Enjoy a Gossip Girls afternoon for you and three friends from Paul Edmonds worth over £300 - and six Biolustré treatments for runners-up, each worth £60
When
you've run out of time and your oomph has vanished, you need
a bit of magic to go out and party.Here - for all Cinderellas - are the only secrets you
need to go from grunge to glam faster than you can say 'fairy
godmother'.
Have a dress rehearsal if you possibly can.Invite your girlfriends round and practise your party
look. Then you can work out what suits you, and how long it
takes to do. If you're going to be in a real rush for some events,
time yourself.So when you do it for real, you'll be as cool as a cucumber. At
any rate, decide whether you're going to go for strong eyes
and more neutral lips, or the other way round. Trying to wipe
off black eyes, or ruby lips, is really time-consuming at the
last minute.
Trying to apply varnish at the last minute is a recipe for disaster.
The only thing you can do on the evening - not in the taxi!
- is slick on a semi-transparent sparkling topcoat, which will
dry in a tick.If your
nails are a disaster area, file and buff them, and invest in
a pair of sexy sheer black evening gloves (long or short), pile
on rings and bracelets and flaunt!
When you're getting ready, pin your hair back. If you're having
a Bad Hair Day, wet the bits around your face and wind around
rollers or scrunch dry to form waves. You can tie or grip back,
or pile on top of your head with the wavy bits hanging down
- add lovely earrings.
If you're wearing eye make-up, leave it - redoing your whole
face takes too much time.Simply
comb through your eyelashes with a lash comb to remove any old
dry mascara and stroke over your lids with a dry clean brush
or finger; that way any bits will be whisked away when you clean
your face.
Clean your face thoroughly, including around your eyes. You'll
feel fresher and your skin will look much better.Facial wipes come in very handy if you're at work or
travelling.Then pat in moisturiser - leave 10 minutes
if you can before putting on foundation.Also put on lip balm to sink in and prep your lips.
Before you start redoing your make-up, get some good strong
light on your face. Take a shade off a lamp and sit in front
of it with a hand mirror if necessary. Remember, unless you
have dramatic colouring naturally, you want to use enough make
up to have impact - but at all cost you want to avoid looking
like a pantomime dame!
Reapply your foundation, working from the middle of your face
outwards. Never use any product straight from the container
- use the back of your hand as a palette. Dab on concealer with
a lip brush over any blemishes or dark shadows and blend with
your ring finger
Whisk a chunky powder brush in natural translucent powder, knock
off the surplus on your hand or the basin, and powder the T-zone
(forehead, nose and chin). Then whisk a little around your eyes
before touching up your eye make up and mascara. Take powder
and a brush in your make-up bag, along with lip-gloss - that's
all you need to freshen your face.
Apply blusher to your cheeks. Go for a cream or powder cream
formula, which has a natural dewiness. Stroke on to the apples
of your cheeks and then blend. Be careful though: if you get
flushed at parties, go easy with the glow.Conversely, if you tend to be pale, use enough to look
healthy. A peachy, rosy or coppery shade is also brilliant for
giving an instant lift to brow bones. If you're in a real hurry,
use the same blusher, more solidly, on your lips - quick, chic
and coordinated!Rub
anything left on your fingers onto your temples to give warmth
without using extra foundation.
For a smoky sexy look, line the inside rim of your eyes delicately
with a kohl pencil. Use blue or green (contrast with your own
eye colour), or for more drama, go for grey, brown or black.
Or stroke a golden brown shadow over the lids. Use this dry,
then line along the outer edges in the same shade, applied wet.
Curl your eyelashes for a wide-eyed look.Then comb through again with your lash comb, and apply
one more coat of mascara - brush it through thoroughly so your
eyelashes look feathery.Add
a dab of gleam on the centre of the upper lid, see below - then
leave it at that, you don't need more.
Gleam is great instant glamour for parties but beware of glitter
(that's strictly for trees and cards, unless you're a babe).
Go for a peachy shimmer - or gold - and, with a brush eye shadow
blender brush, just stroke it over the high spots where light
naturally hits your face: brow bone, cheekbones, the centre
of your top eyelid, the V of your upper lip and chin tip. Abracadabra!
You'll have the bones you wish you were born with... If you're
wearing a low cut and/or sleeveless dress, use shimmer on neck,
shoulders and bosom (apply with blusher or powder brush).A ripple of shimmer running down bare, (fake-) tanned
legs looks fab too.
Finish your evening make-up with a really juicy lipstick.If you like colour, go for red, or a deep
berry colour.If pale
is your thing, go for sheen. Liner will help your lippie stay:
choose a nude colour for pale lips, natural for colour.Apply lipstick with lip brush, blot and put on a second
coat.Top with gloss just before you get to the
party so it looks fresh.
