National Ballet star Heather Ogden’s sweat-resistant makeup tips

As the lead in the current production of the National Ballet of Canada’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, Heather Oden jumps and pirouettes across the stage for two and a half hours under stage lights burning. And yet her makeup never seems to budge.

“I’m pretty strict with my makeup,” admits the lead dancer. “I sweat a lot and sometimes [my face is] be touched.” So how does she keep looking so flawless? Ogden joined the company 25 years ago and has gained quite a bit of experience, not just honing her stage makeup techniques, but specifically for Juliet.

“Juliet was my first starring role when I was still in the corps de ballet – I was 21 I think,” Ogden recalls. So I’ve been doing this role almost my entire career. It is very nice to return to a role often because you learn from it and grow in it.”

For the role of the lovelorn ingénue, Ogden likes to keep her look fresh and full of life with rosy cheeks. “I also like my eyes to be really defined because it’s a lot of dramatic acting, but of course I want a very youthful look.

Ogden likes to give herself enough time to do her makeup before a performance. Sometimes, while getting ready, she puts on some music or talks to her best friend and locker room roommate, First Soloist. Tanya Howard, or FaceTime her kids before they go to bed. “It’s part of my ritual and my way of getting into character time,” she explains. “It soothes and calms.”

Here, Ogden walks us through every step of her routine and shares her best tricks for making sure makeup stays put, whether you’re dancing the night away or just enjoying the warm weather.

Preparing work

When she arrives in her dressing room for a show, Ogden will usually wash her face so she can start with a clean canvas. She then applies a moisturizer, an important step for smooth and even makeup application. Then comes primer (she likes the one from Arbonne), which grabs onto products so they don’t slip when you start to get hot.

All about that base

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

Feel brutal

For Juliet’s all-important romantic blush, Ogden likes to cover her cheeks first with Stila’s cult classic Convertible color double lip and cheek cream in the shade Peony. “It gives a little bit of a glowing feeling that’s really nice,” she says. But since creams can move, she tops that with a powder blush to lock in the look. She likes to use a two-in-one blush and bronzer palette (her MAC go-to has sadly been discontinued, but the Benefit product below is a great dupe). She uses the bronzer side to subtly contour her face (make sure to use a matte formula for this) and make her features pop.

The eyes have it

When it comes to eye makeup, Ogden likes to start with brows, fill in her arches with a smudge-resistant pencil (her favorite is Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Brow Wiz), then buff them up with a dab of gel. Next comes eye shadow (she opts for powder shades for longevity), opting for a darker shade in the crease and a lighter shade in the center of the eyelid. Eyeliner then adds definition. Ogden likes the liquid kind for the top and a pencil for the bottom.

Slash out

After curling her lashes, Ogden likes to use very thin false lashes – nothing too heavy – to enhance her look. “I borrow Tanya’s eyelash glue every day because I never have it!” She will then apply a few coats of mascara to blend her natural lashes with the false lashes. For her top lashes, her go-to is the famous one from Dior Dior show, a volumizing mascara that lasts for 24 hours and does not transfer. As for her lower lashes, Ogden reaches for Thrive Causemetics’ Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara, a tube formula that’s completely smudge-proof. “I really love this mascara in the summer,” she says. “Sometimes when you sweat or as the day progresses, with normal mascara, you get that kind of dark cloud of speckled mess. This one doesn’t.”

Lip service

While she often sports a classic red pout for other roles (her number one in that department is MAC’s Lady Danger), for Juliet, she likes to go for something a little more pink in keeping with the character’s sweet, innocent feel. She cites Charlotte Tilbury’s Love Liberty as a recent favorite. As for the finish, she prefers matte to something too glossy. “Shine just comes off,” she explains. She starts with a matching pencil, which also helps keep the lipstick within the lines, and then applies her lip color of choice. “Usually I reapply 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] to kiss [laughs].”

Finish

During breaks or between scenes, Ogden will quickly adjust her makeup as needed, grab a cotton swab to clean up any smudges or add more rouge or lipstick. She’ll also take away shine with MAC’s Mineralize Skinfinish Natural powder. Not only does it remove sebum, but it gives makeup a natural finish so you can vacuum on as much as you need without worrying about your skin looking dull or cakey.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural, $48, maccosmetics.ca SHOP HERE

As soon as the curtain closes, Ogden retires to her dressing room where she immediately dunks her feet in a bucket of ice water. “Then I wash my face and moisturise so I can leave with a fresh face and ready for bed!”

The National Ballet of Canada’s production of “Romeo and Julietruns until June 25.

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