We all want our party makeup to look flawless and fabulous all night long, and to be chic and current without leaving us looking like a fashion victim, so here’s a little guide to avoiding Holiday Party Makeup Mistakes.
1.) Exfoliate.
Makeup will never look gorgeous when the skin underneath is dry and flaky. Cold weather dries skin out, so at this time of the year it is more important than ever to stay exfoliated.
Use an enzyme mask before applying your makeup. Remove with a warm wash cloth and follow with an intense moisturizer, or a serum and moisturizer.
2.) Avoid The Oilslick!
Just as a dry, flaky complexion is a beauty buzz-kill, so is the super slick, super shiny, oily T Zone.
Use a pH balanced cleanser such as Pamela Springer’s Natural Radiance Bar with a Clarisonic for a deeper, exfoliating cleanse that will remove excess oil and congestion. The only shine we want to see on the face is that which we have strategically placed ourselves!
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| Clarisonic Mia Limited Edition. |
3.)Prime your skin.
You’ll get more mileage out of your foundation if you are well primed beneath it. Give your moisturizer 15 minutes to really settle in to the skin, make sure there is no film left on the surface, (lift of with a single ply tissue if there is) and then apply a good primer, such as Makeup Forever HD Primer.
4.)Use An Eye Shadow Primer
An eye shadow primer will help your shadow to hold better and look fresh even at the end of the night. Try Nars Smudge Proof Eye Shadow Base
Make sure the entire eye area, including the lower lash line is well powdered and set so that makeup doesn’t move
5.) Keep Glitter Under Control
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| Jennifer Lopez always works a dewy sheen without glitter |
Avoid large fleck glitter – it looks infantile. Instead opt for luminizer, such as h.wood.beauty Illuminate in Sunshine (on my “can’t live without” list). Apply lightly to the upper cheekbones and bridge of the nose to give the skin a healthy, dewy glow. If you’re looking tired pat a tiny amount under the eyes for an instant revitalizing boost!
6.) Don’t Mix Metals
Metallics are huge this season, but need to be worn alone. Silver and gold really don’t mix well on your face – if you have a fairer complexion silvers and grays will look good, if you are medium through warm complected golds will look gorgeous. Avoid looking like the Tin Man by choosing one area of the face, such as the eyes, and keep your metallics there.
7.)Avoid Mascara Flakes and Smudges
There’s no time like now to invest in a new mascara! If your current mascara is dry and flaky, its time to toss it and get a new one. Try a water resistant formula like MAC Pro Lash. Waterproof is great if you’re planning on swimming or sobbing, but otherwise avoid their tar like formulas. Water resistant mascaras wont smudge and will hold beautifully all night long.
8.) Go Easy On Lipliner
As the evening progresses your lipstick will wear down. Overstated lip liner looks plain silly, and as the rest of your lip color wears down it looks plain awful. Line/shape your lips with a liner that matches your lipstick, then pat your lipstick on with your finger, blot, and reapply, creating a deep stain rather than a surface slick.
It will last longer, wear more beautifully and need fewer touch ups.
9.) Don’t Forget Your Nails!
Choose a fun, bold, bright color for your nails, such as OPI I’m Not A Waitress red. It can be the detail that brings your look together, whereas bare nails can be the detail that leaves you looking incomplete. Its all in the details…
10.) Bring Blotting Papers.
Instead of dulling down your look by caking on extra layers of powder, use blotting papers to lift away any surface oil. This will help you to look fresh faced without excess shine.
