How to: Party makeup and tricks to make it long lasting – Part. 1

An evening / wedding / party of any kind makeup, is usually more "generous" and more resistant than what we use daily. This type of makeup requires more products, more steps and more time, but the result will be worth it.

In my case, I like to play with cosmetics, I don’t even feel the time go by and I relax a lot putting on makeup, so for me it's not a burden, on the contrary. If you don’t enjoy applying makeup, there is no law that forces you to even wear any makeup at all! You don’t HAVE to do anything that doesn’t bring you, at least, a small amount of joy.

In this first part, I will list the steps I went through to achieve the makeup from my first article: "The Power of Makeup".

1. The Skin:

               ·         I used my regular moisturizer, I waited a few minutes and then I applied my makeup base: ELF Mineral Infused Face Primer.

               ·         After 2-3 minutes, I used my foundation: Revlon ColorStay for combination/oily skin in the shade Buff, which I applied with a sponge: Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. 

               ·         If necessary, use a concealer and/or corrector. I used a concealer: NYX HD Concealer in the shade CW04, both under my eyes and on any pigmented areas of the face.

               ·         To set everything, I applied Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Translucent.

* By the time I wrote this post, I finished the foundation and powder, so these are pictures I found on the internet from these sites: Foundation Pic + Powder Pic

               ·         Now, finally, you can play with shapes, colors, textures. I used the Sleek Makeup Face Form in Light for a lightweight contour of the face, then used the blush from the kit (it’s not too pigmented, but because I wanted a red lip, a more pale color on the cheeks worked, this time) .

               ·         Then I applied a liquid highlighter on the highest points of my cheekbones: ELF Shimmering Facial Whip in the shade Lilac Petal, followed by the illuminating powder from the Sleek kit used previously.

* Here you can better see the cheek products (I LOVE the highlight combo).

2. The Eyes:

               ·         I used a base: NYX HD Eyeshadow Base and then the Maybelline Color Tattoo Gel-Cream Eyeshadow 24H in Gold Pink.

               ·         The eyeshadow kit I used: Urban Decay Naked 1 Palette (but there are plenty of eyeshadows on the market, the important thing is for them to be pigmented and not too dusty).

* I used "Naked", "Buck" and "Hustle" for the light cut crease and "Virgin" all over the lid (it was well loved.. sigh, it's finished).

               ·         Then I moved on to drawing on my cat eye liner, using Essence Gel Eyeliner in the shade Midnight in Paris.

* I ran out of a lot of products by the time I photographed everything for this post, so here's another picture of the internet, from here: Gel Liner Pic

               ·         Mascara: I used Maybelline Colossal Volume Express Mascara on both upper and lower lashes.

               ·         Eye pencil: Bourjois Khol & Contour 16H in the shade Noir Expert on the water line and the tight line.

               ·         Eyelashes: Red Cherry Eyelashes no. 415 + the Duo lash adhesive in Dark-Tone.

3. The Eyebrows:

          ·         Mine are neither full nor have a decent shape, so I use a few products: Sleek Makeup Brow Kit in Dark (I only use the colored wax, the powder is too red toned for me) + the colored powders from the Kron Germany trio (I don’t have a link for this brand, but you can use any normal powder eyeshadow in an appropriate shade) + ELF Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear Mascara for holding everything in place.

4. The Lips: 

               ·         Lip pencil: Essence Lipliner in the shade Femme Fatale.

               ·         Lipstick: Sleek Makeup True Color Lipstick in the shade OMG! (No. 784).

5. The End: 

               ·         Makeup setting spray: NYX Matte Finish Long Lasting Setting Spray.

6.   The Brushes (because a successful makeup application, also depends on the tools you use, here are some recommendations):

                ·         E.L.F. brushes (especially the eyes ones, but there are a few face gems also);

                ·         Real Techniques (slightly more expensive, but the quality is above ELF);

            - {I also use some random brushes that I have had for many years: Sephora brand ones and Mon Rêve Professionnel}.

* The first ones are Mon Rêve Professionnel which I got for Christmas a few years ago. The second ones are from Sephora and are too old to find anywhere. The third one is, actually, a nail art brush and it's what I use for my gel liner.

I know there are a lot of products and it can be intimidating, but it’s not something I go trough everyday. I use this method only for certain special events.

On regular days (unless I stay in the house), I only apply a little powder, a bit of blush, I slightly define my eyebrows and eyelashes and I’m done or on some days I don’t even use any products at all.

It's important to let your skin breath as much as possible (that doesn’t mean you should avoid moisturizers, especially those with SPF, or a minimum skincare regiment). For me, proper skincare is a must! When you have a healthier looking skin, you no longer feel the need to cover it up and you get over some of the image issues we all have anyway.

We are the biggest critics of our own selves. Let’s just love ourselves more and care less about other peoples negativity!

Good luck in everything you want to accomplish in life and I’ll "see" you again in the next post!