Cakey makeup is a common struggle during summer, when heat, humidity and sweat can wreak havoc on your carefully applied base. But the secret to keeping your makeup fresh and natural-looking isn’t just about using lighter formulas - it starts with your skincare and how you prep your skin ahead of makeup application.
Skincare lays the foundation for smooth, long-lasting makeup, helping to prevent your foundation from clinging to dry patches, settling into fine lines or breaking down throughout the day. A well-prepped canvas also ensures that your makeup layers evenly and adheres better to your skin, minimizing the risk of it looking heavy or patchy as temperatures rise. To achieve this, focus on three key products: a hydrating toner, a nourishing essence, and a lightweight, non-greasy SPF.
A toner helps to replenish moisture post-cleansing, smoothing rough texture and hydrating dry areas that can cause foundation to cake. Follow with an essence rich in probiotics or brightening ingredients like niacinamide to further hydrate, calm redness, and boost your skin’s natural glow.
Finally, finish with a fast-absorbing sunscreen that offers broad-spectrum protection without leaving a greasy or sticky residue, which will also help makeup to glide on smoothly.
With this skincare trio, your summer makeup will look flawlessly fresh and natural from morning to night.
Step 1: Start with a toner
The Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner (Free of Alcohol and Fragrance) has all the hydrating, soothing and brightening benefits of the original Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner, but without essential oils, making it fragrance-free and extra gentle for even the most sensitive skin.
As the perfect first step after cleansing, this Korean rice toner helps to prep and hydrate your skin, enhancing the absorption of the rest of your skincare products. Infused with hyaluronic acid, it delivers instant hydration to dry skin, while Black Rice fermented extract moisturizes, calms inflammation and offers antioxidant protection.
This best Korean toner’s slightly viscous, watery texture glides on smoothly and absorbs quickly, leaving your skin soft, glowing, and comfortably hydrated, without any stickiness or heaviness. Simply apply after cleansing, gently patting it into the skin. For an extra moisture boost, you can layer it as needed. This toner also boosts hydration and calms redness, creating a smooth, plump canvas for seamless makeup application.
We discovered a 57.65% improvement in the skin’s moisture levels after 2 weeks use, and a 11.16% improvement in skin texture after 2 weeks use.
Step 2: Add an essence
Probiotics aren’t just beneficial for your gut; they can do wonders for your skin too. The Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence uses exfoliating probiotics to refine skin texture over time, revealing a smooth, even complexion that provides the perfect base for makeup application. Key probiotic ingredients like Galactomyces ferment filtrate deeply moisturize, soothe irritation, and improve skin elasticity, while Bifida ferment lysate gently exfoliates by breaking down dead skin cells, while enhancing skin texture and tone.
To further support skin health, this best skincare essence follows the ideal 3:1:1 ratio of ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids, which helps to fortify the skin barrier, boost moisture retention and leave skin plump, supple, and well hydrated.
Shake well before use and apply to clean skin morning and night, before layering on your ampoules or serums. It also doubles as a makeup prep step for a hydrating, glow-enhancing base to achieve a ‘glass skin’ finish. You could also mix a few drops with your foundation for a fresh, dewy look (which is Hailey Bieber’s foundation hack).
We saw a 33.695% improvement in the skin’s moisture levels after 2 weeks use, and a 21.001% improvement in the skin barrier after 2 weeks use.
Step 3: Finish with a sunscreen
The Black Rice Moisture Airy Fit Sunscreen is a chemical sunscreen that offers advanced protection in a lightweight, breathable formula. It effortlessly absorbs both UVA and UVB rays (SPF50+ PA++++) and converts them into harmless heat energy, forming an ultra-thin, hydrating and protective film over the skin. This best Korean SPF is fragrance-free, reef-safe certified and has a unique, airy cream texture that blends seamlessly into the skin, leaving a semi-matte, non-greasy, non-sticky finish with absolutely no white cast.
Enriched with skin-loving ingredients to care for the skin whilst protecting it, the formula’s star ingredient is an antioxidant-rich black rice oil infusion to help defend against environmental stressors. There’s also ceramides to deeply moisturize and strengthen the skin barrier, niacinamide to brighten and even skin tone, and adenosine to smooth fine lines and improve skin elasticity.
Apply this Korean sunscreen for your face as the final step in your morning skincare routine, using two finger lengths for your face and neck. For optimal protection, reapply every two hours, especially when swimming or sweating. Thanks to its fast-absorbing, non-pilling formula, it’s easy to layer over makeup without disrupting your look (we recommend using a sponge for more controlled application).
We tested how well the product blocks UVA rays, and saw a result of λc = 371nm. This means the product provides broad-spectrum protection, covering a wide range of UVA rays.
Domestic results found that:
- SPF: 57.4 ± 0.0 → Very high protection against UVB rays (which cause sunburn)
- UVA Protection (UVAPF / PFA / PPD): 18.7 ± 2.3 → Strong protection against UVA rays (which cause aging)
And overseas results found that:
- SPF: 63.2 ± 8.9 → Very high UVB protection
- UVA Protection (UVAPF / PFA / PPD): 26.6 ± 4.5 → Very high UVA protection
We also discovered that after 2 weeks use, there was a 19.373% improvement in skin hydration after exposure to UV rays.
Final thoughts
Avoiding a cakey makeup look during the summer starts before makeup application with intentional, lightweight skincare. By incorporating a toner, essence and a lightweight SPF into your routine, you create a smooth and well-moisturized base that helps makeup apply more evenly, last longer, and means you avoid patchiness and excess shine. The result? Your makeup will look and feel fresh all day long.
Avoid cakey makeup this summer by prepping your skin with lightweight, hydrating skincare for a smooth, fresh base all day.
Cakey makeup is a common struggle during summer, when heat, humidity and sweat can wreak havoc on your carefully applied base. But the secret to keeping your makeup fresh and natural-looking isn’t just about using lighter formulas - it starts with your skincare and how you prep your skin ahead of makeup application.
Skincare lays the foundation for smooth, long-lasting makeup, helping to prevent your foundation from clinging to dry patches, settling into fine lines or breaking down throughout the day. A well-prepped canvas also ensures that your makeup layers evenly and adheres better to your skin, minimizing the risk of it looking heavy or patchy as temperatures rise. To achieve this, focus on three key products: a hydrating toner, a nourishing essence, and a lightweight, non-greasy SPF.
A toner helps to replenish moisture post-cleansing, smoothing rough texture and hydrating dry areas that can cause foundation to cake. Follow with an essence rich in probiotics or brightening ingredients like niacinamide to further hydrate, calm redness, and boost your skin’s natural glow.
Finally, finish with a fast-absorbing sunscreen that offers broad-spectrum protection without leaving a greasy or sticky residue, which will also help makeup to glide on smoothly.
With this skincare trio, your summer makeup will look flawlessly fresh and natural from morning to night.
Step 1: Start with a toner
The Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner (Free of Alcohol and Fragrance) has all the hydrating, soothing and brightening benefits of the original Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner, but without essential oils, making it fragrance-free and extra gentle for even the most sensitive skin.
As the perfect first step after cleansing, this Korean rice toner helps to prep and hydrate your skin, enhancing the absorption of the rest of your skincare products. Infused with hyaluronic acid, it delivers instant hydration to dry skin, while Black Rice fermented extract moisturizes, calms inflammation and offers antioxidant protection.
This best Korean toner’s slightly viscous, watery texture glides on smoothly and absorbs quickly, leaving your skin soft, glowing, and comfortably hydrated, without any stickiness or heaviness. Simply apply after cleansing, gently patting it into the skin. For an extra moisture boost, you can layer it as needed. This toner also boosts hydration and calms redness, creating a smooth, plump canvas for seamless makeup application.
Clinical trial results: Black Rice Hyaluronic Toner (Free of Alcohol and Fragrance)
We discovered a 57.65% improvement in the skin’s moisture levels after 2 weeks use, and a 11.16% improvement in skin texture after 2 weeks use.
Step 2: Add an essence
Probiotics aren’t just beneficial for your gut; they can do wonders for your skin too. The Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence uses exfoliating probiotics to refine skin texture over time, revealing a smooth, even complexion that provides the perfect base for makeup application. Key probiotic ingredients like Galactomyces ferment filtrate deeply moisturize, soothe irritation, and improve skin elasticity, while Bifida ferment lysate gently exfoliates by breaking down dead skin cells, while enhancing skin texture and tone.
To further support skin health, this best skincare essence follows the ideal 3:1:1 ratio of ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids, which helps to fortify the skin barrier, boost moisture retention and leave skin plump, supple, and well hydrated.
Shake well before use and apply to clean skin morning and night, before layering on your ampoules or serums. It also doubles as a makeup prep step for a hydrating, glow-enhancing base to achieve a ‘glass skin’ finish. You could also mix a few drops with your foundation for a fresh, dewy look (which is Hailey Bieber’s foundation hack).
Clinical trial results: Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence
We saw a 33.695% improvement in the skin’s moisture levels after 2 weeks use, and a 21.001% improvement in the skin barrier after 2 weeks use.
Step 3: Finish with a sunscreen
The Black Rice Moisture Airy Fit Sunscreen is a chemical sunscreen that offers advanced protection in a lightweight, breathable formula. It effortlessly absorbs both UVA and UVB rays (SPF50+ PA++++) and converts them into harmless heat energy, forming an ultra-thin, hydrating and protective film over the skin. This best Korean SPF is fragrance-free, reef-safe certified and has a unique, airy cream texture that blends seamlessly into the skin, leaving a semi-matte, non-greasy, non-sticky finish with absolutely no white cast.
Enriched with skin-loving ingredients to care for the skin whilst protecting it, the formula’s star ingredient is an antioxidant-rich black rice oil infusion to help defend against environmental stressors. There’s also ceramides to deeply moisturize and strengthen the skin barrier, niacinamide to brighten and even skin tone, and adenosine to smooth fine lines and improve skin elasticity.
Apply this Korean sunscreen for your face as the final step in your morning skincare routine, using two finger lengths for your face and neck. For optimal protection, reapply every two hours, especially when swimming or sweating. Thanks to its fast-absorbing, non-pilling formula, it’s easy to layer over makeup without disrupting your look (we recommend using a sponge for more controlled application).
Clinical trial results: Black Rice Moisture Airyfit Daily Sunscreen SPF50+ PA++++
We tested how well the product blocks UVA rays, and saw a result of λc = 371nm. This means the product provides broad-spectrum protection, covering a wide range of UVA rays.
Domestic results found that:
And overseas results found that:
We also discovered that after 2 weeks use, there was a 19.373% improvement in skin hydration after exposure to UV rays.
Final thoughts
Avoiding a cakey makeup look during the summer starts before makeup application with intentional, lightweight skincare. By incorporating a toner, essence and a lightweight SPF into your routine, you create a smooth and well-moisturized base that helps makeup apply more evenly, last longer, and means you avoid patchiness and excess shine. The result? Your makeup will look and feel fresh all day long.