How to Make Your Make-up Last All Night
Words by Maya Prever
Both the party season and our social calendars are in full swing and so make-up that lasts all day and night is not a want but a need. You’ve taken those moments to apply an extra touch of sparkle, pop of colour and bold lip, therefore you don’t want your beauty efforts to go to waste. From prioritising your skincare application to mastering the art of eyeshadow layering, your make-up needn’t be your concern – whatever the event, your make-up needs to stand the test of time. So, say goodbye to smudged mascara, vanishing blush and messy lip-product application, as these make-up recommendations will help to ensure that your make-up stays in place and keeps up with your dancing feet, all night long.
Consider Your Skin Prep
Preparing your skin for make-up that lasts all-night requires the right skincare routine. Start by exfoliating the night before as this will help to remove any dirt and dead skin, uneven texture and excess oil, revealing a softer and brighter canvas for your make-up. Exfoliating also prevents piling – tiny bobbles of product that roll off the skin thanks to product build-up – not the type of plus one you had in mind. To help prevent this, try Sisley’s Exfoliating Enzyme Mask as a 1-minute skin saviour (it’s formulated with papaya enzymes to gently buff away dead skin cells and works for even the most sensitive of skin types). Or for a daily exfoliator, opt for the Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Face Peel, a two-step treatment designed to create long-term results. Post-exfoliation, your skin needs a tall glass of hydrating goodness. Using a lightweight moisturiser packed with ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, ceramides and peptides, seal in your hard work and follow with your favourite a primer. Now, that’s we call prepped and primed.
Layer For All-Night Success
Layering powder over cream products sounds like the oldest trick in the book, but there is a reason why it always works. Start with a mattifying pigment as your base before layering your cream product on top and sprinkling with a powder or shimmer to finish. For eyes, swipe Byredo’s Colour Stick over your eye primer, then layer with Charlotte Tilbury’s Hypnotising Pop Shots Eyeshadow in a similar colour, this will solidify your shimmering masterpiece until dawn. This is a nifty trick for your base products too. Apply Clé De Peau Beauté’s Cream Blush, it contains argan oil for a luminous sheer glow, then layer with Pat Mcgrath Labs Skin Fetish: Divine Blush Duo for a healthy complexion that stays for a good time and a long time.
Pucker Up
A strong lip is synonymous with the festive season and spending copious amounts of time retouching them throughout the night is not on the party agenda. So, knowing how to prolong the initial application is essential for eliminating those quick trips to the powder room. Before your lip application, start with a moisturising lip scrub. It’ll help to buff away dead skin cells and leave a smooth base for your lip product of choice. Kylie Skin’s Lip Scrub is a great option with shea butter, vitamin E, jojoba, and grape seed oil extracts, its vanilla-sugar formula smells almost delicious enough to eat.
Once prepped, lightly apply the remainder of your foundation from your brush evenly over the lips, then lightly dust with translucent powder. The Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Loose Powder is a universal favourite that looks and feels invisible on the skin, thanks to its oil-free formula. Following this, pick a similar shade of lip liner to your chosen lipstick and outline your lips. Here’s the important part: fill in the rest of your lips with the lip liner to create a base for your lipstick (extra brownie points if the liner is waterproof). Pat Mcgrath Labs’ PermaGel Ultra Lip Pencil has a creamy, gel formula that prompts zero feathering or bleeding. Finish with your favourite lipstick and finally, lightly powder for a matte finish or apply a lipgloss for additional shine. This method of layering and setting will have you perfectly prepped for that special moment under the mistletoe.
Your Toolkit
From high- performance skin tech gadgets to the soothing glide of a gua sha stone, your beauty tools hold the power to firm, lift and blend for a radiant and long-lasting finish. Boost skin with The Light Salon’s Revive & Repeat LED Facial. Bringing the salon to your home, this LED mask only needs 10 minutes, 3 times a week to promote cellular renewal which in return, brightens your complexion, increases collagen production and strengthens the skin barrier. Now you can achieve that post-facial glow from your very own bathroom. Your brushes are also a saviour when it comes to make-up application and taking the time to blend with a synthetic brush will ensure an even base and creaseless eyeshadow. Vieve’s The Edit is a 5-piece curated brush kit made up of face and eye brushes that you didn’t know you needed – durable, no-shedding and sizes for all purposes means it is a quintet of many talents.
Your Handbag Heroes
While you may have put in all the prep beforehand, it is always better to remain prepared – even celebrities have their beauty minis for the red carpet. Therefore, being equipped with the top-up tools you may need will help to maintain that fresh off-the-make-up chair look all night long this party season. For those with an oily complexion, slipping some blotting papers inside the inner zip of your clutch will eliminate unwanted shine and prevent your make-up from sliding. Any evidence of fun under the mistletoe can quickly be resolved with a miniature lip kit – reapply Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Fuller Looking & Sculpted Lip Duo and it’s almost like it never happened. The precision liner combined with the velvety-smooth, matte-satin lipstick is a party season staple. Also, dehydration can cause foundation to crack and using a setting spray will refresh your base and restore the colour achieved from your blush and bronzer. Laura Mercier’s Translucent Pure Setting Spray refreshes and protects against environmental aggressors thanks to its purslane flower ingredient – so you can go about your night knowing your skin is well and truly cared for.
