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Beauty queen Lydia Balogun reveals her travel-proof beauty secrets for maintaining flawless, glowy makeup on oily skin wherever she touches down.
When it comes to being multifaceted yet looking effortless, no one does it quite like Lydia Balogun. On paper, she appears to be a breathtaking content creator, bringing you the best of her travels in every picture. But Lydia has a well-documented history of doing anything but just that.
Lydia Balogun is a Nigerian beauty queen, entrepreneur, and creative writer who has successfully established herself across both the pageantry and business landscapes. She graduated cum laude (with honours) from Babcock University before fully immersing herself in competitive pageantry and creative storytelling. Her national recognition began building momentum in 2022 when she competed as Miss Lagos in the prestigious Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) pageant, introducing her as a distinct talent within the industry.
Her breakthrough moment arrived at the 8th Exquisite Queen Nigeria World contest in Lagos, where she outperformed twelve other finalists to clinch the main crown. This victory earned her the title of Miss Aura Nigeria 2023, subsequently providing her with the platform to represent Nigeria internationally at the Miss Aura International competition in Turkey.
In this edition of #MyBeautyHack, Lydia takes a break from her travel schedule and guides us through the behind-the-scenes. She shows her go-to makeup routine for the vacation season, while revealing secrets to maintaining her skin, regardless of the geographical location.
Read also: My Beauty Hack — Tiwa Savage’s no foundation makeup routine that she spices with a shot of Don Julio
Lydia Balogun’s makeup routine for the vacation season
A bare-faced Lydia Balogun on a boat via @lydiaaofficial on Instagram Hair prep
In a slick back ponytail, Lydia reveals that she is not the most adventurous with her hair. A scroll through her Instagram photos accentuates the veracity of that statement, as she often wears a natural hair bun, a frontal wig, or a ponytail.
For her travels, she often spots a ponytail and therefore has a few essentials. The first is a Boots dry shampoo for her weaves and hair. Dry shampoos are best for reducing the greasiness of hair without the need for water. Experts also note that they should be used only once or twice a week, as overuse can cause product buildup, leading to scalp irritation or clogged follicles.
Her next essential is a gel, because what is a slick back without the slick and edges? Her choice product is the Eco Styling Gel “Olive Oil”. This formula provides maximum hold and deep moisture, ideal for thick, coarse hair.
A few things to do before you start your makeup
Lydia Balogun in all black at a pub via @lydiaaofficial on Instagram Lydia is as meticulous in her cleanliness as she is with her makeup routine. Her very first step in her routine is giving her beauty blush a little wash. She describes this as “setting the tone for a clean face” and, in some ways, a clean slate.
She is also picky about makeup bags and believes a lot more consideration should be put into them when purchasing. Her tip is to never buy a fancy makeup bag: “You need something you can throw in the wash; something you can clean, something that is handy and compact.”
She opens her portable makeup bag and reveals that her first makeup application is to carve her brows with Anastasia Beverly Hills brow styling wax. Her orderliness extends to the interior of her makeup bag, as each product is neatly arranged in sections like a tool kit.
As she is about to start the makeup application, she admits that being constantly on the go often means a lot of “improvising on your routine”.
Read also: My Beauty Hack — Tomi Ojo’s hydrating skincare routine and the no-makeup makeup she swears by
The perfect technique for applying base and foundation on oily skin
Lydia Balogun in a charcoal-grey satin evening dress via @lydiaaofficial on Instagram As she unveils the Milk hydro grip primer, she explains why this is the perfect base for her due to its texture. Not to sound nondescript, but she expresses that it does have a “grip” to it, ensuring the foundation stays in place. She also highlights that she loves it because she has oily skin and notes that “the kind of primer you use really depends on the skin you have.”
As she applies it to her cheeks and forehead, she jokes about how important it is to focus on those areas — especially since “there’s a lot of space on her forehead.” Her personality lights up the room as she reaches for her NARS foundation for the next step.
Her preference for her skin tone is the Nars Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation in the shade “Syracuse”. On her first try, she accidentally mispronounces “Syracuse” but laughs it off as she corrects herself.
Another thing she admits is her use of foundation: “I use a lot,” she jokes. “I like full coverage because, as you can see, I am an acne girlie.” Lydia has a profound understanding of her skin, and she explains that while she doesn’t often break out, if she has been away from home for too long, travelling, things are going to “pop up”. This is also a reason she prefers to ditch makeup, mostly when on vacation. She insists on letting the skin breathe, and only reserves the glam for moments when it is required.
She applies a little foundation on her cheeks and forehead, then blends it in with a beauty sponge. For her, this is “daytime makeup”. Heavy makeup has never really been her thing, but there is a time and place for everything. So she reserves those for weddings and other “Aso-ebi” events.
Contouring with concealers
Lydia Balogun in traditional attire, including a gele @lydiaaofficial on Instagram The Tarte concealer in the shade “Medium Sand”, which she jokes is easier to pronounce than the last product’s “Syracuse”, is her trusty secret. While she admits to being more of a foundation girl than a concealer girl, there are a few key tricks to her method.
Her concealer areas are under her eyes, jaw, and nose bridge. She shares that the key secret to concealer is “letting it sit and dry up a bit on your face”. While it dries, she picks up her Benefit Precisely My Brow pencil to shape and fill her eyebrows. She jokes that this product “doesn’t do much and might be a mental thing”. However, one look at her face and there is a visual difference in her brow, which is now well-defined in colour.
As the Tarte concealer still sits, she picks up the “Medium deep 3” shade of NARS concealer, which is visibly darker than her skin tone. “I don’t use a bronzer,” she says. Instead, she uses this dark concealer to sculpt her face.
She focuses on the topmost part of her cheekbones because contouring varies with face shape, and for this round-faced cutie, this is the ideal way. Her forehead is not ignored either, as she blends this concealer with a full Zaron brush to give her a “bronzy look”.
Now that she believes her Tarte concealer has sat enough, she blends it… after she does another trick.
Read also: My Beauty Hack — Laura Ajayi’s all-day lasting off-duty supermodel makeup routine
Getting a dewy look
Lydia Balogun in a floral dress, standing in a vineyard @lydiaaofficial on Instagram She uses Anastasia Beverly Hills dewy set setting spray mid-process for a dewy finish before blending her concealer. She then blends upward, moving from her under-eye area toward the outer corners of her eyes, from her nose to her forehead. “I like a bright undereye,” she says as she holds her Anastasia Beverly Hills loose-setting powder.
The setting powder is in “vanilla”, and she got the powder puff from Sephora. She dabs the excess powder on the back of her hand and notes that “You don’t want to get too many products on your face all at once.”
Her areas of concentration are the bridge of her nose, the corner of her eyes, and down the eyelid. As she applies the powder, she also blends it into her skin. For oily skin, she also suggests applying powder around your lips and nose because “she often gets moisture and sweat around that area”. This application of setting powder in the areas susceptible to sweat works for her. “I am not an expert. I do not know the right terms for this process. But I saw people do it, I tried it, and it works.”
Her last step in her setting powder application is “baking”. Once you have applied a generous layer of loose powder — creating a noticeable build-up upon the surface — simply utilise a small brush (RT 300) to sweep away any lingering particles. This technique is known as baking.
The highlight of her look
Lydia Balogun lounging by the seaside in a boat via @lydiaaofficial on Instagram Her next step is her self-proclaimed “favourite”; this is the blush moment. For her summer looks, she uses Patrick Ta’s “She’s That Girl” to add to her dewy look and uses a Sephora Pro Blush 93 brush to apply it in an upward motion. In the winter, she recommends the Anastasia Beverly Hills blush.
“I think I have blush blindness”, she says as she applies blush on her cheekbones and at the tip of her nose. When she thinks she might have on “too much” blush, she uses her beauty sponge with foundation residue to even it out. Then she applies her Anastasia Beverly Hills dewy set setting spray again and lets it set in.
Let’s not forget the lips
She starts on her lips with the Make Up Forever lip liner in the shade “anywhere caffeine”. As the shade suggests, this is a brown lip liner. When it comes to shaping her lips, she stays simple and follows the natural structure of her lips.
Then she applies her Fenty Beauty Glow Bomb stick in Fenty Glow colour. She notes that this mixture “really complements the lip liner”. Lastly, she uses the Dior lip gloss in colour 38 for a lovely finish.
But right when you think she is done, she pulls out her Urban Decay All Nighter Long-lasting Makeup Setting Spray to lock everything in place. She explains that the difference between the two setting sprays is that the Anastasia Beverly Hills spray gives her makeup a dewy finish, while the Urban Decay spray helps it last all day. She also insists that Urban Decay has “never failed her.”
Lydia’s beauty products
Marie Claire Nigeria Product Guide to Lydia Balogun’s beauty products Dry shampoo – Boots
Anastasia Beverly Hills – Brow Styling Wax
Milk hydro grip primer
NARS foundation
Tarte concealer
Benefit Precisely My Brow Pencil
Nars concealer
Brush – Zaron
Anastasia Beverly Hills loose setting powder
Brush – RT 300
Patrick Ta blush She’s That Girl
Brush – Sephora Pro blush 93
Anastasia Beverly Hills Dewy Setting Spray
Make Up Forever lip liner, Anywhere Caffeine
Fenty Beauty Glow Bomb stick in Fenty Glow
Dior lip gloss in 38
Urban Decay Setting Spray – All Nighter
Read more: My Beauty Hack – Maeve Nonye’s five-minute beauty routine every minimalist will love
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