Pre-mas prep: Get ready for the road

Additionally, being out for so long in heat can lead to your skin becoming dehydrated, which will cause your makeup to cake up. So today, we’ll discuss some of the things you can do the night before you hit the road, and while you’re on the road, to ensure your skin looks its best.

Firstly, it goes without being said, but be sure you’ve been drinking enough water prior to Carnival Monday and Tuesday. You need to be well hydrated leading up to the big days, and you need to remain hydrated while you’re out there, so drink up. If you don’t usually drink enough water, find creative ways to do it, be it by simply chugging it several times a day, or adding fruit to create flavor infused water, making it easier to stomach.

Secondly, there are certain products and treatments that can increase your sensitivity to the sun, even when used a few days before sun exposure. To lessen your chance of burning, stay away from AHA’s (alpha-hydroxyacids), BHA’s (beta-hydroxy-acids), Retin-A or Retinol, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, glycolic acid, kojic acid, hydrocortisone and citrus products, particularly lime, because these can greatly increase your sensitivity to the sun. I know there are a lot of at-home treatments now, so it’s worth mentioning: avoid excessively abrasive exfoliation or microdermabrasion, chemical peels, any laser skin treatments like tattoo removal, hair removal, skin rejuvenation or skin resurfacing. When it comes to preparation, if you have oily skin, you can do a clay mask the day before, to draw excess sebum out of your skin.

Exfoliate with a gentle scrub to remove any dry,flaky skin on the surface, and follow with a replenishing, night time moisturiser to reduce the appearance of fine lines.

You definitely don’t want try anything new the day before, in the event that you have an adverse reaction. Stick to your tried and true products.

On both Carnival mornings, if you have dry skin, you can prep your skin with a sheet mask and hydrating under eye patches. This will help your makeup to go on smoother, and your concealer will be less likely to settle into in any fine lines under your eyes. For any skin type, color, age or gender: SPF is a must. Do not skip it. If your skin is oily, ensure that your moisturiser and sunscreen is oil-free, and apply a good mattifying primer. I recommend getting a spray sunscreen to reapply throughout the day, especially since you will be sweating a lot. Products like Coola’s Makeup Setting Spray SPf 30 will be wonderful, because they won’t only refresh your makeup and cool you down, but also offer added sun protection.

Don’t forget to apply lip balm with SPF as well. I recommend opting for a moisturising lipstick with SPF, as opposed to to super matte liquid lipstick. Like your face and body, your lip SPF will need to be reapplied, and matte lipsticks can flake and clump when you apply moisture to them, which will be both unsightly and uncomfortable, so unless you want burnt, discolored, chapped lips, opt for moisturising lip products with SPF, and reapply every few hours.

The last thing to note is the coverage of your foundation.

Ensure your foundation isn’t full coverage. You skin will more than likely tan throughout the day, and full coverage will leave you looking unnatural and two-toned. Lighter coverage will be far more forgiving if your skin color changes.

Makeup photo courtesy makeup.adapstar.com