For getting soirée-ready, these great tips from celebrity artists and the best products will give your DIY party makeup instant polish, says editor Trudi Brewer. Read on to learn to.
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Dressing to impress this festive season? From a little black dress or slinky sequin number, once your makeup has a touch of sparkle and a set of quality faux lashes, you will not only feel festive, but your eyes will undoubtedly catch the light. Here are the tips and tricks to getting you party-ready fast. Scroll down to learn more.
Skin prep
“For evening makeup, I love to focus on creating a beautiful luminescent base that gives extra dimension in lower lighting,” says one of our favourite celebrity makeup artists Benjamin Puckey who works with stars such as Jenna Coleman, Sienna Millar and Kate Hudson. According to Puckey, the trick to a stunning party makeup look is to embrace your natural skin. “Find a foundation that lets your skin look the best version of itself.” But first, start your makeup on clean skin and then apply a primer before any foundation.
Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow, $82.
You can use this skin illuminator as a primer under your foundation or on its own to banish the look of tired, dull skin in seconds. It is sacked with light-diffusing pigments, a skin-plumping peptide, wild pansy extract, rosehip and camellia oils, and that famous moisture magnet hyaluronic acid. Once you try this glow-giver, you will never want to be without it.
To use: Apply before the foundation and then tap it over the top on the high points of the face.
A hint of a tint
To avoid wearing heavy foundation, try a facial self-tan. If you’re worried it will leave you looking orange, don’t. This is because cell turnover occurs so rapidly on the face that a facial tanner will fade faster than a self-tan on the body. Then when you're ready to refresh your colour, exfoliate your face and begin again. Also, choose a specific facial self-tan; these formulas are made with less DHA and are lighter in colour than a body self-tanner. Here’s our fave below.
Sugarbaby OUT-GLOWING NATURAL GLOW FACE & DÉCOLLETAGE SELF-TAN WATER, $30.
We’re addicted to the glow this tanning water leaves on the skin. It’s ideal for anyone nervous about tanning their face. Why? The unique formula is 100 per cent natural DHA, infused with jojoba and bioactive coconut concentrates, so it’s skincare with a hint of the actual colour. Being a water formula, a fine mist of this tanner is all you need to leave your skin looking dewy and sun-kissed.
To use: Cleanse your skin, then pat dry. Shake well and apply directly to the skin or use a tan mitt, working quickly like a facial serum. Wait a minute or two to make sure your skin is dry to the touch, and then apply makeup. It is perfect for those no-make-up summer days, but it also doubles as a brilliant makeup primer, meaning you need less makeup to get glowing.
The lash
As much as a bold lip and a statement eye scream party, Puckey says to choose one or the other when it comes to makeup: “If you do a bold eye look, choose a nude lip colour that doesn’t wash out your complexion,” Similarly, if you wear a bold lip, think a pop of red or a bold Barbiecore pink; he suggests keeping the lids a bit more toned to top off a well-dressed eye, but with any party makeup, fluttery faux lashes are the ultimate accessory. “Adding a lash is a must for a night out on the town,” says Ashunta Sheriff, celebrity makeup artist on The Real Housewives of Atlanta. For a long-lasting magnetic flutter, Sheriff says, “The trick is to let the magnetic liner dry for three to five minutes before trying to apply the lash strips.”
Glam Pro by Manicare Magnetic Lashes, $16.
These innovative magnetic eyelashes were created to make your DIY party makeup complete. This revolutionary beauty accessory is designed to take the hard work out of applying faux lashes, and here’s how. Each lash includes three lightweight, discreet micro magnets that work with the accompanying magnetising eyeliner - it’s so simple and effective; read on to learn how to apply a set.
Step-by-step
To use: First, draw a sleek eye line (like you would a liquid liner) close to and along your top lash line, slightly extended at the end. We look down into a hand-held mirror doing this step. Wait a few seconds, and then click the eyelashes into place on top of the magnetic liner. The lashes come in two styles. The Khloe lash for that wow factor, and The Willow, fine crisis-crossed lashes for a more natural day look. These lashes last for as long as you want them to stay in place and are reusable - which is a win-win.
The sparkle
If you haven’t done so, it’s time to embrace a little sparkle. Age aside, when strategically placed, grown-up glitter looks stunning on everyone. Donni Davy, an Emmy-award-winning makeup artist famous for her work on the HBO series Euphoria, suggests, “Start with a matte eyeshadow base and top it off with a shimmer metallic shadow before adding a touch of glitter to take it to the top.”
Stila Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow in Diamond Dust, $39.
Nothing beats this long-lasting glide-on, set-and-forget lightweight, sparkle eyeshadow. It combines pearl and glitter particles to create a stand-out wash of sparkle (without the fall out you get with powder shadows) on the lids, or when applied with a fine liner brush, you can create a precise glitter liner. The magpie in us can’t go past this for creating festive eye makeup - it’s the best.
A pop of colour
If you’re a neutral makeup gal day-to-day, a pop of bold-coloured eyeshadow or eyeliner helps dress up your makeup for the night. “Colour frames the eyes and helps accent the overall look,” says Davy. Looking for ways to coordinate your eyeliner with your lipstick? She suggests, “Frosty lipstick with darker liner and wet shiny-looking grungy eyes will be big this season.” She is also an eyeliner fan. “Use a calligraphy-style eyeliner pen and shimmery eyeshadow together while keeping the rest of the face more subdued, finished with just a hint of blush.” Finally, if you have a makeup drawer full of bright eye shadow colours you never use, Puckey says, “If there’s a colour you’re afraid to wear, try it at night; it won’t look as intense.”
GUCCI Beauté Des Yeux Gorgeous Flora Eyeshadow Palette, $260.
For makeup collectors, this is the palette of your dreams. There are 12 satins, matte and metallic shades, including some on-trend pops of colour and shimmery neutrals, housed in a limited edition Gucci flora patterned palette - it’s almost too pretty to use.
We ask the experts.