The Trick To Making Your Makeup Last Under A Mask Is Simpler Than You Think

Though masks are of the upmost importance during the pandemic, cloth coverings and makeup aren't the best combination. If you're one to put on a full face of products daily (or any products for that matter), you're probably still navigating how to make your makeup last under a face mask. Good news: you don't have to completely forego your beauty routine.

"To make your makeup last with or without a mask, I think it’s important to layer," Mai Quynh, a celebrity makeup artist who works with Chloe Moretz and Kiernan Shipka, tells TZR. "I'll always do a cream blush, and then set it with a powder blush." She says she'll do the same with foundation. "Do a primer, a liquid or cream foundation, concealer, and then powder." Quynh says the more you layer products, the longer they'll stay on.

And choosing quality over quantity is essential. "To make your makeup last longer, I would really invest in proper primer and proper setting sprays and not just adding more makeup," Tasha Reiko Brown, a celebrity makeup artist, whose clients include Alicia Keys and Tracee Ellis Ross, tells TZR.

Below, find tips and products suggested by celebrity makeup artists to make your makeup last under your mask.

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How To Make Your Makeup Last Under A Face Mask: Primer

Mask or no mask, Reiko Brown always recommends using a primer, which helps prep your canvas so your makeup goes on smoothly. Her favorite is Chanel's Le Blanc De Chanel. And Mylah Morales, a celebrity makeup artist who works with Rihanna and Aja Naomi King, did a test experiment for TZR. She put on a full face of makeup and had a mask on for nine hours (spoiler: her face looked just as gorgeous after wearing a mask all day as it did before). For her primer, she opted to double up with Milk Makeup's Hydro Gip Primer and Hourglass' Veil Mineral Primer.

How To Make Your Makeup Last Under A Face Mask: Foundation

Quynh says to looks for formulas that are long-wearing or matte as they don't budge. The celebrity makeup artist also says you can used a powder foundation. Pro tip: If you're using a powder formula, she says to use a dense powder brush and pack it on.

How To Make Your Makeup Last Under A Face Mask: Powder

"I recommend using more powder products around the bottom half of the face where the mask sits," Ashley Holm, a celebrity makeup artist who is responsible for the makeup on Khloe Kardashian and Shay Mitchell. "This ensures that your makeup will stay in place," she notes. Her favorite is Charlotte Tilbury's Airbrush Flawless Finish. Reiko Brown suggests using a translucent powder, too. "Translucent powder is really the most important when wearing a mask," she notes. "The key is if you're using a translucent powder, you're locking your makeup on and not doubling the coverage."

How To Make Your Makeup Last Under A Face Mask: Blush

"I'd recommend a cheek stain, which is brilliant because it goes under the first layer of skin," Reiko Brown says. By definition, the product is meant to stain the skin, and in turn has a lot of staying power. But if a stain isn't your jam, she suggest using a cream blush, and then going over it with a powder in the same shade to lock it on.

How To Make Your Makeup Last Under A Face Mask: Bronzer

Tobi Henney, a celebrity makeup artist whose clients include Charlotte Lawerence and Nina Dobrev, also advocates for the layering technique. When it comes to bronzer, Henney first applies a cream product like Chanel's Soleil Tan De Chanel. Then she'll layer a powder bronzer — Tom Ford's Soleil Glow — on top.

How To Make Your Makeup Last Under A Face Mask: Highlighter

Unlike blush and bronzer, Reiko Brown doesn't suggest layering highlighter. "A cream and powder highlighter together is actually too much." She says by layering the formulas you'll get double the reflection. So if you're debating between a cream or powder highlighter to wear under your mask, Reiko Brown recommends going with a powder. "When you use a cream highlighter, it's more likely to break up or lift off as it lines up with the mask. A cream can dent a bit with the mask line going right across it, where a powder just fades a little."

How To Make Your Makeup Last Under A Face Mask: Lips

"What I recommend for lip product is a matte waterproof lipstick as well as a lip liner," Morales says. In her experiment, she set her lips with a translucent powder, and the product didn't budge (I can attest to this trick). You could also opt for a long-lasting liquid lipstick, Reiko Brown says. But instead of putting it on with the applicator really heavily, the makeup artist likes to use the liquid lipstick as a stain. To do this, she'll take a little bit of the product and apply it to the center of the lips and really work it in.

How To Make Your Makeup Last Under A Face Mask: Setting Spray

To increase the longevity of your products, Holm recommends using a long-wearing setting spray that keeps the skin velvety matte as opposed to dewy. She says to try Makeup Forever's Light Velvet Air Shine-Control Refreshing Spray or Cover FX's High Performance Setting Spray. And Reiko Brown suggests Urban Decay's cult-classic All Nighter Setting Spray.

If you think you’re showing symptoms of coronavirus, which include fever, shortness of breath, and cough, call your doctor before going to get tested. If you’re anxious about the virus’s spread in your community, visit the CDC for up-to-date information and resources, or seek out mental health support.