Gym Makeup Tips
Feel flawless while working out with my tips and tricks for simple, long-lasting and breathable gym makeup.
- 6th June 2023
- By Charlotte Tilbury
6 minute read
Darlings, wearing makeup to the gym can help you look and feel like the most confident version of yourself while you lift, stretch, squat or cycle. The challenge with gym makeup is to create a comfortable, long-wearing look that feels weightless and doesn’t get disturbed when you’re working up a sweat.
By reaching for my gym makeup must-haves and following my gym makeup tips and tricks, you can create a natural-looking gym makeup look that unlocks the staying power you need to make your workout makeup last from the first to the final push in your gym routine.
Magic Tip #1: Wear a Lightweight Foundation
If you want to wear foundation to the gym, it’s best to reach for lightweight formulas that let the skin breathe. My tinted moisturiser, Unisex Healthy Glow, is a gorgeous gym makeup option as it keeps skin feeling moisturised while you work out and adds light, skin-perfecting coverage with a flattering bronzed tint. The flexible formula features bronzing tan pigments that burst on application, giving the complexion an instant sun-kissed effect in a shade that morphs to complement your natural skin tone. It’s perfect for creating a light, glowing gym makeup look that helps to even the look of your complexion.
If you are working out with makeup on and prefer a full-coverage foundation that helps to disguise the appearance of redness and stays all day, I recommend Airbrush Flawless Foundation. This airbrush-effect foundation feels weightless on the skin while maximising coverage for an instant, porcelain-like complexion. The natural-matte formula is resistant to humidity and sweat, setting down and staying in place while you take on the treadmill or complete your set of squats.
If you want to go foundation-free at the gym but are still wanting to wear a confidence-boosting makeup look, apply Hollywood Flawless Filter to give the face a sheer, dewy-looking glow, then add Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin Radiant Concealer in any areas that you want to build up some extra coverage.
Tilbury Tip: Whatever complexion makeup you choose to wear to the gym, I recommend setting it in place with a soft veil of Airbrush Flawless Finish pressed powder. Powder is the key to long-lasting complexion makeup, and my award-winning, smoothing-effect formula is perfect for helping to prevent your gym makeup from creasing or budging.
Magic Tip #2: Get a Sculpted Look with Contour and Bronzer
You can use makeup to look more chiselled at the gym – adding a little bit of contour or bronzer gives the face a genius sculpting effect that flatters your face shape for a confidence-boosting effect.
Bronzer and contour work slightly differently; applying bronzer gives your complexion natural-looking, sun-kissed warmth, whereas contour creates the appearance of shadows that help the face to look carved out and defined. I suggest applying a small amount of my Hollywood Contour Wand to the temples, hollows of the cheeks and jawline to look sensationally sculpted at the gym, or sweeping Airbrush Bronzer onto the forehead, nose, cheekbones and eye socket for a beautifully bronzed workout makeup look with a smooth-looking, matte finish.
Magic Tip #3: Choose a Long-Wearing Mascara
Adding a coat or two of mascara transforms a makeup look, and for gym makeup, it’s important to choose a mascara formula that can stay put from the warm up to the cool down.
For a workout makeup look, I recommend Legendary Lashes Vol 2 mascara for instant, eye-enhancing volume! The quick and easy mascara wand combs effortlessly through the lashes, coating them in super-black pigment that accentuates the look of your eyes and provides eye-opening volume that helps you to look awake and ready to get to work. It’s the perfect gym makeup mascara, providing long-wearing lash volume that’s smudge-proof and humidity-resistant.
Magic Tip #4: Fix Brow Hairs into Place with Brow Gel
Brows are the pillars of the face, darlings, and keeping them looking bushy and brushed up helps your gym makeup to look instantly more put together. Whether you have sparse brows or unruly brows, using a clear brow gel is a simple makeup step you can add to your workout makeup routine to sculpt and define the look of your brows.
Brow Fix is my clear brow sculpting gel for locking brow hairs into place. The formula is smudge-proof, sweat-resistant and humidity-proof to provide up to 24-hour hold*, making it the perfect tool for securing your eyebrows into a flattering shape that frames the look of your face. Apply Brow Fix through your brows from head to tail and get the ultimate eyebrow fix!
Tilbury Tip: If you want your natural eyebrows to appear fuller, use my Brow Cheat or Brow Lift eyebrow pencils to create a more defined brow shape.
Magic Tip #5: Unlock glossy lips on the go with NEW! Glossy Lip Duos
When you’re working out with makeup on, you should keep your lips plush and hydrated. I created my Glossy Lip Duos to give everyone, everywhere a natural-looking lip look that’s easy-to-use and easy-to-choose. The lip kits include travel-sizes of Lip Cheat lip liner and Collagen Lip Bath lip gloss to define the look of your pout and provide a gorgeous, glossy finish.
First, use my waterproof lip liner to outline your lips with long-lasting colour that accentuates their natural shape. Then, swipe the moisture-rich, mirror-shine lip gloss onto the upper and lower lip to complete the look.
These travel-sized kits are perfect for keeping in your gym bag for glossy lip touch ups between sets! Choose Glossy Fresh Pink or Glossy Nude Pink Lip Duo to create a simple gym makeup lip look!
Tilbury Tip: Charlotte’s Magic Lip Oil Crystal Elixir is the perfect way to keep your lips feeling conditioned and hydrated! Roll on my crystal-infused formula to prep your lips before applying my Glossy Lip Duo, or wear it alone for a hydrating, barely there glossy lip look.
Shop Glossy Lip Duos:
Magic Tip #6: Set your Gym Makeup with Setting Spray
If you want your makeup look to last, just reach for my iconic Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray – especially when you’re wearing makeup to the gym! Working out leads to sweating and movement of the face, so it’s a good idea to lock in your gym makeup look with a generous spritz of setting spray!
Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray smooths and blurs the look of skin while extending the staying power of your gym makeup for up to 16 hours!** I’ve bottled long-lasting makeup confidence with this weightless-feeling formula, so you can work out without worrying about your gym makeup melting, fading or creasing.
Tilbury Tip: Use your setting spray before your gym session to help set gym makeup in place, then keep it in your gym bag as a refreshing post-gym ritual.
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