National Ballet star Heather Ogden shares her expert tips for sweatproof makeup

As the lead in the National Ballet of Canada’s current production of “Romeo and Juliet,” Heather Ogden leaps and pirouettes across the stage for two and half hours under scorching stage lights. And yet, her makeup never seems to budge.

“I’m pretty hard on my makeup,” the principal dancer admits. “I’m sweating a lot and sometimes [my face is] being touched.” So how does she stay looking so flawless? Having joined the company 25 years ago, Ogden has had her fair share of practice, not only honing her stage makeup techniques, but doing so for Juliet specifically.

“Juliet was my first principal role when I was still in the corps de ballet — I was 21 I believe,” Ogden recalls. So I’ve been doing this role almost my entire career. It’s really nice to return to a role many times because you learn from it and grow in it.”

For the part of the lovestruck ingénue, Ogden likes to keep her look fresh and full of life by way of rosy cheeks. “I also like my eyes to be really defined because it’s a lot of dramatic acting, but obviously, I want a really youthful look.

Ogden likes to give herself plenty of time to do her makeup before a performance. Sometimes, as she’s getting ready, she’ll put on some music or chat with her best-friend and dressing room roommate, First Soloist Tanya Howard, or FaceTime her kids before they go to bed. “It’s part of my ritual and my getting into character time,” she explains. “It’s calming and settling.”

Here, Ogden walks us through each step of her routine and shares her best tricks for ensuring makeup stays put, whether you’re dancing all night or simply enjoying the warm weather.

Prep work

When she arrives in her dressing room before a show, Ogden will usually wash her face so she can start with a clean canvas. Then, she’ll apply moisturizer, a key step for allowing a smooth and even makeup application. After that comes primer (she likes the one from Arbonne), which grips onto products so they don’t slide around if you start getting hot.

All about that base

She’ll then perfect her complexion with Clarins’s Everlasting Concealer followed by Make Up For Ever’s HD Skin Undetectable Stay-True Foundation. Not only do both products deliver natural-looking coverage, most importantly, they’re super long-wearing (both promise to stick around for a full 24 hours), making them ideal for sweltering temps. A little loose powder seals everything in place.

Feeling cheeky

For Juliet’s all-important romantic flush, Ogden likes to first top her cheeks with Stila’s cult-classic Convertible Color Dual Lip & Cheek Cream in the shade Peony. “It gives a little glowy feeling that’s really pretty,” she says. But because creams can move around, she’ll then top that with a powder blush to secure the look. She likes using a two-in-one blush and bronzer palette (her go-to from M.A.C is sadly discontinued but the Benefit product below is a great dupe). She’ll use the bronzer side to subtly contour her face (make sure to use a matte formula for this) and bring out her features.

The eyes have it

When it comes to eye makeup, Ogden likes to start with brows, filling in her arches with a smudgeproof pencil (her favourite is Brow Wiz from Anastasia Beverly Hills) and then brushing them up with a bit of gel. After that comes eyeshadow (she goes for powder ones for longevity), opting for a darker shade in the crease and a lighter tone on the centre of the lid. Eyeliner then adds definition. Ogden likes the liquid kind for the top and a pencil for the bottom.

Lashing out

After curling her lashes, Ogden likes to pop in very thin falsies — nothing too heavy — to enhance her gaze. “I borrow Tanya’s eyelash glue every single day because I never have any!” She’ll then brush on a few coats of mascara to blend her natural lashes with the false ones. For her top lashes, her go-to is Dior’s famed Diorshow, a volumizing mascara that lasts for 24 hours and doesn’t transfer. As for her bottom lashes, Ogden reaches for Thrive Causemetics’ Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara, a tubing formula that’s totally smudgeproof. “I really love this mascara in the summer,” she says. “Sometimes when you sweat or the day goes on, with normal mascara, you get that kind of dark cloud of speckled mess. This one doesn’t do that.”

Lip service

Whereas she often sports a classic red pout for other roles (her number one in that department is M.A.C’s Lady Danger), for Juliet, she likes to go for something more pink in keeping with the character’s sweet, innocent feel. She cites Charlotte Tilbury’s Love Liberty as a recent favourite. As for the finish, she prefers matte over anything too shiny. “Gloss just comes off,” she explains. She’ll start with a matching pencil, which also helps lipstick stay within the lines, and will then apply her lip colour of choice. “I’m usually layering my lipstick over and over during the show because it just comes off, whether it’s from dancing or [in the case of Romeo and Juliet] kissing [laughs].”

Finishing touches

During intermissions or between scenes, Ogden will quickly adjust her makeup as needed, grabbing a cotton swab to clean up any smudges or adding more blush or lipstick. She’ll also take down shine with M.A.C’s Mineralize Skinfinish Natural powder. It not only nixes oil, but sets makeup with a natural finish, so you can dust on as much as needed without having to worry about your skin looking dull or cakey.

M.A.C Mineralize Skinfinish Natural, $48, maccosmetics.ca SHOP HERE

Once the curtain closes, Ogden retreats to her dressing room where she immediately dunks her feet in a bucket of ice water. “I then wash my face and moisturize so I can leave fresh-faced and ready for bed!”

The National Ballet of Canada’s production of “Romeo and Juliet” runs until June 25.

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