Beauty hack: how to make your favourite foundation last for 24 hours

Making your foundation last doesn’t have to mean changing to a long-wear one. If your favourite foundation isn’t particularly long-wearing, this tried and tested hack will see you through a big day…

My foundation used to disappear from my nose, my chin and my hairline before I’d even left the house. I was enraged, and I used to think, well, I didn’t spend €48 on this for it to be gone by the time I reach my destination.

I researched and found some great long-wear foundations, but I wanted MY favourite foundation to stay on. I liked it and I paid for it and I didn’t want to reinvest.

Existing brilliance

Of course, there are plenty of long-wear foundations that are incredibly good. Three I would recommend for their longevity alone are:

1. Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation, €11.99, from Boots
2. MAC Pro Longwear Foundation, €36.50 from Brown Thomas
3. NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation, €45, from Brown Thomas

The hack that works

I don’t know why anyone in their right mind would want foundation to last a full 24 hours. Your skin needs time to breathe! Wearing make-up overnight is a huge no-no. However, if you’re going to be at a wedding, getting made up at 9am and potentially still dancing the next morning, I will concede you need a long-wearing option.

Here’s what I do on days like that…

1. Prep my skin well. Hydrate with hyaluronic acid and let skincare sink in.
2. Skip primer — I don’t feel well-prepped skin needs it sometimes.
3. Apply a thin layer of your fave foundation, leave it set.
4. Move on to do brows or something similar, and then go back and do a second light layer.
5. As you’re building coverage gently, it will dry down better.
6. Next, apply a light layer of loose, translucent powder, followed by a spritz of setting spray.
7. Then, do your eye make-up while that sets.
8. Go in again with another light layer of powder followed by setting spray.
9. Conceal and blush etc, and then do a third and final layer of powder and setting spray.

Your make-up will not budge. It won’t feel particularly weightless, of course, but it will stay and will still be the foundation shade and style you love.

Read more: Future Icon: My favourite SPF foundation just got even better

Read more: 8 excellent budget-friendly foundations for less than €20

Read more: Foundation hacks that will ensure an even more flawless finish

Photo from Jason Lloyd Evans