There are two kinds of people in this world: people who have oily eyelids, and people who have no idea how an eyelid can be oily. If you’re in the second group, talk amongst yourselves – this post isn’t for you. My oily sisters? Listen up. I spent the first 25 years of my life in the stifling humidity of Georgia, where summers last six months you can often see the moisture suspended in the air in front of you, and I’m here to help.
First things first: get a primer. Actually, get the Holy Grail of primers, which I will reveal to you below. Also, you’re going to need to use some sort of liquid or gel eyeliner for best results. Embrace the super-precise cat eye; it’ll bleed, smudge and shift far less than any other eye-defining technique you might try during heat and humidity. Lastly, go waterproof with your mascara. You’ll need to be more careful when removing it, but that’s because all of the lovely, dark mascara molecules will be super-stuck to your lashes, right where they belong.
If all else fails, I’ve also included a little bottle of magic that turns your existing eye makeup completely water- and smudge-proof, in case there’s a product you love that doesn’t hack it when humidity is involved. Check out my tried-and-true favorites below.
Chanel Inimitible Waterproof Mascara
$30 via Neiman Marcus
I’ve worn this mascara since I was a sophomore in college and will weep if it is ever discontinued. If that happens, though, a least there will be no mascara running down my face – this stuff is budge-proof, even in a makeup crisis.
Make Up For Ever Aqua Seal
$21 via Sephora
Make Up For Ever treats its products more like art supplies than like precious luxury goods, and when you’re trying to solve a decidedly non-luxurious problem, that’s what you want. This stuff changes the chemical composition of your makeup to make it stay put, and it can be used both during and after the application process.
Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner
$20 via Sephora
I love liquid liner but am also super lazy, and this eyeliner pen does the best job of them all of enabling those two personality quirks to coexist. Not only is it easily the best of any of the (many) pens I’ve tested out over the years, but it comes in a whopping 15 colors.
Urban Decay Super Saturated Ultra Intense Waterproof Cream Eyeliner
$22 via Sephora
There are a lot of words in this product’s name, but they all add up to exactly the kind of color cosmetic you need in wet weather.
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
$20 via Sephora
This is another product I’ve used since reading about it online during college, and although I’ve strayed to try other products in that time, this is always the one I come back to. It shall not be topped.
