Because what’s the point of actually being able to go out if you don’t wear marvellous makeup?
What we love above all about winter is party season and all the opportunities it gives us to experiment with make-up. Speaking of which, here are three of the hottest party season looks to recreate at home. Heads will turn!
GLOWING SKIN AND RED LIP
YouTuber Uche Natori created this makeup look to replicate the glow that you get on holiday, but – because it features one of the best red lips we’ve ever seen – we think it works wonderfully for party season too!
Step 1: As glowing skin is the priority for this look, it’s important to start with a moisturised face. Then, of course, it’s time for foundation – you want a formula that’s light enough to look similar to tinted moisturiser, but substantial enough to make your skin look as close to perfect as possible.
Step 2: Buff it out with a foundation brush and then a makeup sponge to make the finish as natural as possible. Then, add brightness to the centre points of your face with a concealer that’s one shade lighter than your skin tone.
Let that sit while you apply a cream contour mixed with illuminator to really define your cheekbones and add light.
Step 3: Now, take the same brush that you’ve used to blend that contour and give your forehead some love with the residue! If your skin is on the oily side you may want to miss this step.
Step 4: Blend out the concealer that’s been sitting on your face with a makeup sponge before taking a concealer brush and lifting the concealer from the outer corner of the eye, creating a lifted eye look overall.
Step 5: Instead of eyeshadow, use a concealer that matches your skin tone on the inner and outer corners of your eyes to contour them. Afterwards, to ensure these areas stay matte, apply a translucent setting powder to everywhere the brightening concealer sat. Be sure to avoid the contour, though: you don’t want to mute the glow it gives!
Step 6: Then, grab a face powder in your skin tone to put on the remaining areas of your face so that they stay put too (and don’t forget the setting spray for that end either). After filling out your brows a bit and opting for either false lashes or a generous amount of mascara, you can move on to your lips.
Step 7: Start by lining them with a lip pencil that’s relatively close to your skin tone. After this, apply your chosen red lipstick straight from the bullet to the centre and then define the corners with an alternative lip pencil in a similar shade to the first one – this creates an ombre effect and depth to the lips. You are now set to stun.
Recreate it
Try: Anastasia Beverly Hills Luminous Foundation (£43)
• Size: 30ml
• Water-resistant
If it’s luminous skin you’re after, you could do a lot worse than investing in a bottle of Anastasia Beverly Hills Luminous Foundation. Available in 50 shades, it offers enough coverage to blur imperfections yet still feels lusciously lightweight on skin.
NUDE GOLDEN GLAM
Image courtesy of @rebeccacapelmakeup on Instagram
Whether you’re partying all night or all day (hello bottomless brunches), you want a make-up look which has as much staying power as it does stunning power – like this one by make-up artist Rebecca Capel.
Step 1: If you have time, it’s great to use a sheet mask before doing this look – better skin is a better base for makeup! There’s no need to rinse your face afterwards, simply massage in any residue.
Step 2: After any residue has been fully absorbed into your skin, press a small amount of primer into any oily areas of your face before grabbing your favourite full coverage foundation and putting some on a damp make-up sponge.
Step 3: Now, bounce the sponge all over your face to give the foundation a natural finish. After this, take a cream bronzer and apply lightly with a medium brush around any areas of your face that require shape and definition.
Step 4: Next, grab a concealer that’s close to your foundation shade to, well, conceal everything that the foundation didn’t quite cover. After that, it’s time for a concealer that’s lighter than your foundation to brighten the centre of your face. This makes “the eyes stand out a little more,” Rebecca says in the tutorial.
Step 5: Once all this is blended, apply a small amount of cream blush to the centre of your cheeks and then in an upwards motion with the same medium brush you used for your bronzer.
Step 6: Although you already have cream bronzer on your face, it’s now time to redefine those areas with powder bronzer before using multiple blushers to achieve the truly rosy glow that Rebecca recommends; even applying some to the sides of the forehead, nose and chin.
Step 7: Then, grab a luminous pressed powder to set under the eye area. Ultimately, what you want to achieve here is the combination of “this flawless under eye flowing into this blush,” Rebecca reveals. End this stage with a healthy spritz of setting spray “to melt those powders down” before moving onto the eyes.
Step 8: Take your usual brow pencil and draw a line beneath your brow arch before filling in the brow. Fill in any sparse areas with a brow pomade and then brush your brows up with a clear brow gel.
Step 9: Prep your lids with a base that’s lighter than your skin tone to give a brightening effect. Unsurprisingly, a nude eyeshadow palette is what you’ll next need for this look. Create a winged eyeshadow shape with your chosen matte brown shade, using light circular motions to place the product on the outer part of your eyelid. Then, take a light eyeshadow to illuminate the upper eye area just beneath your brow arch, also bringing it down to the eye contour and blending out.
Step 10: A shimmer eyeshadow can now be applied from the inner corner to the centre of the eyelid and then blended with the matte eyeshadow. To create a smoky effect, take the darkest shade in the palette along with an eyeliner brush and apply just above the lash line, creating a subtle wing. Repeat this step until you achieve your desired intensity. Then, take an angled brush and apply this shade to the inner corner of your eye and proceed to line the lash line. This will provide an excellent base for false lashes.
Step 11: We’ve reached the lip stage at last! Take a lip pencil in a shade close to your natural lip colour and line your lips. Then, apply a nude lipstick and finish with a healthy swipe of lipgloss. Finished!
Recreate it
Try: NARS Sheer Glow Foundation (£35.50)
• Size: 30ml
• Non-comedogenic
• Fragrance-free
Some days you want full coverage from your foundation, others you want the fact that you’re even wearing it at all to go unnoticed. That’s why we love buildable foundations. And this one has the added benefit of containing antioxidants to protect skin and turmeric to improve its tone and radiance.
Try: No7 Stay Perfect Stick Concealer (£9.95)
• Size: 4.5g
Whether you’re trying to hide hormonal acne or age spots, a concealer that comes in 17 shades, is the tool for the job. And if – like this one – it lasts up to 16 hours, that’s even better.
BRIGHT GRAPHIC EYE
Image courtesy of @makeupwithivan on Instagram
If you think party season make-up is about pulling out all the stops, a bold and bright graphic eye – like this one by makeup artist and TikTok star @makeupwithivan – is the look for you.
Step 1: Once you’ve done your base exactly as you like it, it’s time to apply eyeshadow primer. After this has been blended into the eyelid, pick a bright matte eyeshadow (Ivan goes for purple but any colour will work), along with a small eyeshadow brush and apply to the eyelid crease, creating a wing shape beyond the outer corner of the eye.
Step 2: Fill in the rest of the eyelid before doing the same underneath so that the colour on the eyelid and beneath are connected.
Step 3: Then, take a shimmer eyeshadow in the same colour as the matte and apply that from the inner corner to the centre of the eyelid before finding a darker shimmer eyeshadow (in the same colour) and applying that from the centre to the outer corner.
Step 4: Next, do a dramatic wing with your favourite black eyeliner before applying a set of fabulous false eyelashes. Finish with a glossy lip.