How to get that ‘Sports Illustrated’ cover girl look

As I write this, I am shielded from the 35-degree heat outside by three air-conditioners running simultaneously inside a room at our office near the pier. I dare not step out or my face will melt and everything –– CC cream, translucent powder, blush and lip stain will dissolve into a gunky mask on my face. Had I been blessed with a complexion like Miranda Kerr’s, I would not wear makeup at all, not during summer and especially not during summer in the Philippines. But alas, when the beauty gods sprinkled perfect-skin-dust on womanity, I must have been tucked away in a room somewhere, maybe nursing a hangover. I even wear makeup on the beach, though not to the extent of turning heads because my face is whiter than the rest of my body. Which leads to the question: Is it okay to wear makeup on the beach? If yes, how?

Bronzers and highlighters –– anything with shimmer –– are especially tricky.  On a clean, matte face, they look good when properly applied. But on a face that’s been lounging around on the beach –– and with a layer of sunscreen underneath, no less –– they can be unforgiving. The shimmer can settle in the pores and make uneven or rough skin look like the surface of a Jupiter moon. It also makes a naturally oily complexion slicker than Scott Disick’s perma-‘do. They look so good though for a night out by the shore.

I’ve discovered through countless trials and lots of hard-to-wash-off errors that using a fluffy, rounded brush helps because it gives you an even dusting of shimmer, instead of streaky lines created by the angled blush brush. It also helps when I don’t apply the shimmer on my T-zone (duh!), which produces ridiculous amounts of oil. Instead lightly dust the powder on the brow bones and the highest point of the cheekbones. If you accidentally apply too much, just offset with powder. Approach bronzer and shimmer powder from a reasonable standpoint: if your skin is on the oily side, it will produce oil, shimmer or no shimmer. So always be ready with oil-absorbing film. Accept your fate; such is life.

I blurted out the girliest squeal, though, when I tried Laura Mercier’s new collections for the summer.  I was drawn to their Crème Eye Liner in Canard, a deep bluish green, like a junky moth to a pretty flame. Since it comes in a pot, I initially thought it could double as eye makeup –– it could work, but since it’s formulated as eyeliner, it isn’t so easy to blend. (Double duh!) It’s waterproof and its smudge-proof, crease-proof consistency lasts for up to eight hours. The pigment is really intense but transfer-resistant, and the product is “foolproof” overall, unless you try to use it as eye makeup. If you do, prep your eyelids with primer, or BB cream at least, so that the product spreads easier. Oh, and please do not spread it from lashes to brows unless you are a licensed fortune-teller. (So no, you can’t do that. Ever.)

When applied with Laura Mercier’s Angled Eye Liner Brush, which was designed by Laura Mercier to work with the Crème Eye Liner, you can create the cleanest, most precise lines. Simply increase pressure if you want a wider line. If you’re not sure about colored eyeliner, start with a thin line along the top lashes.

For the lips, Laura Mercier’s Folklore collection has hydrating Lip Crayons that are perfect for traveling. It comes in three colors –– Burnt Clay, Folklore and Mayan Sun. Another line for the lips is the Crème Smooth Lip Color, which came out with 14 new shades this month. Brigitte, a peach sorbet shade that goes on as a pinkish nude on the lips, is a versatile shade that goes well with intense eyes or with just a clean face. Unlike some lipsticks that are so drying that they accentuate creases and chapping on the lips, this one is creamy and comforting on the lips without compromising pigment. Top off your look with Laura Mercier’s Matte Radiance Baked Powder, which is enriched with vitamin E and jojoba oil to moisturize and soften skin while protecting it against free radicals. It is ultra smooth and gives skin a healthy glow. The bronze shade gives skin a soft, matte finish, while the highlight shade gives skin a subtle glow.

In a perfect world, a little bit of bronzer and body oil are all you need to get the “Sports Illustrated cover girl” look. But in this world, where it’s more than 30 degrees out and the wind blows through our hair not in a Giselle Bundchen kind of way, a little help from pretty pots, sticks and compacts of color can’t hurt. Go on, paint on your beach face. Hashtag YOLO.

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Laura Mercier is available exclusively at Rustan’s.