The whole purpose of special occasion makeup is to help you have fun. Here’s how to get your party on.
If there’s ever a reason for busting out your inner glamazon it’s a party. Just applying your usual makeup won’t cut it – party makeup is all about drama and fantasy.
There are a number of looks you can try for a special night, depending on your taste and personality.
Siren
Go all out for a movie star look by using old-Hollywood style eyeshadow in peacock colours such as emerald green. Keep the focus on your eyes by piling on the mascara and adding false lashes, leaving the rest of your face fairly neutral. Your lip colour should be low key, such as a natural-looking pink.
Pop
This is beauty speak for a colour that brightens the face and accentuates the features, like a pink blush on the cheek apples, purple shadow on green eyes or red lipstick. Vivid colours, either for the eyes or the lips, will amp up the impact of those features. Apply red, purple or bright lipsticks with care, using a nude lip pencil and blotting before a second pass to ensure your colour stays the distance.
To enhance brown eyes, try a pop of yellow shadow in the centre of the lid or pink faded gently from the outer crease to the tip of the eyebrow.
Sparkle
Parties are the perfect venue for glitter-ball effects. You can tap a fingerprint of metallic or tinsel shadow into the inside corner of your eye or swoosh a trail of fairy dust over the tops of your cheeks, shoulders, cleavage or wherever your fancy takes you. Keep your touch as light as a feather to avoid looking like a carnival kewpie doll.
Sultry
Smoky eyes lend themselves perfectly to a party because they look better as the night goes on. The updated smoky eye uses a dark-toned shimmery base colour over the lid and in the crease and you can build intensity with darker colour closer to the lashes, dark pencil on your inner eyelids, eyeliner and mascara.
Glow
Luminescence is a stealth beauty effect, lighting up your face like a light bulb under your skin to enhance all your features and blur imperfections. There are a huge number of products that deliver glow, in formulations you can simply skim over bare skin or your makeup. Sweep a veil of highlighter over the tops of your cheekbones, your forehead, the outline of your upper lip and a dab on your chin and bridge of your nose.
