Party season makeup doesn’t always equate to sparkly eyeshadow. Try these unexpected looks that throw out the rulebook.
Makeup is one of the simplest ways to embrace the splendour of party season, with a handful of looks synonymous with this time of year.
Bold red lip? A Christmas Day classic. Shimmering eyeshadow? A must for New Year’s Eve. Graphic eyeliner? A summer soiree signature.
This year, rather than stick to the tried-and-true, why not embrace the revelrous nature of the season with looks that turn heads and break rules?
Abandon the ultra-polished, overly perfected aesthetic and throw out the rulebook with metallic textures, frosted finishes and glitter everything. The best party season makeup should last through the night (and get better with wear).
Take your look up a notch this season with a variety of showstopping party beauty essentials – think bold, beautiful eyeshadow palettes, high-shine lip glosses, playful pops of colour and glow-giving tanning serums.
Keep the sparkle in (and on) your eyes from dusk till dawn with these editor-approved beauty picks.
Ace Your Base
The saying goes that your makeup is only as good as your skin underneath, so the proper prep steps will help you ace your base.
Start by gently exfoliating skin using Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant, $74, before applying a light layer of Aotea Manuka Day Cream, $60, to lock in hydration and create a hydrated base for foundation to follow.
Once your skincare has been absorbed (very important if you want to avoid product pilling or shifting all over your face) use a light layer of Smashbox The Original Photo Finish Smooth & Blur Oil-Free Primer, $107, over the T-zone to even out skin texture and boost makeup longevity.
Application Tip: Fake a sun-kissed complexion with an even layer of Basekin Tan + Hydrate Face Serum, $75. It couples hydrating ingredients like vitamins C and E, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid with 100% natural DHA for a natural-looking tan.
Lay A Good Foundation
Achieving a flawless, long-lasting base (sans caking) is no easy feat, but working with light layers and setting with power only where necessary will help.
After you’ve prepped skin, decant a little of the new YSL All Hours Foundation, $116, onto the back of your hand before working the product into a foundation brush. The unique waterproof and transfer-resistant formula promises long-lasting, comfortable wear without heaviness. It helps control oil, too, meaning it’s great to smooth on before dancing the night away.
Next, conceal any imperfections with the YSL Touche Éclat Radiant Touch Highlighter Pen, $88, only where needed, and set with the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder, $84.
Application Tip: For an even finish, start in the middle of your face and spread product outward using your preferred foundation brush or sponge.
The Eyes Have It
A smoked-out eyeshadow will always feel appropriate for a sparkling nighttime soiree, but why not take inspiration from ‘90s beauty muses for something a little less obvious.
For a flip on a dark party eye look, consider pale eyeshadow hues that feel both fresh and celebratory. A wash of pale blue eyeshadow (a la Cameron Diaz) remains a 90s hallmark, but don’t overlook other colour families like pastel pink, green or purple.
Try one of the lighter hues in the Mecca Max Live In The Moment 12-Shade Eyeshadow Palette, $39, or the Morphe Sky-Fi Eyeshadow Palette, $29.
To enhance the appearance of eyelashes, curl them using the MCo Beauty Eyelash Curler, $16, before adding a lick of Dior Diorshow Overvolume 24-Hour Extreme Volume Mascara, $82.
Application Tip: Allow the warmth of your fingertips to blend cream-based eyeshadows to melt seamlessly into eyelids. Start with a light wash of colour all over your lid for good coverage, then build up product by lightly pressing into skin until you achieve the desired colour pay-off.
Colour Me Pretty
A no-holds-barred approach to party beauty means leaving precise application at the door. A splash of colour across eyelids, cheeks and lips doesn’t need to be ultra-defined, as blotted and blurred textures tend to wear more naturally as the night charges on.
Smudged coloured eyeliner like the Revlon Colorstay Multi-Player Liquid Glide Eyeliner in the shade Queen Of Hearts, $30, makes for a fun twist when used for winged liner, or try a blurring a sunset blush shade like Mecca Cosmetica’s Hydra Cheek Tint Duo in Rose, $50, high onto the cheekbones and up towards temples.
Application Tip: Use a blending brush to smudge eyeliner along your waterline, layering more product until you reach your desired impact. Love the wet look? Press a balm highlighter onto eyelids and finish with a lick of mascara. The same approach works for a blurred lip; work with a pencil-shaped brush to fluff the edges of your lipstick for a fuller, lived-in effect.
Lip Locked
Prepare to dazzle with a high-impact lip look that leaves classic red for dead. Instead, try a frosted lip look by reaching for a satin finish lipstick and add a daub of shimmering pigment to the centre of your top and bottom lip.
It’s an easy way of faking a fuller pout and adding some dimension without over-lining lips (which often requires regular top ups when sipping champagne all night).
Application Tip: Prep lips using a hydrating balm like the Dior Rouge Dior Balm, $80, before smoothing on a layer of M.A.C Macximal Sleek Satin Lipstick in the shade Blankety, $46. Finish by lightly pressing Half Magic Glitterpuck Multi-Use Pressed Fairy Dust, $58, into the centre to capture the light.
Get the Look
Makeup artist Carolyn Haslett shares her top tips on how to recreate our glowing, summer-ready look, as seen in the lead image in our story, from home
After I finished my skin prep steps, I went in with M.A.C Strobe Cream, $82, mixed with M.A.C Studio Radiance Face & Body Radiant Sheer Foundation, $79, for a thin veil of coverage. Ruby has beautiful skin and I didn’t want to suffocate it with foundation. For a pop of colour, I dusted on M.A.C Mineralize Blush, $67, working with a pink tone and a mid-brown for depth and dimension. Next, I reached for the Mineralize Skinfinish Powder, $86, in a deeper shade to use like a bronzer.
For eyes, I groomed Ruby’s brows with a spoolie and used a fluffy eyeshadow brush to add a wash of chocolate brown eyeshadow. To give her a lived-in, uncontrived look, I worked quite a lot of kohl pencil along the upper lash line. A slick of L’Oreal Telescopic Mascara, $39, was the perfect finishing touch.
Charlotte Tilbury does a lovely nude lip pencil (Lip Cheat, $52) – it has a great consistency – which I used around the perimeter of Ruby’s lips. I overlaid this with a lick of Maybelline Lifter Lip Gloss, $27, for extra plump juiciness.
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