Insurgent On-Set: The Secret to Keeping Shailene Woodley's Skin Shine-Free

Pro skincare tips from a sweaty movie set

They don't call it Hotlanta for nothing. While shooting Insurgent in the ATL last summer, makeup artists were faced with the interminable task of making actors look as if they were cool-running around futuristic Chicago instead of standing slick-faced and sweaty while in the South.

As the country at large preps for the humid weather and higher temps of the upcoming season, we just had to know how they feigned the look.

So we tapped the film's makeup artists for the inside scoop on how they kept the actors' complexions—like Shailene Woodley and Theo James—looking as if they weren't sweating a thing, except Kate Winslet's character and her relentless army.

To erase shiny complexions brought on by humidity, Denise Paulson, assistant department head on the film, used Dermalogica Oil Control Lotion (a moisturizer stocked with oil-reducing meadow sweet and salicylic acid) to prep skin before makeup. "It helps absorb any excess oil, which means less powder is required come makeup time and throughout the day," she said.

Another hero product of the shoot? Dermalogica Clearing Mattifier, which Paulson used to reduce shine on skin, tattoos and prosthetics.

While it might seem counterintuitive to use a tacky balm in, well, balmy weather, Paulson says the product actually helped control shine instead of perpetuate it—thanks to ingredients like salicylic acid, which exfoliates dead skin cells to help reduce breakouts, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.

Other active ingredients, like antibacterial cinnamon bark and vitamin B3 (which helps fade dark spots) made this multi-purpose shine-stopper a "life saver when working outdoors in Georgia," according to Zsofia Otvos, a key makeup artist on the set.

We may not have to fight a militant army as we cruise our way to summer, but as we get ready for music festivals in desert locales and the sticky summer season ahead, we'll be looking to stamp out slick-faced selfies by keeping salicylic acid, cinnamon bark and meadow sweet-stocked skin care in heavy rotation.

Insurgent hits theaters on March 20.