Here's Why Your Makeup is Separating
Patchy-looking makeup has several potential causes.
August 20, 2024
You spend a good chunk of time applying a full face of makeup, so when you look in the mirror not even a few hours later to see your makeup separating it’s completely within your right to let out a huff of frustration. The good news is that melting, patchy makeup doesn’t have to be your fate every day. A few different factors could be at play, including the type of makeup you’re using, how much you’re applying, and what products you’re layering. Once you figure out why your makeup is separating, the fix may be fairly straightforward. Read on to learn how to put cakey, patchy makeup in the past for good.
What Does My Makeup Separate?
There’s a literal art to applying makeup—and it’s not just about nailing that winged eyeliner. You’ve got to know how much to apply, the best products to use for your skin type, and the right way to layer everything. If you’ve ever wondered, “Why the heck is my makeup separating?” or “Why does my makeup look patchy?,” here are some common culprits.
1. Using formulas that don’t work against each other
Finding the best foundation for your skin type may seem like a no-brainer, but you also need to find the right primer for your foundation. Just like oil and water don’t mix, your primer and foundation won’t pair well together if they have conflicting formulas (more on that in a bit).
2. Skipping moisturizer
Foundation and dry skin can present some issues. When you apply foundation on top of dry or dehydrated skin (ie. skin that’s not getting enough hydration and moisture), you’re inevitably going to experience patchy or flaky results. You need a smooth, hydrated canvas for makeup to glide onto.
3. Having very oily skin
Just like dry skin can cause makeup separation on your face, applying foundation to oily skin can also be an issue. This is especially true if you aren’t following a skincare regimen for your skin type, which includes using products that help keep that excess oil and shine at bay.
4. Forgetting to exfoliate
Over time, dead skin cells and impurities can build up and create an invisible layer of dead, rough-feeling skin. If exfoliation isn’t part of your regular skincare routine, this build-up can cause your foundation to apply unevenly and separate throughout the day.
5. A pplying too much product
It may be tempting to load up on foundation in an attempt to mask every imperfection, but applying too much can be the cause of makeup separating. (And if you’ve ever wondered, “Why is my makeup cakey?” applying too much makeup is probably the issue here, as well).
How To Prevent Makeup Separation
Now that you know why your makeup is separating, let’s cover ways to fix the issue ASAP. Follow these tips for smooth, seamless-looking makeup that lasts.
1. Cleanse and moisturize your skin
All good makeup application has one factor in common: well-prepped skin. This begins with cleansing your skin to remove any product residue, dirt, and grime. Next, you’ll want to moisturize—but the moisturizer you choose should be dictated by your skin type.
- Dry or sensitive skin: Applying a thick, rich moisturizer can help counteract any flakiness that might interfere with your makeup application. For lasting hydration without a sticky feel, try the L’Oréal Paris Collagen Filler Moisture Filler Facial Anti-Aging Moisturizer. It provides up to 48 hours of intense hydration and leaves the skin smoother over time.
- Oily or blemish-prone skin: Those with oily skin need to moisturize just like anyone else, but it’s important to choose the right product for your skin type—anything too rich could leave your skin feeling greasy or heavy. For this reason, we recommend opting fora water-based moisturizer rather than an oil-based cream. This ensures the right amount of hydration for your skin type. Try L’Oréal Paris RevitaLift Derm Intensives Micro Hyaluronic Acid + Ceramides Line-Plumping Water Cream, which is suitable for all skin types.
Pro Tip: Don’t forget to exfoliate once or twice per week. Consider adding a gentle chemical exfoliator to your routine, like the L’Oréal Paris Bright Reveal Dark Spot Exfoliant Peel. The formula features a blend of AHAs, BHAs, and PHA and helps gently exfoliate, brighten skin tone, and improve skin texture with continued use.
2. Use a compatible primer
After your skincare routine, you’ll want to apply a makeup primer. This gives your foundation something to grip onto and can help prolong your wear time. With that being said, it’s important to make sure you’re using a primer that's compatible with your foundation to help prevent your makeup from separating. So if you’re using a water-based foundation, you’ll want to pair it with a water-based primer. Silicone-based foundations, meanwhile, should be paired with silicone-based primers, like the L’Oréal Paris Prime Lab up to 24H Pore Minimizer.
3. Choose the right foundation for your skin type
Choosing the right foundation for your skin type is one of the most important steps you can take in your battle against your makeup separating. The right formula should apply smoothly and evenly, without clinging to dry patches or melting off on oilier areas.
If you have drier skin, we suggest opting for a hydrating liquid foundation, such as the L’Oréal Paris True Match Super-Blendable Foundation, which contains hyaluronic acid. The L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Radiant Serum Foundation with SPF 50 is another great pick, particularly for those with mature skin.
Those with oilier skin often do best with more mattifying formulas. If you tend to stick with liquid makeup, consider reaching for the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation—the light-as-air formula applies smoothly and boasts a demi-matte finish that lasts up to 24 hours. Alternatively, try the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Up to 24H Fresh Wear Foundation in a Powder for all-day wear with a non-cakey matte finish.
4. Apply your makeup with care
Remember that less is more when applying foundation. Instead of piling on product right away, start with a small amount of foundation. Use a foundation brush or damp beauty sponge to apply your product in a thin, even layer, taking care to blend well to avoid any patchiness or cakiness. If you find there are areas that could use a bit more coverage, feel free to add a second thin layer of foundation or camouflage any discoloration with a concealer for a natural-looking finish.
Editor’s Tip: To help prevent patchy makeup, avoid applying liquid products over powders, as doing so can cause the powder to lift and leave your makeup looking cakey or uneven.
5. Don’t forget to set
Hi everyone. My name is Lisa Jauregui and today I’m going to show you how to get transfer-proof makeup that truly lasts all day and looks flawless using all products from L’Oréal Paris. Let’s get started. So in today’s video, we’re going to be talking about two products from L’Oréal Paris and these two products are the finishing touches to every makeup application. They are going to perfect the finish of your makeup, and they’re going to seal and lock that makeup in, so your makeup looks fresh and beautiful and flawless all day long. And transfer-proof. We spend so much time on our makeup, we want it to stay, we want it to look fresh. I know I don't want to be looking in the mirror every few hours, seeing if I need to touch up or what's faded. These two products are a game changer. So as you can see, I have a full face of makeup. So the first product they’re going to be talking about today, is the L'Oréal Paris, the Infallible Blur-fection Setting Powder. And I have it in two shades: I have it in a pink shade, which is really great for brightening, and then I have it in the translucent shade, which is really great for blurring. The pink shade is also going to blur and smooth out texture, but if you want a little extra brightness to your skin and color correction, this one is the way to go. If you want to just kind of smooth out and set the makeup and blur everything, but you don't want any added brightness, the translucent is the way to go. So I’m going to be going in with the pink. And as you can see I have a full face of makeup applied, I've applied all of my makeup. This is kind of the second to last step in my application. I'm just going to take the powder and I'm just going to kind of disperse a little bit of this powder into the lid. So as you can see, I have a good amount of product in the lid. This is a long wearing, up to 24 hour wear loose powder that blurs the skin. It makes your makeup transfer-proof. It's also flashback resistant and there is no talc in this product. It's a really fine, beautiful powder and because I'm using the pink one, I'm actually going to use this to kind of set underneath the eyes and in the center of the face, just to brighten the center of the face and just give a really beautiful, bright effect to the skin. You can see that I have a little bit of shine here in the forehead. I'm also going to cut that down, and I'm just using a flat powder brush. I'm going to load my brush up with product, and then I'm going to tap off any excess. With powder, I always like to kind of build and start light and add more if needed. So I'm going to start in the forehead, I'm just going to kind of press this in the center of the forehead. You can instantly see that that shine is cut down and I have a really smooth, kind of airbrushed effect on the skin. And I'll load my brush up a little more, tap off any excess, and we're going to go right underneath the eye. I love to apply pink powder underneath the eye to really softly brighten underneath that eye, kind of color correct any darkness that you might have, and also smooth out any texture underneath the eye. Underneath the eye I have really fine, delicate little lines. So this powder is going to help soften and smooth out the appearance of that texture. It really just gives a very filtered-like effect. As you apply it you can see the texture kind of softening and disappearing. It's pretty incredible. So I'm going to just apply this where is needed, which for me is underneath the eyes, the center of the face, around the nose. And I also like to apply a little bit on the chin, but you can apply this powder all over. As you can see, I'm doing it after I've applied a full face of makeup, but you also can apply this immediately after foundation and concealer and then go in with your blush and bronzer. This is kind of that last step for me, just to set everything, blur everything. It's that final little step for me to finish off my makeup. I love that this is flashback resistant, so when you take a photo with flash photography, there's not going to be that flashback where your face looks like it's a lighter color than the rest of your body. You'll look very natural. So pretty. I also love how fine this powder is, it's very fine and very lightweight. So the Infallible Blur-Fection Setting Powder is a great last step to set foundation, set concealer, set the makeup, so you have a transfer-proof, blurred smooth effect. Now I'm going to go in with the setting spray. This is the Infallible 3-Second Setting Mist, and I have never seen a product like this before, you guys. This product ensures that your makeup is transfer-proof, sweat-proof, seals it in all day for up to, get this, 36 hours. It's extremely lightweight, it's a very micro fine formula and you guys will see it as I spray it on my skin. You're barely going to see it. It's so light, it just disperses over the face so evenly. You just want to spray for a few seconds and let it dry. And I like to go in circular motions. Kind of let it dry. It's actually going to give a healthy glow like finish to the skin. Unlike other setting sprays that have this longevity, this actually gives the skin a little bit of a glow. Do you see how it just kind of gives the skin a subtle glow? But even though you have a little bit of glow, it is completely transfer-proof. Let's do the tissue test. I have a clean white tissue here. Look at this completely clean. There is no evidence of any makeup. You don't see my foundation on here, you don't see my blush, you don't see my bronzer. Completely transfer-proof. And there you have it. Two products that you can use together to lock in your makeup and have it looking fresh and flawless all day long. If you want to learn more about these products or to shop them, head to lorealparisusa.com. Links will be down below. Thanks for watching.
- Introduction to transfer-proof makeup.
00:00 - 00:46
- Deep dive on L'Oréal Paris Infallible Blur-fection Setting Powder.
00:46 - 03:41
- Deep dive on L'Oréal Paris Infallible 3-Second Setting Mist.
03:41 - 04:30
- Product efficacy test (tissue test).
04:30 - 04:47
- Outro and closing remarks.
04:47 - 05:01
To help prevent makeup separating throughout the day, remember to always set your look with a long-lasting setting spray. We recommend the L’Oréal Paris Infallible 3-Second Setting Mist, as it applies evenly, dries instantly, and helps lock makeup in place for up to 36 hours.
