Tips for Rainy-Day Hair and Makeup
By Susannah Colt

April showers may bring May flowers, but they also bring smudgy makeup and frizzy hair. Of course, there’s no way to fully rainproof your look, but there are a few fairly self-explanatory ways you can improve things. You can also follow these guidelines into the summer, when humidity (and, let’s face it, sweat) make the makeup slide right off your face.

How to make hair and makeup rainy-day proof:

-Rainy days are often not the best time to flat-iron your hair to stick-straight perfection, as the risk for ruining your work is so high, but you can use a blowdryer to prevent frizz while making your look a little sleeker. Frizz is caused by hair soaking up unwanted moisture in the air around it, so use a very moisturizing conditioner and follow it with a leave-in. Let your hair dry halfway and then blowdry it with some sort of heat protectant (gels are the best for frizz prevention). Once it’s totally dry, smooth a silicone product all over. Finish with a headband—it won’t totally prevent frizzies, but it will keep them at bay.

-John Frieda and Garnier have recently come out with affordable humidity-targeted products. Living Proof’s No Frizz line (you can find it at Sephora) also works really well for a quick fix and was cooked up in our own Cambridge backyard by MIT scientists; however, since it works by creating a barrier that prevents moisture from entering your hair, it can be very drying in the long term.

-Try to keep things simple, makeup-wise. This is not the day to attempt your best smoky eye or old-school red lip. If you’re planning on wearing foundation, use primer before and powder after. Thick makeup can begin to look caked-on in wet weather, so stick with the tinted moisturizer. Remember that bronzer and blush will probably be the first to fade. If you absolutely must wear eye makeup, stick with gel eyeliner (Maybelline has a new one; if you’re going a little higher-end, Smashbox’s product lasts forever without smudging) and, of course, waterproof mascara.

-If you’re super-determined not to let anything on your face budge, Modelco makes a product called Beauty Fix Airbrush Face that is actually pretty good at freezing your makeup on all day. Of course, it comes in an environmentally unfriendly aerosol container and contains very few ingredients I have ever heard of before, so use sparingly.

If you’re caught in a downpour:

-Raccoon eyes are usually the biggest culprit in messy looks. Find the nearest bathroom, wet a tissue and gently pull it across the skin under each eye. If you’re in the middle of nowhere and you’re on your way to an interview, for example, don’t hesitate to lick your finger (provided it’s clean, of course) or even a dark piece of clothing and wipe it under your eyes. Don’t worry about accidentally removing all of your eye makeup—a naked eye is so much prettier than a very smudgy one!

-I always try to carry a tinted lip balm with me (Tarte and Fresh both make pretty ones)—besides keeping your lips hydrated, it’s an easy way to make yourself a little more presentable when you feel like a bedraggled mess. And unlike actual makeup, it’s sheer enough to apply anywhere, without a mirror.

-If you have been wearing your hair in a ponytail and now it’s all wet and frizzy, let it down. The front strands of hair that have gotten the most wet will be hidden this way. The same goes for the other way around. If you’ve got any kind of silk scarf with you, this is an ideal time to whip it off your neck and use it as a pretty headband.

-Of course, the best ways to prevent against hair and makeup disasters are old-fashioned. Just check the weather—oh, and carry an umbrella.