About face
Have you ever burst into the bathroom, still shimmying to the pulsing thrum of the bass, only to have your heart skip a beat when you catch your reflection in the mirror? A long day of pure-loveinduced weeping and a longer night of dancing can be hard on your once-perfect makeup. Here’s how to keep your look fresh. PROBLEM: You sobbed through your maidof-honour speech, and your mascara has trickled down to your chin.
SOLUTION: Don’t beat yourself up for forgetting to use waterproof mascara. Instead, reach for an oil-free makeup remover to get rid of any smudged mascara. “Then gently blot your face with a tissue,” says Toronto-based makeup artist Caroline Levin. “The heat from your fingertips will help blend your makeup back together.” Next, refresh your skin with a setting spray while making a mental note to get eyelash extensions next time. “My ultimate tip is to ‘cry pretty,’” says Levin. “Instead of sobbing, try your best to relax your face and let the tears go, catching them at the corner of your eyes with a tissue.”
PROBLEM: You are suddenly very, very red. SOLUTION: To avoid that dance-floor flush, use a green colour corrector as a primer before you start the rest of your makeup. And if you are very prone to redness, you might want to consider chatting with your dermatologist about preventive options, like lasers. But if you are hit with a sudden case of hives (it happens more often than you think—Google “Solange gets hives at her wedding”), Toronto-based dermatologist Brittany Waller suggests taking an antihistamine and applying an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream to quell inflammation quickly. (Note: Antihistamines can sometimes make you drowsy, so dial back on the vino.)
PROBLEM: Your designer dress is soaked with sweat.
SOLUTION: For those long nights when antiperspirant just isn’t cutting it, Waller recommends Drysol, an over-the-counter topical product that helps tone down sweating. “Sweating can happen for a number of reasons, from nervousness to a thyroid problem,” she says, adding that it’s best to see your derm to cross off any underlying medical conditions if you often perspire heavily.