of your pores are by pooling inside of them?
Yeah, I’m familiar with that.
Luckily, NARS has come to the rescue (as always). It just released a new all-day foundation that is lightweight with good coverage that actually lasts, so you don’t have to run to the bathroom in regular intervals throughout the day to make sure your makeup is behaving.
I’m a girl who loves to hate and hates to love foundation. I need it more often than not, due to an unruly complexion that tends to get worse throughout the day with internal and external stressors. I usually find that all liquid foundations are the same (read: bad), but I remain optimistic when wonderful companies like NARS release new products boasting weightlessness and staying power. So I gave this new formula a try.
I immediately loved this foundation just for its consistency and texture. It’s very liquid-y and milky, and it lacks the usual thick creaminess of other foundations. I see this as a good sign, because there’s less of a chance that it will become cakey and dry out on my skin, but I also worry that it will lack the coverage that I need.
I applied all over with a flat foundation brush and the results were fantastic.
I love this foundation for giving me great coverage without feeling heavy on my skin, and for making my skin glow. It lasted all day without any apparent signs of giving up on me.
Oh! Another must-have for all-day wear for anything going on your face? Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray.
Basically, it's hairspray for your face: It sets your makeup and keeps it in place all day and night. You essentially just mist it onto your face once your makeup is done. (I wish you could see me applying this stuff. Spritzing liquid at my face apparently makes me nervous and jumpy.)
This product is definitely worth the price, in that a little bit goes a long way, and the bottle is huge.
Eyes
I’ve been on the hunt for a mascara that lasts all day without flaking that also doesn’t irritate my eyes. I mean, are full, black lashes by day worth burning, bloodshot eyes by evening? (And don’t even get me started on how it feels when poisonous mascara-liquid drips into my eyes when I wash my face.)
Enter: Blinc Mascara. I don’t know how I hadn’t heard of it before. This mascara formula is different than traditional mascaras in that it creates “tubes” that adhere around your lashes rather than product that paints on your lashes.
Now I know that sounds like a crock of BS (I mean, “tubing technology”— are you for real?), but I was definitely intrigued. The formula is said to be water-resistant, easy-to-remove with the combination of warm water and “gentle pressure” (no makeup remover required), and gentle to sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers. I gave it a try.
Blinc applies like a normal mascara, but the structure of the brush and the way it feels going on doesn’t feel quite traditional. Rather than painting on layers of goop to create the illusion of thickness, I felt like I was applying the formula to each individual strand.
The mascara should be applied quickly and in as many layers as you desire before it dries, but once the formula has set and the “tubes” have formed, leave it alone. I recommend grabbing a lash brush to use with this mascara to create the best definition.
I loved the look and feel of this mascara. It was definitely gentle on my eyes, and showed no signs of faltering or flaking throughout the day.
But what about that tubing technology? I went to wash off the product using the instructions of warm water and gentle pressure. Lo and behold...
Amazingness. Tubing technology is a real thing that I am a fan of.
This mascara also comes in a variety of colors (purple, green, blue) if you're into that sort of thing.
Lips
I love lip color, and I love incorporating it into my everyday life rather than just reserving it for nights out. But one thing I don’t like about lip color in the office is having to touch it up and not always knowing if my lipstick is half-faded when having a discussion with a coworker. (Because nothing is more embarrassing than accidental ombré lips.)
I am a fan of a couple all-day lipstick formulas, but even those that I love have their faults, which include drying my lips out and feathering after several hours. Always intrigued by Too Faced’s Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick, I felt compelled to try it when the brand recently released eight new fantastic shades, ranging from sexy grape purple (Villain) to a neutral pinky rose (Sugar).
The company says this lipstick will give you the staying power of a stain, the intense color of a liquid lipstick, and the shine of a gloss. Okay, game on.
I grabbed myself two of the new shades in opposite hues, Frosting and Velvet:
I love the application of this lipstick: The liquid lipstick squeezes onto the soft applicator brush tip, which is built into the tube. You smudge and smush the lipstick around with the applicator until you reach the consistency and shape you desire. The lipstick never fully dries, so you don’t get that usual all-day lipstick dryness, but it also doesn’t have the goopy moisture of a gloss: It is the perfect balance.
Oh, and it smells like candy. (A plus.)
Here’s me in Frosting . . .
And in Velvet . . .
Do you have go-to all-day makeup products when you don’t have time for touch-ups?