How To Avoid Makeup Being Cakey

You might non be able to explain what cakey makeup is per se, merely yous definitely know it when you come across it on your confront: the dreaded lines of demarcation, the patchy, textured pare, the pores and fine lines that look more intense and obvious than they really are. And even though your middle-school days might tell a dissimilar story, full-coverage foundation isn't ever the culprit—it's oft how you're applying products, the formulas you're slathering on peak of one another, and the techniques you're using.

Basically, cakey makeup isn't the result of using too many products merely from using besides much product . See the difference? I'll explain a little more than in-depth, below, with all the all-time makeup tips and video tutorials, so keep reading so y'all never have to deal with cakey makeup once again.

What does caking mean in makeup?

Cakey makeup mostly refers to foundation that looks thick, heavy, and noticeable, merely information technology's also kind of a catch-all term for uneven, splotchy makeup that's creasing, sliding around, breaking up, flaking—basically annihilation other than makeup that looks ~flawless.~ And because cakey makeup can appear in so many dissimilar ways, the list of causes can be pretty long, as well.

Sometimes, the reason for cakey makeup is way besides much product or not the right products, and other times, it has more to do with your actual skin, like skin that's too dry or too oily, or skin that hasn't been prepped properly. So with all that in mind, let'due south go over a few pro tips for how to refresh cakey makeup and how to prevent it side by side time.

Cakey makeup tip #one: Melt information technology with setting spray

If you're however not using a makeup setting spray, why tho? When you've finished all your contouring, bronzing, setting, and highlighting, and your face looks similar a powdered donut, y'all demand to cook allll that pulverisation into your pare. A setting spray will not only lock your makeup into identify, only information technology will also take away any powdery residue and gear up everything into your peel for a more natural finish.

4 setting sprays that'll cook makeup into your skin

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray

Morphe Continuous Setting Mist

E.l.f. Cosmetics Illuminating Mist & Set

Due east.l.f. Cosmetics Illuminating Mist & Gear up

Fenty Beauty What it Dew Makeup Refreshing Spray

Cakey makeup tip #two: Keep blending

An even foundation application requires more than just rubbing it on and calling it a mean solar day. If your foundation looks cakey subsequently y'all've applied information technology, so you lot're not washed blending. Use your clammy Beautyblender to gently postage your foundation (or BB cream, or tinted moisturizer) into your pare over and over again until it has basically set (nearly three minutes). The blending and stippling will eliminate any harsh lines and ensure every inch of your peel is covered and even, without the cake.

Cakey makeup tip #three: Hydrate crepe-y under eyes

And so you've followed all the under-centre blistering steps to a T, and yet your concealer looks crusty, crepe-y, and chalky. Ugh. What you need is to add a bit of hydration back into the pare. This makeup artist's play tricks: Use a face spray or toner that contains squalane (a moisturizer) to hydrate your fine lines and dissolve powdery residue. But don't but mist it all over your makeup—spritz it correct onto your clean makeup sponge, dab it a few times on the back of your hand to tap off the excess, so lightly press it over your cakey concealer to fix the dryness without ruining all the piece of work you did.

The lineup that'll fix your cakey concealer

Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Toner

Biossance Squalane + Hyaluronic Toning Mist

Fourth Ray Beauty The Lightweight Hydrator

Quaternary Ray Dazzler The Lightweight Hydrator

fourthraybeauty.com

$10.00

Cakey makeup tip #4: Finish with oil

Dry skin has a mode of looking cakey and flaky no matter how much prep yous do. If yous've finished your makeup and your bronzer looks muddied or your foundation looks chalky or cakey, assistance give information technology a skin-like texture by calculation in an oil at the end of your routine. Just drop a few dots of face up oil onto the back of your hand, stamp your dazzler sponge in it a few times, then lightly (lightly!) stipple information technology over the dry parts of your face. With this trick, all of your products will marry each other and become one with your skin.

4 all-time oils for fixing chalky skin

The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold Pressed Moroccan Argan Oil

Smashbox Photo Cease Primer Oil

Anastasia Beverly Hills Hydrating Oil

Brownish and Coconut Hydrating Confront Oil

HOW TO Avert CAKEY MAKEUP

Cakey makeup tip #5: Don't skip skincare

Your hairstyle might work better on slightly dingy pilus, but the aforementioned is non true for your face, bestie! Ya gotta practise all the skincare steps in the right order (except for the ones that dry out your confront, similar acne spot treatments) to create the all-time sheet for all that makeup you lot're most to paint on it.

First stride: Wash your face with a gentle face wash or micellar water. If you take dry skin that flakes with foundation, be sure to exfoliate your peel on a regular basis to remove any dead skin (some even swear by shaving their face up and peach fuzz for the smoothest terminate) that could cause your foundation to look scaly. Then, you have your optional toners and serums.

If y'all have a dull complexion, you might actually find a hydrating face serum to exist helpful in adding a fiddling glow. And for oily skin, a toner might exist helpful for removing excess oil without stripping the skin. So, follow with a lightweight moisturizer (like one that contains hyaluronic acid) and permit information technology at least five minutes to sink in before moving on with your sunscreen and makeup.

Cakey makeup tip #6: Powder oily skin before foundation

We all remember the v-pace foundation process that went viral on TikTok during quarantine, right? Well, hither'south a refresher. If you have oily skin, follow this product order: moisturizer, setting powder, setting spray, primer, foundation. While this might non work for all you lot with dry skin, TikTok hack has plenty of success stories and fans who swear this technique keeps their foundation long-lasting and crease-gratuitous.

four best setting powders your T-zone needs

Huda Beauty Easy Bake Loose Baking & Setting Powder

Huda Dazzler Like shooting fish in a barrel Bake Loose Baking & Setting Powder

Sephora Collection Beauty Amplifier Smoothing Translucent Setting Powder

Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder

Dazzler Bakerie Face Flour Baking Powder

Cakey Makeup Tip #7: Powder your nose

If the rest of your confront is fine, but your nose is always on the shiny side, here's the trick for you. After you prime number, press your nose with a damp sponge and tinted translucent powder in a shade that matches your skin tone. Then, use whatever foundation is leftover on your brush after applying information technology all over the balance of your face to lightly comprehend your nose, followed by a piffling more powder. The thought hither is to let the powder give most of the coverage, not the liquid foundation. This will help create an even base of operations and also prevent the production from sliding around and breaking upwardly around your nose.

Cakey makeup tip #8: Apply less makeup in your creases

One abrasive symptom of cakey makeup is when it settles into your fine lines, making them expect like full-blown wrinkles. The tendency is to cover these areas with even more makeup to hide them, but you actually want to do the opposite. Instead, apply your foundation all over your confront, avoiding the areas that crease (around the eyes, forehead, and around the mouth). So, use whatever product is left on your makeup sponge at the end to very lightly cover your creases.

Cakey makeup tip #nine: Pair the correct formulas

Not anybody's a fan of makeup primers, but if you're regularly dealing with makeup that creases and moves around, you'll benefit from using one. However! Non all foundation formulas are compatible with all primers. Equally explained past the Reddit makeup geniuses, silicone-based primers work all-time with foundations that contain silicones, while water-based primers are a little more versatile and can work with either water- or silicone-based foundations. Merely cheque the ingredients list: If you run into anything ending in -cone well-nigh the pinnacle of the list, you've likely got yourself a silicone primer or foundation.

Cakey makeup tip #10: Strategically place your concealer

If creasing of your under-eye products is your main gripe because you smiling a lot (grin is good! Keep doing that!), apply your concealer only in the inner corners of your eyes and blend information technology outward into simply the hollows. In other words, don't paint a large swipe under your unabridged eye and avoid applying any product at all by the outside corner. With this technique, you get the coverage where you need information technology nigh without all the buildup where your face naturally scrunches. Because as you know, creasing can make your makeup look cakey even when you didn't pack on the product.

Brooke Shunatona Brooke Shunatona is a contributing author for Cosmopolitan.com.