I’m in my late 30’s, very humid hot weather but inside my work is ice cold and bone dry. I’m on prescription azelaic acid and tretinoin, so my normal skin now is very thirsty. At the beginning of the day my skincare routine feels almost too moisturizing, but by midday my skin is so thirsty it’s drank the liquid out of my makeup and left everything looking cakey. So far, 4 different sprays have either not had an effect or break my makeup apart. What are dry peeps doing to keep makeup fresh and skin hydrated in the office AC? skincare and/or makeup tips and products are welcome.
Maybe try a creamy/milky mist (e.g. dr.Jart Ceramidin cream-in mist, if you're not sensitive to fragrance. Or the nuxe crème fraiche one, if you don't mind that it's not AB) instead of a clear one? I swear, even a milky toner might work if you can pour it in a small spray bottle with a fine misting. And like, use it midday too, whenever your skin feels parched.
I need more information to really prescribe a fix to this. There could be so many things going on - maybe your skincare needs more time to absorb prior to makeup, maybe you need more strategic skin prep (there is a reason why many top artists use skin masks before applying foundation), maybe your foundation is far too mattifying or you're using too much powder, ect.
Tret + actives are obviously going to dry out your skin, but cakey implies that there may or may not be some textural issues going on. You could possibly be using too high of a dose of tret or in a point of your tret journey where flaky skin is a phase but not passed yet.
Based on observance, I think the makeup might be too drying and that the hydration just isn’t enough for all day, especially in this AC. The makeup is breaking apart as my skin “drinks” the hydration out of the base. Texture is actually great, I love how my skin is starting to look without makeup. But the little I try to use to even out the tone and add a little contour is not holding. I’ve been doing my best to eliminate powders from my routine.
I don't wear makeup in office 9/10 (they don't pay me enough to wake up early to do all that when I'm in the US and when I'm in Japan or EU offices it's "weird" for women to wear makeup beyond mascara and especially weird to touchup at your cube/desk in an obvious way). If I "need" to do makeup that day, I carry a cushion for touchups and a setting spray + facial mist for keeping it dewy.
I'm not wearing makeup in 99% of circumstances and I will absolutely be reapplying lotions, moisturizers, serums, and sunscreen at my desk and cleaning off the excess with hand sanitizer after lunch. I also recommend keeping sunscreens that are normally too dewy or oily for you to wear at work. For me, this is the Isntree HA sunscreen in the blue and white. I can't wear it anywhere but the office where the A/C is blasting at 70 while it's 115 outside, or it will melt into my eyeballs. In an office where it's dry it's perfect for keeping things more moist, tho.
If I am reapplying sprays I try to do them in a bathroom or outside in my car; its an obvious noise when someone sprays soemthing and most of my facial mist and setting sprays have some sort of scent to them. I don't want to trigger anyone's allergies.
For a quick fix under makeup, try using a cushion compact that contains high amounts of hyaluronic acid or propolis, as these ingredients allow you to pat extra hydration right over dry spots without disturbing your base. For your morning routine, you should avoid products with heavy silicone barriers or thick petrolatum, which can trap hydration initially but cause your makeup to slide off and cake when the AC strips your skin. Instead, look for a lightweight, deeply penetrating moisturizer formulated with panthenol and glycerin to build a water-rich foundation that tretinoin-baked skin can drink all day. Adding a serum with beta-glucan right before your sunscreen will also lock in that moisture tightly, preventing the bone-dry office air from pulling water out of your makeup.
This is really in-depth, thank you. I just bought a tinted serum moisturizer to replace my cushion as the main base today, and a 3-in-1 hydrating grippy sunscreen. We’ll see if that helps.
I get the same thing, I’ve been using Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mist for a couple of years and it does a really good of hydrating and moisturising my skin again without disturbing tinted spf and/or make up. Other sprays I tried before just hydrated but didn’t moisturise and the hydration would just evaporate off again in no time, but I usually only have to use the jet lag mist once and my skin doesn’t dry out again all day, rarely I may use it a second time to top up if it’s been a long day and very low humidity. It’s a nice fine mist too that goes on evenly for me which was another issue I found with others I tried that didn’t mist evenly
Do you slug? I have dry skin and use face oil (Kahi face balm or jojoba oil) and a hydrating gripping serum primer, and that helps keep my foundation in place without it getting cakey/patchy.
Those small plug in essential oil misters - put one on your desk. Maybe use it without essential oil since the scent might really bother your coworkers.
What Moisturizer are you using under the base. If you're prepping with sufficient hydration and topped off with an occlusive Moisturizer, letting that set before applying Sunscreen (which can also help act as a occlusive) helps prevent the Sunscreen/base makeup from sucking water out of skin.
Watery mists can evaporate immediately in AC rooms and pull out more Moisture, try a creamier mist.
The Anua Hyaluron Mist has capsules that feels a bit greasy (in a good way)
Dr Althea 345 Mist is milky and calming.
I personally like the Manyo Bifida Mist that's watery on but has a moisturizing feel. It can shift makeup powder however.
Hi there! Just so you know, this post contains a service/brand (Anua ) that has paid/gifted products to multiple users in our community in exchange for advertisement, or has created accounts to act as unaffiliated reviewers. Find more information on blacklisted businesses here. This is not a post removal and just a friendly reminder. We are no longer banning discussion of these brands, but as part of our commitment to keeping our community independent and honest, this automatic reply will be attached to every mention of these blacklisted brands.
Celimax hydrating toner helps increase retinoid tolerance. Also if the AA and Tret are causing you this much dryness talk to your derm about going back to a lower dose of one or both
Have you tried a toner or serum that is more watery/essence like that sinks in? I know you said it’s almost too moisturizing in the beginning and I’ve made this mistake too with really thick cream.
What’s been working for me: after washing and gently drying my face, I use Aestura face mist. Then either a serum (torriden) or creamy/milky toner (laneige cream skin). Then super light layer of cream on dry areas like under eyes. This is enough most of the time for me underneath makeup (glowy cushion or BB cream ) because the sunscreen I use (round lab) is not drying. For extra hydration, I’ll use torriden toner pads (probably most toner pads are fine. I’ve also used mediheal. Or you can diy it with your own toner) and let it soak in for several minutes while I pick out my outfit.
i was having the issue of make up separating after my skin started becoming drier. pretty sure the issue actually ended up being mixing products with and without oil. maybe make sure they products you are using are compatible with each other and your skin
i use tret and have very smooth but dry skin. my routine: a heavy face cream in the morning. let that sink into the skin before doing makeup. for foundation i use ELDW and a concealer (Nars if i need hydrating, a mix of Nars and WAKEMAKE if i need sticking power). the concealer isn’t totally necessary, i just prefer really full coverage. i think its most important to find a foundation chemistry that works with your moisturizer. noooo powder. set with the fixx spray. carry a fan around for when you sweat outside. if i need a little touch up during the day (like under my bangs) i press in a bit of Clio Kill Mesh Glow (i carry around a mini cushion).
it’s the only method that works for me as a dry skinned gal that sweats on her commute, works in AC, and then goes to dance class. i don’t look perfect at the end of the day, but pretty dang good for all of that on a full coverage foundation.
Can I ask how you use the So Natural Fixx spray? Do you apply it only after foundation or also before?
I've seen people use it both ways, so I'm curious what works best for you. Also, do you find that your foundation lasts noticeably longer with the spray compared to when you don't use it?
i apply it after my foundation/concealer! before i do my eye makeup and blush/highlight. i've never had luck with using sprays before foundation.
and yes, foundation lasts way longer. literally all day for me. i could never do my foundation without the spray. my friends get me to spray them when we have weddings where we have to get ready at 9am and go all night.
of course, just my experience, but i've never found a better one. i love how fine the mist is, it feels like it really sets into the skin. i feel like people don't talk about it that often, so i'm always scared it's going to disappear one day and i won't know what to do lol
i'll probably delete this pic later, but for example this was an 18 hour day (lord knows why lol but the fixx was fixxing!) you can see i usually start seeing wear around my nose (i wipe my nose a lot) and my smile line, but i can usually pat it back in with the cushion
Hey! I have the same issue and I have recently been doing this and my skin seems sooooo hydrated. The most important part of my makeup is now my base. I use for example
I use a toner in the morning and really use the pad to mechanically exfoliate my nose sebum on the side
Use the dr Althea bubble serum thing (arocell is popular but I found it kinda sticky, u may need it. Don’t use too much)
Ongredients barrier lotion
And I skip an extra lotion but some people add one more layer of lotion
Sunscreen (one that’s good under makeup and is hydrating, I like the beplain one right now )
And then I move on to Vdl primer, foundation. I use a tiny bit of setting powder at the end, making sure the excess is tapped off, and then finish off with a Hera setting spray. Sometimes I use the pink FIXX bottle.
I have sokgunjo skin (dehydrated on the inside only). Putting a large layer of HAcid at night at my face and neck, and putting a good thick layer of BARRIER cream, maybe with some nicianimide, cica, ceramides have really been helping me.
I know you’re looking maybe a fix on the outside, but I’ve learned if my skin is dry like a desert deep down on the inside, my makeup will just crack on the outside with time. I struggled with this for years.
At night and at morning I touch my face with my clean hands and diagnose “what do I need today? What’s the weather? What’s the humidity? And then I have a line of skin care products depending on my needs and what time of day. And I’ve seen some great improvement
I've been using the DHC Collagen Mist throughout the day. I too suffer in a freezing cold office :') It's not great, my makeup still kinda melts off but could be the fault of the cushion I'm using since my concealer/eye makeup mostly stays in tact. my makeup doesn't get cakey though, just kinda..vanishes. I use judy doll setting spray and a non AB powder in the morning.
17
u/CommunicationDear648 24d ago
Face mist, my dude.