Hot Makeup – Doing it in the tropics - Thailand Articles Links

by Carlotta Foxx

You may be reading this while luxuriating in the air-conditioned comfort of your condo, house or hotel room, but at some point you'll be venturing into the sweltering heat and humidity that is Pattaya. Of course, the weather here beats the cold and snow now cursing much of the rest of the world (or you would not be here), but for many visitors and residents—natives and expats alike—our tropical climate plays havoc with makeup.

We recognize that it's just not any fun to step out into the brilliant sun and feel your makeup melting off of your face, your eye liner sliding to places it wasn't meant to go, and your lipstick morphing into a peculiar shade of superglue.

If you're a natural beauty who doesn't need even a scintilla of makeup—like so many Thai girls and young women, by all means skip the cosmetic rituals. But if you're like me—in need of all the help I can get, sister, you'll quickly realize a little bit of the right stuff here and there can get you through the day and evening, and even help protect your face from the harsh sun. You'll also soon recognize that a full frontal cosmetic assault on your entire face is inadvisable.

What's a Girl to Do?

Any consideration of how best to treat your skin—whether in Pattaya or anywhere else—begins with a clean face. Once clean, apply a tinted moisturizer with sun block to your entire face, including ears and neck. Got oily skin? Follow the moisturizer with an oil-free makeup primer; that will help keep your makeup in place. While applying the primer, smooth some onto your lips for color that stays in place if you elect to use lipstick or tinted lip balm. Use only lightly.

Unless you have dark circles under your eyes, you will not need much eye makeup. Just pat concealer on under your eyes and the inner corners of eyes to eliminate those dark areas and shadows if you have any. If not, pass on concealer. You can consider opening your eyes up by curling your lashes and applying a single coat of a waterproof mascara. But apply it only to your top lashes.

Do you feel the need to color your eyelids? If so, prep them with a light layer of eye makeup primer before a light application of eye shadow in a shimmery pastel or bronze hue. The eye primer will minimize creasing and create a base for the shadow to cling to so it lasts longer.

To bring out your cheek bones, use a cream blush instead of powder to avoid an unsightly appearance in the afternoon heat. As an alternative, use a cheek stain instead of blush.

One option now used by many women here and in hot spots around the world is bronzers.

Bronzers make your eyes look brighter, your teeth whiter. And most of us look better with a little warmth added to our skin, while adding less makeup to our faces. To keep the results looking fresh and natural, apply bronzer just to the high points of your face, where the sun naturally hits you: forehead, cheekbones, chin, and nose. Opt for a powder bronzer rather than creams or lotions; they are easier to put on and help you achieve a more natural look.

Go natural insofar as possible, and keep it light. Light shades, light weight, light layers. Most importantly, always use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF between 15 and 30. Some products now help control perspiration, which can do wonders to keep your makeup intact.