I’ve been relating to Hannah Montana my whole adult life, and it’s truly the best of both worlds.
If you’re not familiar, Hannah Montana was the title character of a Disney Channel show starring Miley Cyrus. Miley’s character (named Miley Stewart) lived a double life as a regular girl by day and rock star Hannah by night. My college friends gave me the nickname Hannah Montana because I rarely stayed on campus on weekends, always going back home for gigs.
Before I even graduated high school, I started singing with a band called 1 Hot Mess. While I’ve sung and filled in with different bands for 12 years, I currently sing with Daddy-O and the Sax Maniax.
While I related to switching between two identities, I also related to Miley Stewart’s beauty routine. As she donned her blonde wig for performances, I clipped in long, black extensions. Not much has changed — today, they’re blonde extensions — and I’ve learned tricks along the way to keep my makeup from sliding and sweating off and to help soothe my tired skin after a night of performing.
Here are some of the tips I’ve picked up being the real-life Hannah Montana. You don’t need to be a rock star to try them, either. These tricks will help you at everything from an outdoor wedding in July to looking better in photos.
The stickier the primer, the better
I sweat a lot. I know people will say, “Oh my god, I’m just a sweaty mess,” but I am quite literally a sweaty mess within the first few minutes of the night. While it went with my aesthetic in a rock band, it’s harder to get away with at someone’s wedding. If I can’t stop myself from sweating (looking into Botox for this!), I can keep my makeup from running down my face. Milk Makeup Kush Hydro Grip Primer is super tacky, which helps seal my makeup to my face. Even in hot, humid weather, my makeup won’t budge.
Never go without false lashes
People take pictures while you perform, and more often than not, the makeup look I worked so hard on gets blown out by the camera flash. I also noticed I developed raccoon eyes from running mascara.
I started to get into false eyelashes in my theater days since they help define your eyes so even the back of the house can see them. They also won’t smudge all over your face. Grab some lashes (I love Ardell Demi Wispies) and waterproof glue (Duo Adhesive Dark) and pop them on. Use a waterproof black liner (Fenty Flyliner in Cuz I’m Black) to line your upper lid and disguise any glue mishaps.
Glitter makes it look like you tried
When I was just starting out singing, I remember doing all of these intricate smoky or colorful eye looks that got lost on stage under the lights and in dark bars. Glitter never fades into the background, though, and I’ve always gotten more compliments on my glittery eyes than anything else. Glitter reflects the light and always makes it seem like you did a “lewk” instead of just slapping some on in the car on the way there.
I have been loving Slayfire Cosmetics glitters. The biodegradable glitters come in a range of colors (neon green to traditional silver), and the consistency ranges from superfine to chunky. They also just stick onto your lid, so it’s best to apply them with your finger.
Body shimmer tops it all off
Little flecks of shimmer reflect the light, too, and help disguise any uneven skin tone, redness, random marks, mild body breakouts, etc., so they’re less noticeable on stage. It also completes the look. Otherwise, you have this beautiful face, and then you look down and see dry shoulders.
I promise you can find a level of shimmer that won’t make you look like a robot. I like to mix a pump of Lime Crime Body Lite Body Shimmer with a pump of Vaseline Cocoa Radiant Lotion and apply it all over my arms, chest, back and shoulders. If shimmer isn’t your game, at least work in some body lotion to quench any dry spots or roughness.
Aftercare is key
When I come home from a long night, I immediately drink a bunch of water and then take off my makeup by double-cleansing (using an oil-based cleanser for the sweat, oil, dirt, etc., and then a traditional cleanser that cleans my skin). I keep my routine really basic and spritz myself with a hydrating toner (Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist) before placing tiny ice packs on my eyes. Then, I apply eye cream (Drunk Elephant C-Tango Multivitamin Eye Cream) and a do-it-all serum such as Peach and Lily Glass Skin Serum. Then, I put on moisturizer (Fenty Instant Reset Overnight Recovery Gel-Cream).
Gia Mazur is an award-winning staff writer and beauty obsessive who joined The Times-Tribune’s Lifestyles department in 2015. She’s a product enthusiast who can’t live without an eyelash curler. A proud Virgo, Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk is her go-to. Contact: gmazur@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9127; @gmazurTT
