Behold: the Singapore (beauty) survival guide: frizz-fighting tips, waterproof makeup and more.
Take it from us – the sweaty Singapore climate is no excuse to put your makeup and skin care game on the back burner. Melting makeup, frizzy hair and grease face? Easily prevented with the right products and know-how. Ahead, we show you how to beat the heat with our Singapore-proof makeup, hair and skin care tips.
Fight frizz
Use an extra absorbent towel to fight frizz
That scraggly old towel you use to vigorously dry your hair ain’t doing you any (frizz-fighting) favours. Swap it for a luxe, absorbent towel and your locks will seriously thank you. Take the Acquis Lisse Luxe Hair Turban. Woven from ultra-fine fibers, the towel’s even finer than silk to protect hair shaft and minimise frizz as it soaks up water. Once dry, your hair appears shiny and smooth.
Acquis Lisse Luxe Hair Turban, $62from Sephora.
Or a hair dryer with efficient diffusers
How many times have you blow dried your hair to sleek perfection only to have it frizz up in the Singapore heat? You’ll need a hairdryer like the Dyson Supersonic. Its diffusers disperse the air evenly around your curls to reduce frizz, while the smoothing nozzle helps you dry and style your hair at the same time, leaving it glossy and frizz-free. Sounds like a godsend? Sure is. For more frizz-fighting solutions, check out our defnitive guide.
Iron Fuschia, $599 from Sephora.
Fight limp and greasy hair
Use a lighter shampoo for daily use
In Singapore’s sweaty climate, it’s recommended to wash your hair every day to keep hair from looking flat and oily. Keep to a light shampoo for daily use, and only use the deep cleansing ones thrice a week. The only exception? If you’ve got dry hair, go ahead with the deeply hydrating shampoo, but stick with a lighter conditioner (like Percy and Reed’s Perfectly Perfecting wonder care conditioner) to prevent oily scalps. Want more tips? Check out our guide to the best shampoos for Singapore climate and for your hair type.
Kiehl’s Tea Tree Oil shampoo, $61, available from Kiehl’s stores islandwide.
Percy and Reed Perfectly Perfecting Wonder Care conditioner, $40, available from Sephora.
Or be BFFS with your dry shampoo
Trying to keep your hair smelling and looking fresh between washes in Singapore’s heat is a challenge, but not when you’ve got the right dry shampoo. Our favourite at the moment has to be IGK’s. For Singapore’s hot weather where scalps perspire easily, we’d recommend the Charcoal Detox Dry shampoo as it contains charcoal powder to lift dirt and buildup while absorbing oil and sweat.
IGK First Class Charcoal Detox Dry Shampoo, $45 from Sephora.
Skincare for Singapore weather
Rich moisturisers do wonders for hydrating our skin and slowing down ageing. But what it also does in the Singapore heat is clog our pores and leave it feeling greasy by mid-morning. Leave the rich moisturisers for the night. Instead, go with a lightweight gel hydrator for the day, like Shiseido Waso’s Fresh Jelly lotion or Boscia’s Tsubaki two part gel and cream moisturiser.
Shiseido Waso Fresh Jelly lotion, $45 from Shiseido counters.
Boscia Tsubaki Swirl two part gel and cream deep hydration moisturiser, $56 from Sephora.
Tackle Singapore’s harsh sun
Get yourself a good sunscreen
The sun in Singapore can be incredibly harsh, whether it’s sunny, muggy or just plain cloudy. Take sunscreen seriously – click to see our best picks for UV protection. These are lightweight and absorb quickly (so important in this year-long summer heat!)
To keep your makeup from sliding off…
Our ultimate waterproof makeup guide has got you covered. We all know Singapore doesn’t have the right climate for makeup junkies, so to keep your foundation and eyeshadow from budging and smudging, you need a makeup primer (click for all our faves!).
Use eyeliners and mascaras that actually work in the Singapore heat
As much as we love drawing attention to our eyes with mascara and eyeliner, we don’t love the raccoon eyes we typically end up with by 6pm. To put an end to this once and for all, do your due diligence and pick a waterproof mascara that won’t smudge. Follow up with a heavy-duty eyeliner that actually sticks. These withstand the tests of heat, humidity and even oily lids.
Or skip all that with an eyelash extension
If no mascara in the world can save you from your sparse Asian lashes (like mine), try an eyelash extension. You’ll have long, voluminous lashes, all day, everyday. You can also bid goodbye to raccoon eyes for life. Singapore’s packed to the rafters with salons offering eyelash extensions, so you’ve plenty of options choose from.
Forget about filling in your eyebrows too
Good on you if you’re blessed with naturally thick eyebrows. But if you’ve got sparse ones, drawing and filling them in everyday is a real pain, especially for workday mornings. And not all eyebrow pencils, gels or pomades are created equal – plenty fade, or worse, smudge with sweat! Getting your eyebrows embroidered means never having to suffer through that pain again. One of our favourites for eyebrow embroidery has got to be Browhaus.
