Whether it’s for your Christmas work do, a birthday bash, or just an excuse to dance, knowing some top beauty tips on what to do before a party is the best way to look fab all night long.
Understanding how to prep your skin for a big event is a must if you want a glowing complexion and a long-lasting makeup look.
When it comes to makeup application, you don’t have to be an expert to achieve a gorgeous makeup look. We’ve got some recommendations for how to easily transform your daily look.
Read on to discover all our top tips for the party season, so you can know exactly how to look your best on a night out.
How to Prep Your Skin to Get Ready for a Party
Looking after your skin is important all year round. But if you want to get party-ready, you’ll want to pay special attention to your skincare routine.
With the right products, you can boost luminosity for a natural glow and radiance, control oil levels or dryness, and ensure your makeup applies smoothly and lasts throughout the night.
Knowing how to prep skin for makeup is the best way to guarantee a seamless makeup look that takes you from day to night.
1. Start With a Nourishing Face Mask
To amp up your everyday skincare routine for a big night out, you’ll want to apply a face mask and eye mask that delivers instant benefits to your skin.
Face masks contain high concentrations of active ingredients so are the perfect way to get fast-acting and dramatic results. Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Radiance-Boosting Mask is a great choice for prepping your skin for a party.
This product works as an instant facial, smoothing, brightening, and blurring imperfections with 3D Silicone Elastomers.
Plus natural Jojoba Oil and Vitamin E nourish and condition skin.
Auto Pilot face mask imparts a natural velvet–matte finish and gorgeous glow, creating the perfect base for makeup.
2. Cleanse, Tone, and Moisturise
Now that you’ve given your skin an extra boost, it’s time to perform your everyday skincare routine.
We always recommend a solid three-step cleanse, tone, and moisturise. But now is also the perfect time to apply any facial oils and serums for extra benefits.
3. Prepare Your Skin for Makeup Application
After your face mask and skincare routine, you’ll want to apply a primer for additional skincare benefits and to extend your makeup’s longevity. The primer you choose should depend on your skin type.
If you have dry skin, you’ll want a moisture-boosting primer such as Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Pre-Foundation Primer - GOLD.
For oily skin, we recommend a mattifying primer such as MAKE UP FOR EVER Shine Control Primer.
Read more on the benefits of choosing the right primer in our guide - What is the Purpose of a Makeup Primer?
Should You Do Your Hair or Makeup First?
Once your skin has been prepped, it’s time to move on to the next step of your beauty routine. So is this step hair or makeup? You may be tempted to pin your hair out of the way while you do your makeup and then tackle your hairstyle afterwards.
But we actually recommend styling your hair first. This is simply because if you want your makeup to last, we recommend applying it as late as possible in your getting-ready routine!
You may also get a little hot and flushed if you’re using straightening irons or curling tools, which can melt away your carefully crafted makeup look. Not ideal!
How to Do Your Makeup for a Party
If you’re going to be partying into the night, the most important part of your makeup look is your foundation.
If your foundation starts to slip and slide after an hour or two, then no killer eye look will disguise this. Choosing a long-lasting foundation is crucial.
Find out which foundation palettes made our best-of list in our guide The 3 Best Foundation Palettes for Makeup Artists
If you have oily skin, you may be prone to shine and melting makeup, especially around the T-zone. However, you don’t need to cake on loads of powder to ensure a long-lasting makeup base. The cult classic Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place Makeup is a favourite of many beauty enthusiasts, especially for use on oily and combination skin. This high-coverage, buildable foundation is known for lasting from day to night with a natural, semi-matte finish, perfect for oily skin. Despite its high coverage, Double Wear never looks or feels cakey but instead blends seamlessly into the skin for a flawless finish.
If your skin is on the drier side, we recommend Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation as a long-lasting and high-coverage makeup base. This radiance-boosting foundation is another favourite in the beauty world, known and loved for its lit-from-within finish and skin-smoothing benefits. Imparting a stunning, natural luminosity, this is the perfect choice for dry and lacklustre skin.
Once you’ve got your makeup base sorted, there’s only one other makeup must-have for the ultimate party look, and that’s glitter! M.A.C Cosmetics Glitter is a high-impact, loose glitter available in a beautiful range of eye-catching shades. This product is perfect for using on the eyes, on the cheeks, or even in the hair. A touch of glitter is a great addition to a party look, and with complete control, you can go subtle or bold. It’s up to you! M.A.C Cosmetics also have a great range of foundation and concealers which we absolutely love. Find out more in our guides Find Your Perfect M.A.C Foundation and Concealer Match and How to Apply M.A.C Foundation
How to Easily Take Your Makeup From Morning to Night for a Party
Whether you’re heading out straight from work and need to take your makeup from day to night, or you just want an easy-to-achieve makeup look, a red lipstick is your best friend. Instantly, you’ll be transformed by a glam red lip, which takes your look from the office to Hollywood.
Finding the best red lipstick for you can be daunting but we recommend Giorgio Armani Lip Magnet, which is available in a variety of reds for different skin tones and tastes. These long-lasting liquid lipsticks have been designed for those who don’t want to be applying their lipstick every few minutes.
Lip Magnet lasts an impressive 8 hours on the skin. Rich in pigment and shine, these hydrating lipsticks have a second-skin feel, delivering an instant burst of colour that’s perfect for a party.
Pair your red lipstick with one of the previously mentioned long-lasting foundations; a touch of eyeliner, such as Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner; and waterproof mascara—and you’re sorted!
Want to find more product reviews? Have a read of these articles below:
The Top 10 Best M.A.C Makeup Products, as Rated by a Makeup Artist
These Are the Top 10 Best-Selling Makeup Products on Adore Beauty Right Now…
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