“… Turkish dancers sweat.”
I sweat when I dance. A lot. I’ve joked that I should bill myself as “the Sweatiest Dancer in Boston”. Needless to say, I’ve had plenty of time and opportunity to test out ways to keep my makeup from melting off. Here are some of my favorites:
Urban Decay Primer Potion. This is the classic, and I always apply it all around my eye area before any other makeup.
Maybelline Color Tattoo cream shadows. I don’t use these alone, but rather as a base for powder shadows. Anything I apply on top of them Does. Not. Budge. I even use a small brush to line under my eyes with one of these and then press a dark powder liner into it. It stays put, even through multiple dance sets. (Bonus – the shade “Too Cool” is my favorite bone structure highlighter.)
Black gel eyeliner. I’m currently using Clinique, but I’ve had good luck with everything from MAC to Wet&Wild brands. I can’t, however, get any of them to stay put on my lower lash line.
Tubing mascara. Mascaras smudge on me. Always. Except these. I use Blinc in black to make sure my own eyelashes don’t stand out lighter against the underside of my false lashes. (I don’t like applying mascara to my false lashes – it’s impossible to remove so you can reuse the lash .)
NARS Semi Matte Lipstick – My performance color is Fire Down Below. I don’t know about “semi matte” – this stuff seems pretty matte to me, and is not moist and comfortable on your lips, but it won’t fade in mid-show like some creamier lipsticks do. Best applied with a lip brush.
Dermablend Leg and Body Cover. Got a scar, bruise, etc below the neck that you want to cover? Want a body makeup that won’t come off on your costume? This is the stuff. Warning – it goes on at least a full shade lighter than it dries down, and takes 8-10 minutes to set. So when you test shades before buying, wait the full 10 minutes or you’ll end up with a shade that’s too dark.
Now, if someone could just come up with a body glitter that doesn’t get all over the house…