The mercury is steadily rising day by day and along with the hotter temperatures comes the unfortunate reality of sweaty and shiny skin that often makes short work of your expertly applied foundation.

Whether you’re heading out for a long day at the races, enjoying a Sunday session with the girls or simply heading to work in blistering temperatures, you want your foundation to not only last, but also look just as good at the end of the day as it did when you first applied it.

To help you achieve just that we called upon celebrity makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury and NARS Director of Pro Artistry, Rachel Goodwin to share their top tips to ensure your foundation sticks around from morning to night, regardless of the temperature.

#1 / Prep your base

Both Tilbury and Goodwin stress the importance of using a primer before foundation. Tilbury explains it’s “the key to elongating any makeup – it’s like painting a canvas, you always prime with gesso before you start with the paints to make sure the surface is even and non-porous. Makeup primers have the same effect on skin – they even out your skin tone, veil pores, protect your skin from pollution and ultimately make sure your makeup stays put for longer”.

When choosing your primer however, it’s important to use a formula that suits your skin type; i.e. opt for a hydrating and illuminating primer if you have drier skin and a mattifying formula if your skin is on the oilier side.

Try: NARS Smooth and Protect Primer; CLARINS Beauty Flash Balm; or Rimmel London Lasting Finish Primer.

#2 / Choose your formula wisely

According to Goodwin, the easiest way to ensure your foundation lasts throughout the day is to choose a long-wearing or lightweight matte foundation formula and apply it sparingly to any areas where your skin tone needs to be evened out.

For best results “dilute the foundation with a beautyblender sponge doused in rose water and apply the foundation to the centre of the face before buffing it outwards, making sure it totally disappears by the time it reaches the jawline and down onto the neck,” advises Goodwin.

If you don’t have a makeup sponge on hand, Tilbury recommends using your fingers to blend your product because the warmth of your hand helps the products melt into your skin.

Try: Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation; Yves Saint Laurent Beauté All Hours Foundation; or COVERGIRL Outlast Stay Fabulous Foundation.

#3 / Apply your powder carefully

While it may be tempting to smother your face in powder to avoid any unwanted shine during the warmer months, both makeup artists stress the importance of applying your powder carefully so your base makeup doesn’t end up looking cakey and heavy.

“Layering too much powder on top [of your foundation] is a common mistake I see. It not only makes your makeup look heavy, but it feels heavy too, which is the exact opposite of what most women want when wearing foundation,” Goodwin explains.

For best results, Tilbury suggests only applying powder “on the T-zone, down the nose, on the chin and across the forehead,” and keeping the cheekbones free of powder so that they remain dewy and catch the light.

Try: Hourglass Ambient® Lighting Powder; Bourjois Healthy Balance Compact Powder; or shu uemura face powder colorless.

Want to become even more of a foundation pro? Then discover the biggest foundation mistake you could be making.

What’s your Holy Grail foundation? Let us know in the comments below.

Image credit: Getty