An extra layer on the skin in summer heat may seem counterintuitive, but nothing will keep make-up in place on a hot day like primer. It’s important to choose the right one for your needs and skin type. Drier skin may need a moisture boost to keep make-up looking fresh, while oilier skin will need a bit of grip and absorption.
Shiseido Future Solution LX Infinite Treatment Primer (€65 at cultbeauty.com) blends suncare with a priming make-up base. Just ensure you’re applying enough — to adequately protect face and neck, you’ll need enough sunscreen to draw a generous line from the base to fingertip of both your index and middle fingers. Once worked into the skin, this provides a glowing protective layer that has enough grip to hold make-up in place and keep it looking fresh. I like it best on mature skin — it has a lovely richness that makes skin look plumper and gives a touch of expensive-looking light reflection.
For the oiler (or sweatier) types who struggle with breakout shine during the summer, Tatcha The Liquid Silk Canvas Protective Primer (€56 at Space NK) is the solution. I fit in this category, but despite a tendency to shininess around the nose, chin and forehead in hot weather, I absolutely do not want a matt primer. I want light reflection where it’s most flattering — at the high points of the face like the top of cheekbones, cupid’s bow and bridge, but not sides of the nose. I wore this to a barbecue recently.
It was 29 degrees of slamming London heat and when I looked in the mirror after eight hours, my make-up had not migrated as it usually would. I did have some shine in the usual places after so long in the heat, but my make-up looked as though I had touched it up when really I’d just been sitting on the grass and eating beef ribs. This primer is going in my permanent make-up bag.
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If you have higher oil absorption needs, Benefit The Porefessional Lite Primer (from €15 at stockists nationwide) is a lovely iteration of the original, highly effective oil-absorbing primer. On very hot days I find the original too heavy, but this one is just as hard-working and feels significantly lighter on an overheated summer face. It combats sheen, gives much-needed grip and plays nicely with skincare and make-up.
Not everyone wants oil absorption, however. Drier skin types need just the opposite. Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter (€44 at Brown Thomas) isn’t a traditional primer as they’re generally understood. Rather than the traditional work of grip and lasting power, this gives intense glow and pleasingly blurs the skin for a truly filtered effect.
This will not give sufficient hold for oilier skin types in hot weather (though it can also go over a traditional primer or make-up like a highlighter), but it will be perfect for drier skin types in summer heat. It diffuses light over the skin and keeps foundation looking dewy and fresh.
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Beauty Blender Bio Pure Blend & Cleanse Starter Set (€27 at beautybay.com)
