How to do your makeup while wearing a face mask
Celebrity makeup artists to Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, Rachel Brosnahan and others share their pro tips and product recommendations for long-wear makeup.
Naoko Scintu, a London-based makeup artist who works with Charlize Theron, Sophie Turner and Karlie Kloss suggests you use this foundation as a concealer since “you won’t need a whole face of makeup” while sporting a face mask. “The beauty of this product is it stays put a lot better than almost all foundations,” she says. “Only use it where you need it, like under the eyes and on any blemishes.” The whipped foundation blends best with fingers, although you can use a damp Beautyblender or your go-to face brush.
It’s all about thin, thoughtful layers of skincare and makeup so there’s less maintenance throughout the day.
Lisa Aharon, Celebrity Makeup Artist
Ashley Rebecca Schultz, an editorial makeup artist in New York, recommends this recently released concealer. The coverup is an extension of Armani’s popular Luminous Silk Foundation, both of which uses the brand’s micro-fil technology to help blur imperfections and add hydration. The medium-to-buildable concealer covers up dark circles, leaving behind a skin-like finish. Use your ring finger — which has the lightest touch — or a small fluffy brush such as the BDellium Tools Golden Triangle 785 Tapered Brush to buff the product onto your skin.
After you apply your base, you’re going to want to lock your face makeup in place with a setting powder. Barnes, who also works with Vanessa Williams, Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani, recommends you dust this powder in areas where you get oily, which is typically the T-zone (aka your forehead, nose and chin). The silica- and silicon-based loose powder reflects light and helps blur the appearance of pores and fine lines. And no matter melanin-rich or fair your complexion is, the translucent powder won’t show up ghostly on your skin.
Aharon calls this travel-friendly brush-on powder “highly convenient” and finds it sets makeup “beautifully.” The talc-free finishing powder is made with certified organic ingredients — corn starch, sunflower oil and rosemary and aloe vera — which helps to absorb excess oil, hydrate, and calm the skin.
Barnes and Aharons both say that you can also use a setting spray to prevent your makeup from melting off and transferring onto your face mask. “It’s all about thin, thoughtful layers of skincare and makeup so there’s less maintenance throughout the day,” says Aharon. She recommends the Milk Blur Spray because it helps “minimize the appearance of pores and fine lines while keeping your complexion matte throughout the day.” Shake the bottle, then spritz the jasmine oil, lychee and goji berry-infused liquid onto your face to help prolong the wear of your makeup. The non-greasy spray also contains methanol, which leaves behind a faint, cooling sensation.
“Eyes have taken center stage through our new masked summer,” says Reiko Brown, who also works with Lupita Nyong’o and Tracee Ellis Ross. “Play up your mascara and use trends like a colored liner to express yourself while wearing a mask.”
If you miss your standing lash extension appointments due to quarantine, give the Maybelline Falsies Lash Lift Mascara a try. After you curl your eyelashes, wiggle the double-curved mascara wand from the base of your lashes to the tip to get visible length and volume (on a budget). Available in both washable and waterproof formulas, you can choose between Brownish Black, Very Black and Blackest Black, my personal favorite. Be sure to keep an oil-based eye makeup remover — such as the Lancôme Bi-Facil Eye Makeup Remover— close by because this drugstore mascara stays put even when you rub your eyes or tear up after yawning.
At night, really play up the drama of eyes. Bold lips are taking a backseat during masked makeup because of the smudging and transferring.
Tasha Reiko Brown, Celebrity Makeup Artist
Perfecting a cat eye is undoubtedly tricky, so opt for a colorful eye pencil over a liquid or gel liner. Urban Decay’s eyeliner is available in dozens of shades, including Deep End, a metallic peacock shimmer, Psychedelic Sister, a vibrant purple and Lucky, a metallic copper. As with all other makeup products from UD’s line, these liners are vegan-friendly and cruelty-free. The creamy eyeliners are also infused with good-for-your-skin ingredients, including vitamin E, plus jojoba and cottonseed oils. You can smoke out your eyeliner using a pencil brush or you can scribble it over your eyelids as a base for your attention-grabbing evening look.
The pros say that if you want to wear eye makeup during the day, you can go for a soft, natural look by enhancing your eyebrows. “At night, really play up the drama of eyes. Bold lips are taking a backseat during masked makeup because of the smudging and transferring. Focus on a natural stained lip and heavy eyes for your nighttime masked makeup routine,” says Reiko Brown.
If you’re an eyeshadow fiend like me, consider trying my go-to palette for the past year from beauty influencer Christen Dominique. These 12 eyeshadows are a mix of warm and cool tones, along with matte and shimmer options including Honey Dipped, a gold foil, Chocolate Mousse, a deep brown, and Warm Pie, a non-intimidating matte red-brown with delicate flecks of gold glitter. The shadows all have high color payoff, minimal fall out, are long-lasting even without a primer and work both wet and dry. The company also sells the Latte palette, which has earth tones and the Celestial Storm palette that has 12 vibrant shadows like Lucid Dream, a hot pink and Electric Amethyst, a fuchsia with teal flecks of glitter.
You have to work quickly with this long-wearing liquid lipstick because once it sets, it’s not going anywhere. Use the stiff, pointed applicator to line your lips carefully and then fill in your lips. Despite the drugstore price-point, the color payoff rivals some of my go-to, high-end lipsticks. Like with all matte lipsticks, it’s going to be a little drying, so either deal with slight discomfort or keep a hydrating lip balm in your purse. Just remember, the balm can cause the lipstick to potentially transfer to your face mask.
After you apply your makeup and face mask, you should avoid touching your face to prevent adding extra oils to your skin, adds Barnes. He suggests that, only “when possible,” take your mask off to prevent dirt and dust from getting “trapped under your skin,” which can lead to breakouts.
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