How to have hot Summer make-up

The gorgeous "Pink Lady", make-up stylist Amelia Owen at Phoenix Cosmetics shares her top tips on how to have hot Summer make-up without it sliding off and confides in what the biggest make-up crimes are and easy ways to stop them...

The biggest blunders, especially in summer, are dull skin from not exfoliating, overdone eyes, the oompa-loopma look, and tired eyes.

Dull skin from not exfoliating or using a flannel is very common.  In winter, a heavy or matte makeup is more forgiving and hides all sins but in summer, these show up. Young girls with spots need to keep skin really buffed. A good facecloth will exfoliate skin well. "Browdruff" is gross! You need to exfoliate this dead skin under your eyebrows every three days.

Overdone eye make-up in hot weather is another blunder. In the heat, make-up runs and you should use dry powders as eye liners, instead of cream or pencil eyeliners which run in the heat.

Avoid any inklings of night make-up. Swap black for brown for daytime as it's far softer. Check the make-up around your eyes more often during the day in summer than in winter, as the heat encourages it to gather into creases around the eyes. Rather than wiping it away, dab. Wiping will merely slide everthing off to the side.

Avoid the Oompa-Loompa look of orange foundation. When you're using fake tan, a heavy golden tone can be misunderstood as "orange." Make sure fake tan isn't obliterating your natral skin tone. Do you have pink or yellow tones naturally? Consider that when choosing your foundation.

Powder foundations tend to gather into clumps on your face in the heat, so stay liquid.

Tired eyes over the Christmas and New Year period are pretty inevitable, with working hard, and partying hard. If wearing a light coverage make-up, blend a concealor with an eye cream to lighten the pigment (water it down, as it were.)

In summer, the natural look of lash extensions can be perfect for women who do lots of swimming as they don't wash off. Lash extensions give more body than an eyelash tint or mascara. They are custom styled to suit your face shape and to maximise your eye shape.

Below, make-up artists Amelia (left) and Kat at Phoenix Takapuna.

Amelia's Hot Tips

In summertime, moisturise 2-5 minutes before applying foundation i.e. not onto washed skin or straight onto moisturised skin, as it slides right off.

It's important to work foundation in so it's not sitting on the surface. Even oily skins should wear a moisturiser, preferably with a sunblock in it.

Sun damage is the biggest look-killer. Amelia says she's often having to patch up over talent and models' sunburn.

If brows lose their shape with swimming and sports and windy beach days, you can sharpen them up with mascara on a sharp brush.

Dry summer lips need exfoliating. You can use an old toothbrush (don't mix with your Colgate!) or an old dry mascara brush. This brings out the natural pinkness of lips and plumps them up. Then all you need is gloss and it's va va voom.

Use a very, very small (emphasis on small) amount of clear gloss on brows to secure them in place on windy days so they don't get scrunched upwards. Be careful though to avoid slicked foreheads. Not a good look. Also don't use a glitter lipgloss for this!

Being sunsafe is so important to stress with New Zealanders. Amelia has had people with skin cancer come in, and considers it the number one crucial skincare routine to consider.

Below: Inside the Takapuna Phoenix Cosmetics salon

Below: I get a makeover from Amelia - she is a contouring magician and gives me cheekbones.

By Megan Robinson, 9 December 2009.