How Taylor Swift’s Makeup Survives Her 4-Hour Rain Shows

Plain and simple, the only thing more impressive than Taylor Swift’s voice is her makeup routine. Need proof? The singer-songwriter performed a 44-song setlist during a massive—and we mean massive—thunderstorm in Nashville earlier this month during her much-anticipated Eras Tour. (If you haven’t seen any of the videos from the show, you need to watch this.) Although the rain initially delayed the show, it didn’t have anything on Taylor’s makeup. Once the shelter-in-place weather advisory was lifted, Taylor performed for four hours in the downpour—all without her makeup running, smudging, or moving. 

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Following the rain show, fans and beauty buffs alike have become consumed with finding out which products the superstar uses. Luckily, celebrity gossip account Deuxmoi took to social media to share a message that broke down Taylor’s (supposed) Eras makeup. Although Taylor has never come out and dropped her full makeup routine, we do know what her makeup artist likes to use on her, so there are a few products that have a high likelihood of being on her face during shows.

Ready to achieve a thunderstorm-proof beauty look? Keep reading to learn more about which makeup products Taylor just might be used to create her iconic on-stage beats.

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The makeup products Taylor Swift reportedly wears on tour

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – MAY 20: EDITORIAL USE ONLY Taylor Swift performs during The Eras Tour at Gillette Stadium on May 20, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by TAS Rights Management/Getty Images)

PAT MCGRATH Sublime Perfection Hydrating Primer

Long-lasting makeup starts with a good primer. This Pat McGrath favorite is an ideal base for foundation since it hydrates, smoothes, and tones the skin. It’s made with hyaluronic acid and glycerin, which lock in moisture and keep skin looking soft and supple. It’s also formulated with cosmetic filler powder, which helps minimize and blur pores, fine lines, and imperfections. Thanks to its top-notch ingredients, this primer ensures makeup has a flawless, long-lasting finish.

PAT MCGRATH Sublime Perfection Foundation

This high-performance vegan foundation offers a natural, medium-coverage finish that looks gorgeous on all skin types. It’s offered in over 30 different shades, which means you can find the right match for your skin tone. Plus, it’s extremely buildable, so it can be as sheer or as full coverage as you prefer. One thing we like most about this foundation is that it leaves behind a luminous glow that makes skin look bright, healthy, and dewy.

PAT MCGRATH Sublime Perfection Setting Powder

To ensure foundation and concealer stay in place and don’t crease, it’s essential to use setting powder—and luckily, the Sublime Perfection Setting Powder is all you need. This finely milled translucent powder sets makeup and keeps it from running, smudging, and becoming oily. Its weightless texture mattifies the skin, minimizes shine, and blurs imperfections without caking or settling into fine lines.

PAT MCGRATH Sublime Perfection Blurring Under-Eye Setting Powder

Looking for an under-eye setting powder that won’t interfere with your concealer or eye makeup? Try this Pat McGrath bestseller. It’s specifically designed for setting and brightening the under-eye area without making the skin look dry or crepey. With a lightweight formula, it blurs fine lines, diminishes dark circles, and prevents creasing, all while providing a natural, soft-focus effect.

PAT MCGRATH Mothership VII Eyeshadow Palette

Looking for a stunning selection of highly pigmented, blendable eyeshadows? This palette is for you. It includes a range of 10 captivating shades, including shimmering metallics and romantic, velvety mattes. Feel free to get as creative as you want when creating eye makeup looks with this eyeshadow since the options are close to endless.

PAT MCGRATH Perma Precision Liquid Eyeliner

Achieve Taylor’s striking cat-eye with this waterproof eyeliner. It offers ultimate precision, allowing you to create bold eye makeup looks in no time. It lasts for 24 hours (including in torrential downpours) and is completely smudge-proof. The best part? It dries fast and leaves behind an inky, velvety opacity.

PAT MCGRATH LiquiLUST™ Legendary Wear Matte Lipstick

If there’s one thing we especially love about Taylor’s makeup, it’s her signature red lip. It’s bold, sexy, and undoubtedly stunning every time. This fan-favorite lipstick is made with a slew of hydrating ingredients that ensure lips don’t get chapped or dry. It offers bold pigmentation as well as 12 hours of smudge-proof staying power. Shop it in the shade Elson 4 to emulate Taylor’s iconic look.

PAT MCGRATH Skin Fetish Highlighter & Balm Duo

Make skin look like it’s glowing from within with the help of this highlighter and balm duo. It comes in two different shades—bronze and nude—allowing you to choose what kind of glow you want (either warmer or cooler). The highlighter works to reflect and refract light, while the balm nourishes skin and locks in moisture. Put it on your cheekbones, nose, and eyelids to make your features pop.

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How To Make Your Makeup Last Longer

Now that you know which makeup products Taylor (reportedly) uses, it’s time to ensure they stay on your face as long as they stay on hers—rain or shine. Ahead, check out the top tips for how to make makeup last.

Step 1: Start With a Clean Canvas

Before doing anything, make sure your face is clean. Wash it with a gentle cleanser and apply moisturizer before putting on any makeup. This creates a smooth, fresh canvas for your products to layer on top of.

Step 2: Use a Primer

Primers create a solid base for your makeup to cling to. They can also blur pores, smooth out fine lines, and provide added hydration. The best tip when it comes to getting a primer is to choose one that suits your skin type (e.g., mattifying for oily skin or hydrating for dry skin).

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Step 3: Opt for Long-Wear Formulas

When picking out makeup products, look for items that promise long-staying power, especially when it comes to foundation, concealer, mascara, and eyeliner. (Oftentimes these are waterproof makeup products.) Both waterproof and smudge-proof formulas are designed to withstand sweat, humidity, and oil, which helps ensure your makeup stays in place.

Step 4: Set with Powder

After applying foundation and concealer, set them with a light dusting of translucent powder. This helps to mattify the skin, minimize shine, and lock your makeup in place. If you really want your makeup to stay put, you can also bake your makeup.

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Step 5: Layer Your Products

Applying makeup in thin layers helps it stick to the skin better and last longer. Be sure to let each layer of foundation or concealer dry before applying more on top of it.

Step 6: Use Setting Spray

Setting sprays are made to lock makeup in place and provide a natural, dewy finish. Once you’re done applying your makeup, mist a setting spray all over your face. You can also use a spritz of setting spray on your face after each layer of makeup if you really need it to stay.

5 Beauty Tips We Learned From the Moms in Our Lives

We all know we couldn’t do much without the moms in our lives — especially when it comes to the beauty tips and tricks we’ve acquired throughout the years. From the first product she ever bought you to the makeup lessons she passed down to you, every memory is special.

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In honor of Mother’s Day, our editors rounded up the best-kept beauty secrets, hacks, and rules they learned from their moms. You probably won’t be surprised to find out that many of us still swear by them every day.

Blend Your Foundation Down Your Neck! 

My mom was like the jawline police — always rubbing my face whenever my foundation stopped at my chin and didn’t blend with my neck. Now, I think about it constantly. Even if I know my foundation was perfect when I left the house, I find myself neurotically blending throughout the day. Thanks, Mom!

Find Your Signature Scent (or Two!) 

I have such lovely memories of wandering around department stores’ fragrance counters with my mom and sampling new arrivals. Our shopping trips made me fall in love with the concept of having one or two signature scents and gave me an appreciation for the fragrance category as a whole. Right now, I’m loving Dossier fragrances— classic scents.

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Prioritize Skincare 

My mother has always kept her makeup minimal and natural (a trait I’ve inherited from her), but she has loved skincare and skincare products for as long as I can remember. When I was growing up, her bathroom was a magical land perfumed with the scents of her extensive collection of creams and lotions. It’s no surprise that her biggest beauty advice is to start prioritizing skincare at a young age. Since I entered my 20s, she has sung the praises of using retinol to address early signs of aging. But the silky, deliciously-fragranced face and body creams are what I remember most from my childhood — plus, she always had the softest skin! The TATCHA AGELESS ENRICHING RENEWAL CREAM is a face cream you and your mother will both love! 

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 Less Is More 

My mom has always been a minimalist when it comes to her beauty routine. While I was dousing my hair in bleach and dyeing it candy colors by the time I was 13, she didn’t get highlights until she reached her 50s. We may be opposites in terms of our willingness to experiment with beauty, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to love her “less is more” approach. I recently converted to using brown mascara instead of black — something my mom begged me to do when I first started wearing makeup. It turns out she was right — the softer shade makes my brown eyes pop without overpowering my features. Mom knows best, despite my reluctance to admit it!

A Look Isn’t Complete Without Lipstick 

I can remember sitting on my parents’ vanity as my mom applied lipstick before an event. It was always the final step of her routine and I always took it as lipstick completing every look. Now, I find myself packing several lip options in my purse before I go out. I don’t feel like I finished my makeup without adding something to my lips. 

Ditch Your Sticky Gloss for Lip Oil—Here Are 6 To Try

Our team is dedicated to finding and telling you more about the web’s best products. If you purchase through our links, we may receive a commission. Our editorial team is independent and only endorses products we believe in.

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As both a child of the early aughts and a longtime beauty editor, rest assured that I’ve cycled through just about every available lip gloss on the market. I can still smell the vanilla frosting Lip Smackers I wore every day in 7th grade, and high school, my book bag doubled as a Lancôme Juicy Tube graveyard. But I can also still remember the distinct feeling of un-sticking my hair from my lips—enough to put me off lip gloss for quite some time, aside from when my journalistic duty called for it. (It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.)

That all changed a couple of years ago when the matte lip obsession of the 2010s gloriously gave way to a far more timeless, dewy, fresh-faced aesthetic. Suddenly, the gooey lip glosses of decades past had been rebranded as “lip oils:” hydrating and packed with conditioning ingredients, with a flattering, slick, decidedly un-sticky finish. In the past year alone, searches for “lip oil” have spiked over 150%—a trend that has been met with a variety of new lip oils on the market, all promising a cushioned, more moisturized pout. (“Like your lips, but better,” is the going mantra.)

So, how to choose? Naturally, we did it for you—we’re rounding up six of the very best lip oils available, from plumping to tinted to high-shine formulas. Shop them below.

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Best Overall Lip Oil

Merit

Shade Slick $24

We have to agree with thousands of reviewers and TikTok users on this one—this bestselling tinted lip oil from Merit simply ticks all of the boxes. Thanks to the flattering, buildable pigment and a lightweight, hydrating sheen, it’s that one little part of my routine that instantly brings my whole look together—whether I’m headed to the grocery store or a night out.

Best Luxury Lip Oil

Dior

Lip Glow Oil $40

Take your pick from eight semi-sheer hues—or collect a few. (We’re certainly not judging.) Fans have loved this luxurious, non-sticky lip oil since it launched in 2020. Bonus points for just looking fancy when you pull it out of your purse for a midday touch-up.

Best Plumping Lip Oil

Kosas

Kosas Wet Lip Oil Gloss $22

This maximum-impact oil is formulated with hyaluronic acid and peptides, two skincare superhero ingredients that visibly plump and hydrate lips. We also love it for its ultra-thick, high-shine finish and eleven-shade range.

Best Lip Oil for Chapped Lips

Fenty

Cherry Treat Conditioning + Strengthening Lip Oil $24

Pout needs a little extra TLC? This cherry-flavored treat from Fenty Skin was designed to repair and restore your lips’ moisture barrier—which will ultimately keep cracked, dry skin at bay. It also features a barely-there, universally flattering cherry tint.

Best Treatment Lip Oil

Clarins

Lip Comfort Hydrating Oil $28

Consider this your friendly reminder that your lips are a key part of your skincare routine—and this formula from Clarins is already an editor favorite for a plush, hydrated pout. The secret is the potent cocktail of Jojoba, Hazelnut, and Sweetbriar Rose which help lock in moisture, reduce fine lines and improve skin elasticity—basically, unlocking your lips’ full potential.

Best High-Shine Lip Tinted Oil


Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez

Soft Pinch Tinted Lip Oil $20

Lip oil is the perfect solution if you don’t like the sticky feel that comes with gloss but still want a lot of shine.

This lip oil is rather unique in the sense that when you first apply it, it is more of a soft jelly texture, but it does eventually melt into a texture that feels more like a traditional lip oil.

You get so much color from this oil that even when the shine factor wears off, there is still a pretty flush of color left behind—similar to a lip stain. If you have ever tried Rare Beauty’s famous Soft Pinch Liquid Blush you know that they take pigment seriously.

Highlighted Ingredients:
– Jojoba Seed Oil: Moisturizes and creates a protective barrier over lips to lock in hydration.
– Sunflower Seed Oil: Antioxidant-rich; soothes and protects from environmental stressors.

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3 Drugstore Dupes That Prove Why E.l.f. Is The G.O.A.T

If you’re a regular on TikTok, you’ll know e.l.f delivers the goods from the beauty GAWDS. Seriously, they know what the people want, and most importantly, they give it to us at a price we cannot resist. Whenever we’re on their site, our cart gets loaded up, and when we check out, our heart skips a beat for all the RIGHT reasons. Bargains after bargains. If you’re looking for some hard receipts because you know, who isn’t? These three elf dupes are all you need to be an e.l.f convert.

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e.l.f. Halo Glow Liquid Filter, $14 DUPE: Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter, $49

The internet went WILD over e.l.f’s most recent complexion glow booster, with people touting it as an exact dupe of the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter, AKA, the e.l.f. Halo Glow Liquid Filter. Famed for its glow-getting finish, the e.l.f formula blends the same, looks the same, and wears just as beautifully as the OG product, but for $35 less. The liquid makeup-skincare hybrid makes your skin look so luminous while blurring imperfections and adding a surge of moisture. Formulated with squalane and hyaluronic acid, it plumps and softens the skin. Wear it alone, under or over makeup, and expect the “OMG, your skin’s so radiant” compliments to flood in.

e.l.f. Monochromatic Multi Stick, $5 Dupe: ILIA Multi-Stick Cream Blush + Highlighter + Lip Tint, $34

Blush is our new bae. Even if we’re running to grab our oat milk latte, you can bet we’ve swiped our cheeks with our fave blush stick, which means we’re always on the lookout for affordable formulas. The versatile stick can be applied to your eyes, lips, and cheeks, and will deliver the most gorgeous sheer wash of color that glides on and blends oh so effortlessly. It’s also non-greasy and super lightweight. Thanks to the low price point, we have at least three stashed in our gym bag, car, and desk. #LOVE

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e.l.f. Cosmetics Brow Lift, $6 Dupe: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze, $23

Makeup lovers and fluffy brow QUEENS unite for their love of the cult fave Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze. It allows you to achieve laminated brows in seconds without the appointment, which explains why it’s constantly sold out.

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Well, let’s just say e.l.f. also understood the assignment and released their version of the brow laying formula. Meet the e.l.f. Cosmetics Brow Lift, an extreme, long-lasting gel that tames, sculpts, and sets even the most unruly brow hairs. Just like the Brow Freeze, it has a clear natural finish that looks ahhhmazing on everyone. Plus, the formula is infused with glycerin and aloe to nourish your brow hairs.