If you’ve ever gone to a wedding or a dinner party, you know that almost everyone has trouble with what make-up look to use. We ask ourselves, “Is this look too much? Is this look not enough?” Well, here are some tips to ease your cosmetic troubles.
• DO: Clean, clean, clean. The night before the occasion and the day of, wash your face thoroughly with your best face cleanser. Also, apply an oil-free moisturizer and leave it on for 5-10 minutes (at the most), and rinse it off. It will leave your skin soft and glowing– just the way you want it.
• DON’T: Over-color your eyes. For a special occasion like a wedding or a dinner party, neutral and metallic tones are the best; no jewel tones unless they’re dark. Brown, gold, silver, and copper are the best; they look beautiful on any skin tone, but aren’t too “out-there” the more conservative make-up wearers. If you pick a jewel tone, go for one that is a dark amethyst, emerald, or sapphire tone; the brighter ones like teal and peridot (light and bright green) are too over-the-top a formal occasion.
• DO: Color coordinate. If you have a medium blue dress, go for medium blue eyeshadow. If you have a pink or light-pink dress, go with a light pink eyeshadow, etc. There is one exception though: If you have a black dress, go for silver eyeshadow; black is too harsh on the eyes, and you might end up looking like a raccoon by the end of the night/day (and we all know you don’t want that).
• DON’T: Forget to apply face perfecter/illuminator- if you have it. I like MagicX Face Perfector- it’s a good product. Apply over face evenly except the eye area before foundation to get as much of a flawless complexion as humanly possible.
• DO: Apply eyeliner. It intensifies your eyes and gives you a sharper, edgier look; black or dark brown work best. Also, don’t be afraid to apply mascara, it opens up the eyes! Apply one coat of mascara primer to your eyes before the actual mascara. My secret trick is to apply more than one kind- or brand- of mascara; it makes your lashes look thicker and longer.
• DON’T: Over-apply foundation. Even if you’ve got a pesky little zit, only apply one coat of foundation and one coat of powder to seal; too much foundation ends up making your skin lighter/darker than the rest of your body, and also makes you look “caked”.
• DO: Contour. Contouring makes your features look sharper, which will make them stand out better in the pictures you KNOW your friends or family will make you take. Take a flesh-toned blush or eyeshadow that is two shades darker than your own skin tone, and apply it on the inside corners of your eyes to the bottom of the sides of your nose. Also, sharpen your cheekbones by sucking in your cheeks and apply the color with a fluffy brush in the hollows of your cheeks that appear.
• DON’T: Forget lipstick. Pick a neutral, coral, or pink-ish tone- red is too bright. Some nice looking shades are a light coral, a medium pinkish color, or a nude. If you pick a nude lipcolor, you may want to take a red or pink lip gloss and apply over the lipstick, just in case the nude looks too washed out. (Yes, I know, I just said not to wear red, but I was talking about lipstick. Lipstick is thick and has more pigments in it, which makes it more noticeable than lip gloss. Since the lip gloss is liquid-based, it diffuses the color to where it is lighter than the lipstick would be.).
