Make-up that WON’T wash off in the water
Say goodbye to panda eyes and smudged lippy when you go for a summer-time dip
FORGET worrying about your swimsuit — one of the biggest holiday stresses is finding makeup that won’t slide down your face the second you lower yourself onto your sun lounger.
But while few women past their 20s want to be seen completely bare-faced in bright sunshine, finding waterproof make-up that actually does what it says on the tin can be nigh on impossible.
From run-free foundation to mascara that promises to make panda eyes history, there is a mountain of products on the High Street that claim to stay put in the pool. But do any of them really work?
To find out, I subjected each to a splash and dunk test, splashing my face before submerging myself underwater.
MASCARA
Benefit Bad Gal Lash Waterproof Was €23, Now €20.70, debenhams.ie IT’S ON the thicker side as mascaras go, but it goes on smoothly without clumping and leaves my lashes looking super-long.
SPLASH: Not so much as a smudge or a blotch.
DUNK: This clung on for dear life — though after repeatedly dunking my face in the bath and patting my eyes clear of water, there were slight smudges under my lower lashes.
3/5
Kiko Extra Sculpt Waterproof Mascara
€8.90, kikocosmetics.com/en-ie
A HUGE spiral brush that’s concave in the middle makes this mascara look a bit bizarre, but it makes application easier and results in almost clownishly fluffy lashes.
SPLASH: It didn’t even flinch. DUNK: Hmm! It was OK until I had dunked my face and then blinked against my fingers to clear water from my eyes . . . and found it was definitely on the slide. 1/5
Clarins Truly Waterproof Mascara Was €26, Now €23.40, debenhams.ie YOU’D think black mascara was just black mascara . . . but this luxurious formulation made my lashes look denser, longer and darker than any other I’ve tried in a very long time.
And, goodness, did it stay put! Beautiful, effective and a real performer.
SPLASH: It shrugged it off. DUNK: After half an hour in a hot bath — with repeated dunkings — it was all still there, bar a few flecks that had flaked off onto my cheeks.
4/5
LIPSTICK
Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick €24, stila.co.uk IT COMES in a tube with a wand like a lip gloss, but this liquid lip paint is unlike anything else I’ve ever tried.
It’s not thick, but it leaves a complete layer of colour wherever it is painted on. It dries to a flexible matte finish and, much to my astonishment, continues looking good all day. Eating, lip- chewing and hot cups of tea have no discernible effect on it — nor did micellar cleansing water, which would remove most lipstick; I needed patience and an oil-based cleanser to shift it.
SPLASH: Unaffected. DUNK: No change at all. Amazing.
5/5
Collection Lock N Hold Lipgloss
€5, Superdrug
ON THE front of this one, it says ‘six-hour wear’, and it’s a bargain, though it feels no different from a normal lip gloss.
SPLASH: What splash? DUNK: This holds for the first dunking, but each time I rub my lips together, there is less left. After half an hour, it’s gone. It doesn’t claim to be waterproof, but I’m not sure that this lipgloss is even life-proof.
1/5
LA Splash Lip Couture in Innocent Vixen
€14, cocktailcosmetics.co.uk
ANOTHER paint- on lip colour that’s built to last. It’s a bit sticky for the first hour or so, but at least it’s not drying.
SPLASH: Nothing to see here. DUNK: It stuck like glue despite my best efforts and needed careful removal (the brand sells a special remover, though cleansing oil did the job for me).
4/5
BLUSHER
Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Pink
€9.99, boots.ie
A PRETTY, creamy — but not waterproof — blush that slides easily over my cheekbones.
SPLASH: Holds up well. DUNK: In the water, it doesn’t do so well. Patting water off my face makes it slide off just as quickly as it went. 1/5
Daniel Sandler Watercolour Creme-Rouge Blusher in Soft Peach €22, daniel sandler.com A GORGEOUS blusher, smooth, creamy and well-pigmented. It isn’t billed as waterproof, but it’s as good as any I tried. SPLASH: No change. DUNK: Came up smiling after every dunking. 5/5
ColoreScience Pressed Mineral Cheek Colour in Adobe €40, beauty-product-online.co.uk WITH a colour halfway between tawny blusher and bronzer, this is great for holiday skin. I tried it on top of its sister product of mineral powder foundation and also on a liquid foundation, and it worked equally well.
SPLASH: Not a problem. DUNK: It held fast and true, despite repeated dunkings.
4/5
EYESHADOW
Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo Leather Effect Eyeshadow €7, stockists nationwide ‘TATTOO effect’ make-up sounds promising if drastic. This looks good and dark. SPLASH: Laughed it off. DUNK: Not so f unny. Aft e r repeated splashings, slowly but surely it starts to descend under my eyes. Eek! Tattooed on it ain’t.
1/5
Bourjois Contour Clubbing Eyeliner
€6.59, boots.ie
I OUGHT to l eave t his bright pencil to my teenage daughters, but I love the way a sweep of it brightens up my eyes and sets off my lashes. Bright colours are very much the thing this summer, and it’s a bit of fun.
SPLASH: Water? What water? DUNK: It stays put throughout a l ong, hot bath, t hough after half an hour, some of it is smudged. 3/5
Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Iced Blue €30, brownthomas.com THIS was so easy to apply and wear — you can put it on in a quick sweep like a pencil, and it’s smudgeable f or j ust 30 seconds, after which it’s perfectly set for the day.
SPLASH: Nothing doing. Dunk: Just as it says on the tin, this eyeshadow is completely and reassuringly budge-proof. A real winner!
5/5