Touching Up

As the day goes by, even the best-applied makeup can slip, fade, and get phone- or finger-printed. Long days call for a few quick touch-ups to revive beautifully applied makeup.

• If you have oily skin, blot away the excess oil by laying either a tissue or one of the face-blotting papers sold by some cosmetics companies over the face and blotting. Perm endpapers also work well. Do this before you do anything else.
  
  
• Remove all of your lipstick so you can start over after you have touched up your face makeup. Apply a light layer of lip balm if lips feel dry.
  
  
• Once the excess oil on your skin has been absorbed, take a fresh sponge and smooth out the foundation, blush, and contour (women with dry and normal skin should also follow this step). Use a gentle buffing motion, making sure to smooth things as you go.
  
  
• Apply a little extra concealer under the eyes if that area looks a bit dark.
  
  
• If you need a little more foundation over blemishes or discolorations, blend it on now, avoiding the blush and contour area.
  
  
• Dust a light layer of pressed powder over the face. A pressed powder with an SPF 15 that includes the UVA-protecting ingredients avobenzone, titanium dioxide, or zinc oxide is an excellent option to assure all day sun protection.
  
  
• Apply more blush or contour if needed, but only if needed, and be careful—color grabs more over makeup that has been on the face awhile.
  
  
• If you want to touch up your eyeliner, particularly under the eyes where it might have smeared, use a powder shadow instead of a pencil. Use the corner or side of your makeup sponge to remove any evidence of smeared eyeliner.
  
  
• If your eyeshadows have creased, blot the area gently with a tissue or blotting paper and then use a brush to smooth out the color. Apply a powder over the area to even out the shadows and add whatever color is needed to make your eye makeup look balanced.
  
  
• Finally, reapply your lipliner and lipstick.