This Longwear Foundation Beat The Havana Heat On My Three-Hour Photo Tour
If you ever spent time in a Caribbean country, you know that you can expect temperatures in the high 80s (even the 90s) in the winter months.
Before I jetted off to Cuba on my first international solo trip, I knew I wanted to capture great memories of my experience in Havana, however if you're alone you get stuck having to ask your fellow travelers to snap a picture of you — but you can't always count on a stranger to get your angles right. Instead of winging it, I booked an experience with Manuel, who is studying photography at the Instituto Superior de Arte, through Airbnb experiences.
The forecast let me know the weather on average would be in the high 80s with 85% humidity. With that information in mind, I questioned whether or not I should wear more daily tinted moisturizer or pack my full coverage Fenty foundation.
Full disclosure, I am not a fan of wearing full coverage foundation in high temperatures because my skin usually gets excessively oily, and once the oil gets into the mix, the foundation ends up on everything and I almost always end up with a pimple. Always. But I packed my Fenty Pro Filt'r foundation in 420 and 440 and decided wearing the foundation for the three-hour shoot shouldn't cause my skin to freak out too badly. Not to mention, Fenty has served me well on long audition days.
On the day of the shoot, I woke up early, did my makeup, and got dressed. Since I wanted to keep my makeup as light as possible given the humidity, I only used foundation, MAC's Studio Fix 24-Hour Smooth Wear Concealer under my eyes, and my favorite lippie, Lady Danger.
Even with my waking up early, I looked down at my phone, my phone said 3:00 (the time we were supposed to start), and I still had to walk two blocks to catch a cab to Old Havana, which was about a 12-minute ride from my casa. After flagging down a cab driver, I hopped into the car and was on my way. One thing to note is that many of the cabs in Cuba don't have air conditioning, and we all know that isn't a great element for keeping your makeup looking fresh.
When my cab driver dropped me off at the El Capitolio, I frantically ran to meet Manuel and the three other people that we were a part of my experience at the Capitolio steps. By the time I got there, I was a sweaty mess, but when I pulled the tissue out of my red fanny pack to blot, there was no makeup transfer, and I wasn't oily.
Seriously. I couldn't believe it either.
Moments later, we started our walk around Old Havana, and Manuel stopped to take photos of each of us along the way. I'd be telling a story if I said I wasn't worried I was going to look a hot mess in my photos based on the chaotic journey it took to get there, but I went with it. About an hour and a half into our tour, we met up with a driver to take us around Havana, and Manuel took us to take photos in a classic car in front of the historic Hotel Nacional de Cuba.
On the way, I took a little video footage, and my face was still matte, with no touch-ups or blotting.
How sway? How?
A week later, Manuel sent over the photos he'd taken of us on, and before I opened the G-mail folder, I just knew my face was going to be beaming like I had on a face full of highlighter, but to my surprise, my makeup was still intact.
Thanks to Fenty Pro Filt'r foundation, my skin wasn't the oily mess I was expecting, and I ended up with some awesome photos from my trip. Win win.
Do you have any beauty products that proved to be the GOAT during your travels? Share with us below.
Related Stories
The $10 Product That's Missing From Your Everyday Makeup Routine –Read More
Face Forward: The Best Facial Mists You Need To Try – Read More
Translucent Powder Is The Real MVP When It Comes To Perfecting Your Face Beat – Read More
4 Ways To Humidity-Proof Your Makeup – Read More
Featured image by Bianca Lambert.
- The 8 Best Highlighters For Darker Skin Tones - xoNecole: Women's Interest, Love, Wellness, Beauty ›
- 10 Best Liquid Foundations for Full Coverage - Liquid Foundation ... ›
- What's the Best Long-Lasting Foundation? Here's 10 Options ›
- Best Foundation 2018: Perfect Coverage for Flawless Skin ... ›
- The Best Full-Coverage Foundations That Can Conceal Anything ... ›
- Best foundation for all skin types 2018 - Our 9 favourite formulas ›
- 16 Long-Lasting Foundations That Actually Last All Day & 5 That Didn't ›
- The Best Long-Lasting Foundations | InStyle.com ›
- 11 Of The Best Long-Lasting Foundations That Will Actually Last All ... ›
Bianca Lambert is a proud Atlanta native soaking up the Los Angeles sun. She is the founder of Mae B: a stationery company for women of color and a digital content creator on a mission to elevate the voices of women of color everywhere.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Tyler James Williams Explains Why His And Quinta Brunson 'Abbott Elementary' Characters Should Remain Friends
While Abbott Elementary fans are hoping that Janine and Gregory end up together, the show’s star has another take. Tyler James Williams plays Gregory on the Emmy award-winning sitcom, and he recently stopped by The Jennifer Hudson Show to share his point of view on his storyline with Janine, which Quinta Brunson plays.
“I hate to say it. I know that everybody’s always mad at me for this. I don’t necessarily want to see them together,” he revealed. “It’s partially an actor’s choice, but also somebody who, like, I read a lot of scripts all the time. I watch a lot of TV, a lot of film. I don’t think that we see displays of platonic love between two people often. I think it’s really easy to go right to they have feelings for each other, therefore they should be together. I like this dynamic of exploring withholding that and just actively loving each other where they are. That I like to see more.”
If you recall, they were co-workers who became friends but were secretly crushing on each other. They’ve had many awkward run-ins during and after school, like the unforgettable club scene where they were dancing nervously with each other in season one, and in season two, they finally kiss. However, it only made things even more awkward, and they decided to just be friends. Tyler further explained why he thinks it’s important to showcase that type of relationship on screen.
“I think it’s time for that. I think TV allows people to see things that could be their lives for the first time, and I think seeing a healthy friendship that is deeply caring about one another in a work atmosphere needs to be shown more than the relationship,” he concluded.
Abbott Elementary comes on every Wednesday at 9 p.m. EST on ABC.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for daily love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Feature image by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images