6 Tips to Avoid Smudged Eye Makeup

Whether it's from sweat, humidity, tears, or just plain oily lids, eye makeup that runs and smudges throughout the day is far from flattering. Before you get completely frustrated, try these tips for applying your makeup and touching up on the go that will let you bat those lashes with confidence.

1. Start with clean skin. If your eyelids tend to get greasy as the day goes on, make sure you're starting with a clean slate. Wash your face in the morning, and make sure to pay attention to your lids, so you wash off any excess oils from the night before.

2. Apply an eye primer. After your skin is clean and moisturized (avoid putting eye cream directly on your lids), apply a primer specifically made for your eyes. Ones like eye shadow base are formulated to not only prep your lids but also help your makeup apply smoothly and stay in place.

3. Use waterproof formulas. If your eye shape or oily lids make standard eye makeup crease and smudge, then your best bet is to stick with waterproof and long-wearing options. We love the product offerings in the M.A.C. Cosmetics Pro Longwear range.

4. Set your look. Once you have your eye makeup complete, set everything. If you use creamy textures or pencils, set them with matching eye-shadow powders. And if everything you use is powder, set the look with blotting powder. If it washes out your style, you can always go back and layer on more shadow or liner to really fortify your look.

5. Keep eye-makeup remover on hand. Being prepared means you won't have to stress over stray eye makeup in the wrong places. Facial wipes are superportable swabs packed with just the right amount of eye-makeup remover, so you can clean up any smudges in a pinch.

6. Stash your makeup bag for touch-ups. Your eyeliner and eye shadow barely take up any room, which means you can drop them in your handbag (or just buy seconds) so you always have them for any necessary touch-ups.