Makeup can do wonders, but what happens when the temperatures in San Antonio rise to triple digits? Beauty technology has come a long way in respect to long-lasting formulas, but South Texas summers can melt away even the toughest compounds. SAN ANTONIO WOMAN talked with two of San Antonio’s premier makeup artists to find out how the women of the Alamo City can beat the heat.

Owner of The Oxygen Room & Beauty Bar, Alicia Guevara, says there’s one enemy to all women in summer: sweat. “Sweat is always challenging when I’m trying to keep my clients cool on set,” says Guevara. “So regulating their body temperature as best I can with cool neck pads and fans usually helps.”

For easy remedies that even someone without an in-house makeup artist can implement, she suggests keeping small Evian facial sprays and a beauty blender handy. “Use them to ‘reactivate’ your foundation or refresh makeup for a dewy look,” she said.

“It is better to work with the moisture than against it when dealing with humidity. And always pat, never wipe!”

San Antonio native and an internationally published makeup artist to celebrities and clients all over the world, Kate Crisler Ritter says to take fads like “jamsu,” the Korean beauty craze of covering the face in baby powder before dunking in cold water to set makeup, with a grain of salt. “These Instagram-worthy tricks
certainly can work, and if ice cold water in the morning is your personal cup of tea, go for it,” she says. “However, I also believe witch hazel would be equally as effective for oil and sweat production and less aggressive in the groggy morning.”

Above all, Ritter recommends investing in multipurpose products that are easy to bring along when the temperatures start to rise. “Bobbi Brown’s shimmer brick highlighter is great for a quick cheek and eye touch-up, or Tom Ford’s cream cheek product is awesome for a lip and cheek touch-up,” she says. Ritter and Guevara also recommend a primer to create a smooth canvas for makeup to adhere to and hopefully last until the sun goes down.

While we can’t avoid the heat for most of the year in Texas, we can be smart about our beauty habits while we’re in it. When it comes down to it, both artists advocate paying attention to your skin and
finding what works for your own level of perspiration and perseverance against the sun’s rays. And if worse comes to worst, know the “dewy” look is absolutely in!

By Aquila Mendez-Valdez