Evening Make-Up
Dressing up for the evening used to mean reaching for the scarlet
lipstick and black eyeshadow. While evening make-up does demand
different techniques from daytime, looking glamorous doesn’t
involve putting on heavy colours with a trowel.
‘If you vary your nighttime make-up
too dramatically from day, you’ll feel as uncomfortable
as if you went out in someone else’s dress,’ says
New York make-up artist Michael Criscuolo. ‘If you don’t
look like you - if that face in the mirror seems like a stranger
- you won’t relax and enjoy yourself.’
These are the five most important factors to consider:
1. The occasion You wouldn’t
wear the same make-up to a summer picnic supper as you would
to a formal prize-giving ceremony or a smoochy disco. Think
through what’s appropriate.
2. The time of year Summer demands
lighter make-up; winter can take a more dramatic look.
3. Your choice of clothes The same
make-up that works with a tuxedo-style evening suit will look
overpowering with a pale satin spaghetti-strap dress.
4. The lighting That famous beauty
Lady Diana Cooper was rumoured to ring hosts beforehand to
check on the lighting: was it to be kind candles or sidelights,
or the merciless glare of overhead beams?
5. How little time you have to get ready
Think this one out ahead and - like a Girl Guide - be prepared.
Have make-up and a complete outfit ready at home, or if you’re
going from work, pack make-up and sponge bags, evening clothes/accessories
- and don’t forget the spare pair of tights and scent.
TIPS FROM THE PROS ON PARTY MAKE-UP
• Bobbi Brown: ‘Think
deeper, richer shades rather than just one extra-heavy application
of your usual make-up’
• Michael Criscuolo: ‘Look
at what you’re wearing during the day and then add in
some colour that enhances that for night’
• Maggie Hunt: ‘To avoid
nasty surprises, check your make-up in several different mirrors
in your house or office before going out, and don’t forget
to look at your neck and bosom to make sure there’s no
dramatic contrast with the skin of your face. Use concealer
on any blemishes, then powder.’
• Our tip: don’t experiment
just before a party; always have a dress and make-up rehearsal
before a big evening
However long you have, start by drinking a big
glass of water to de-stress yourself; swallow a couple of
algae tablets, if you like (spirulina, blue-green algae, chlorella).
If you’re hungry, eat something quick and energising
like a banana. Then stand up straight, shoulders down, and
take four slow deep breaths.
THE 5-MINUTE TIMETABLE
• brush your teeth • turn your head upside down
and brush or comb your hair; tie it back or fluff it up • touch up lips, eyes, blusher • spritz on scent
THE 30-MINUTE TIMETABLE
If you’re at home...
• put on some upbeat music • take off make-up • have a 5-minute power shower.
Wash hair only if it’s supershort • put on moisturiser and leave
for 5 minutes while fixing hair • do your make-up: foundation,
eyes, powder, blusher, lips • dress and spritz with scent
If you’re at work...
• blot T-zone to remove shine
(or whole of face if it’s all shiny) with soft tissues
(not loo paper - it’s too hard) • sweep face with a dry make-up
sponge to remove the morning’s foundation, powder and
blusher • use a cotton bud dipped in
eye make-up remover to take off any shadow and mascara • wipe off lipstick with a
tissue and a dab of Vaseline • if lips are flaky-dry, smooth
over moisturiser and brush with a soft toothbrush • spritz with mineral water
(buy Evian spray, or use a plant mister) • touch up foundation - compact
foundations are ideal for this • reapply eyeshadow, blusher,
lipstick - with gloss if you wish, and fresh coat of mascara • spritz with scent
THE 60-MINUTE TIMETABLE
Despite the extra time, don’t be tempted to dawdle or
to experiment either with make-up or with clothes - it invariably
leads to being late, because you’re lulled into a false
sense of security. Stick with the basic 30-minute strategy
but add in some of these options:
• wash and style hair • substitute long scented bath
for shower • or, if you’re flagging,
opt for a quick energy booster: dance around wildly to your
favourite music, follow with a brisk body-brushing all over,
before diving into a power shower • smooth in body lotion so
you feel silky all over • touch up nails and give yourself
a 2-minute hand and foot massage • if your back hurts and everything
aches, put on soothing music and lie flat on the floor for
a few minutes, head supported by a couple of paperbacks, knees
up and apart, feet flat. Let your body sink into the floor
and visualise yourself in a calm, quiet, warm place.
Make-up Bags for
Parties
Tweezers
Emery board
Concealer
Foundation (preferably
compact all-in-one)
Eye make-up - shadow,
liner, mascara, brow pencil
Blusher
Lipstick
Lipgloss
Clear or tinted nail polish
Scent
Sponge Bags for Parties
The above, plus:
Moisturiser
Eye make-up remover
Cotton wool buds
Dry make-up sponge
Tissues
Deodorant/anti-perspirant
Mineral water spray
Toothbrush and toothpaste
MAGGIE HUNT’S
EVENING MAKE-UP
FOR THE BEAUTY BIBLE
You can adapt this comprehensive step-by-step
guide to suit you individually. If, for instance, you have no
blemishes, you won’t need step 1. This look and these basic
shades will suit most women. However, the basic steps can be
varied by different colours on eyes and lips (look at our other
suggestions).
Since your evening might carry on until dawn, Maggie has designed
this make-up to stay put for up to 12 hours. You don’t
want to find that the lights have gone up and your make-up has
disappeared. As with all make-up, the secret is blending, so
take time and make sure that each colour (except, of course,
for your lipstick) merges imperceptibly into the next.
12 steps to a perfect evening face:
1. Paint blemishes with a
small brush dipped in concealer or foundation, or pat
on concealer with your ring finger; dab the blemishes
gently until they have softened or, with any luck, disappeared.
Do not rub.
2. To give a flawless base,
look straight into a well-lit mirror and pat on a light-coloured,
light-textured concealer or foundation (see Meeting
Your Match, p.00); start from the inner corner underneath
the eye and work outwards along the dark shadow. Lower
eyelids and brush or pat on an even coat all over the
eye zone, from lashes to brows, including the hollows
on either side of the nose. Finish by applying your
usual foundation lightly wherever else you need it.
Put all this on lightly - you want the overall impression
to be as natural as you’d look by day, especially
if you are wearing a low-cut dress which shows lots
of bare flesh.
3. Before the foundation has set (and settled into
any fine lines), powder lightly all over the face using
translucent loose powder. Apply with a clean powder sponge,
cotton wool pad or velvet puff. Whisk off any excess with
a clean side of the sponge or pad, or with a big powder
brush.
4.
Now sweep an ivory semi-matte eyeshadow all over the eye
area from lashes to eyebrows; this is the base for your
eye make-up, whatever colours you choose, and will give
12-hour staying power. Also put the same shadow on the
V above your upper lip to accentuate fullness (this is
particularly effective for anyone with a thin upper lip).
5.
Contour and define eyes with a semi-matte mid-brown eyeshadow
(you can go for taupe/grey browns or a more golden shade).
Dip your eyeshadow brush gently in the shadow and blow
off any excess before applying. Put a folded tissue under
lower lashes to avoid loose particles on your cheeks.
Don’t go up to the brow bone, and avoid that little
oval-shaped pad of fat on the inner corner of the eyelid.
Then gently wing the shadow up and out towards the temples
to lift the eyes; never take it further than the end of
the eyebrows. Blend the shadow into the skin.
6.
Shape face and contour cheekbones, if necessary. Use slightly
darker powder to slim down a broad nose, cheeks or face,
disguise a double chin or bring down a high forehead.
Always blend the dark powder in carefully - don’t
give yourself stripes. (Practise before a big evening
out till you’re happy with the results.)
• for a broad nose, brush dark powder down
either side of the nose. • for a long nose, brush
some darker powder on the tip. • for round cheeks, suck
in cheeks and lightly apply darker powder in the hollows,
blending backwards to the ear. • for a heavy jaw, dust
darker powder slightly under and slightly over the jawline,
following the shape of the jaw. • for a double chin, brush
powder onto the fatty part. • for a high forehead,
sweep darker powder hairline.
7.
Brush on translucent powder or brighten up your face with
a bronzing powder swept across cheeks, down the nose,
on the brow bone, or the whole of your face if you wish.
For naturalness, don’t go darker than the chest and
neck. Or you could try adding a bit of highlighter to
upper cheekbones and brow bone, to give a glow if you
know the lighting will be subdued.
8. Now that you can judge
the impact of the rest of your face, finish your eye
make-up. Choose a soft golden bronze with just a touch
of shine (or look at our Other Evening Faces) and apply
across the inner two-thirds of the eyelid, up to the
eye socket. Now define the outer third in a sideways
V-shape, using dark brown or charcoal, smudge-blending
the edges of the powder together.
9.
Define eyes in black (or a dark smokey shade) with either
eyeliner pencil (for the softest finish), cake liner (medium
soft) or liquid eyeliner (most dramatic).
10. Apply mascara top and
bottom - two coats, if you wish.
11.
Define brows with powder or pencil, if necessary.
12.
Paint on lipstick, define shape with lip liner, then add
gloss if you wish.
OTHER EVENING FACES
These looks will give you ideas for eyes, lips, cheeks and
finishing touches, to incorporate into your party make-up.
The Paloma Picasso Look
This is a dramatic look: try it with a tuxedo, a little black
dress or any dark, rich colours. It is sensational with black
velvet and a décolletage. Go for a strong accent on
lips, eyes, cheeks and skin colour. Women with pale skins
appear even paler and very dramatic in contrast. Medium to
dark skins, or dull complexions, will take on a fresher, clearer
and more vibrant tone. • For a perfect canvas, you
may need a foundation that covers fairly well, like Lancôme
Maquilumine. • Such powerful colours can
be ageing, so do try this out this look with products you
already have before investing in an exotic new palette of
colours. • Scarlet nails are the finishing
touch.
Pastels, Pearls and Silver
Once the epitome of 50s’ style, pastels and pearls are
now very right again. They suit women of any age with traditional
English rose-style light hair and fair skin. This look is
also wonderful with grey hair and goes perfectly with shiny
satins and silks, in pastels or ice-cream colours.
• Keep foundation light and
dewy and don’t use
heavy powder. • Don’t ever be tempted
to put pink immediately around your eyes - it makes any woman
look like a white mouse. Instead, smooth on semi-matte neutral
colours toning with your skin tone: try beige, ivory, deep
grey, sand, pale peach. Brush deeper or contrasting colour
- e.g. deep rose, honey, brown, taupe - into the socket line
and under the lower lid. Add a hint of pink above the socket,
and brown mascara. • Remember, shine draws light,
so don’t put it anywhere you have lines. Use silver eyeshadow
to highlight the centre of the upper lid and brow bone. Line
with silver, right behind the lashes, top and bottom. • Lips should be pale but interesting;
try applying a rosy colour, then rubbing or blotting off so
just a stain is left. Then outline lips and top with pearlised
or silvery gloss. (Experiment mixing eyeshadows in lip gloss.)
• Wear toning pale nail varnish
- frosted, if you like.
The Midas Touch
Intense golds, coppers and bronzes are wonderful in the evening.
Wear this rich Renaissance look with black, velvets, metallics
- or go angelic and wear it with white or cream. You can adapt
this make-up at any age by varying the intensity. Use a foundation
that matches your skin or, for fresh, flawless skin, try a
tinted moisturiser mixed with a little foundation.
• Teens to late 20s can go
for all-over shimmer and kohl-rimmed eyes, with soft light
gold dusted over lids and up to the brow, with a deeper colour
(e.g. gold bronzer) on the lids. • Older skins look better with
softer shades smudged into a smoky effect, plus subtle touches
to add sparkle - e.g. gold shadow dotted over your usual eyeshadow
to highlight the arc of the brow, or gold gloss mixed with
your favourite lipstick.
