Party make-up

It’s party season! And we couldn’t be more excited. It’s time to get out our glittery glad rags, dust off our dancing shoes, and be a little extra with our make-up looks.

Don’t get us wrong, we’re all for a simple make-up look but we also love trying new things, and Christmas is the perfect time to do so. Here are some of our top tips if you’re wanting to push the boat out, as well as our top make-up essentials for the winter party season.

How to get the most out of your party make-up

Prep your skin

Make sure your make-up lasts as long as you do on the dancefloor by prepping it like a boss. Throughout the day your skin collects dirt and grime, which can act as a barrier between your skin and make-up. Make sure your skin is free from dead skin cells and any impurities by following these three steps – they’ll help your make-up go on easier, look smoother and sit tight for longer.

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Cleanse

Give your skin a good cleanse in order to remove any excess oil, bacteria and dead skin cells that may have built up throughout the day. Have you tried our Vitamin E Cream Cleanser? It’s suitable for all skin types and leaves the skin feeling soft and clean.

Tone

If you’re a skincare pro, you’ll know to always follow up cleansing with a toner. We say, choose a gentle, exfoliating toner that’ll help pick up any last traces of grime. With toners for every skin type – from oily to dry – and for every need, you’ll find the one for you here.

Moisturise

And last, but by no means least, finish your skin prep with a moisturiser. This will help make your skin soft and smooth – a perfect canvas for applying make-up. Not sure which moisturiser is best for you? Check out our guide to finding the best moisturiser for your skin type.

Perfect your base

Now your skin is prepped and ready to go, it’s time to have some fun. Perfecting your base means smoothening out any unevenness, balancing your colour and setting your base. Our four tips below are a fool-proof way to making sure your make-up lasts all night long.

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Use a primer

A primer is a great way to help your make-up last longer as it helps your foundation settle and stay put for longer. Our Instablur™ Primer is lightweight and helps to smoothen and mattify your complexion. It also helps to blur any imperfections, creating an even base ready for your foundation. Get ready for less shinier skin and longer lasting make-up.

Choose the right foundation

Finding the right foundation is key for helping your make-up last. If you have oily skin, you’ll want to try a matte foundation, like our Matte Clay Skin Clarifying Foundation, to help prevent it sliding off throughout the day. Drier skin types need a hydrating foundation, like our Fresh Nude Foundation, which moisturises for up to 24hrs for a lasting, fresh-faced finish.

Set your base

Lock it all in place with a powder or setting spray. Not only do they keep your base in place but they also help minimise oil and shine. We have a variety of powders for all skin types.

Use the right tools

Application is key to a long-lasting look. When applying foundation, you want to achieve an all-over even finish. Our Foundation Brush is ideal thanks to its tightly packed bristles and flat edge which make distributing and blending foundation a doddle. And don’t forget to blend it all into your neck using your brush for a natural looking colour.

Add colour and glow

Bronzers, highlighters and blushers are a great way to sculpt your face, add some colour and round off your complexion. Whether you’re a slave to the highlighter, love the goldenness of a bronzer or simply prefer a soft blush, they each have their benefits and can really help radiate your complexion.

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Bronzer

A bronzer is perfect for creating a sun-kissed radiance. It’s also great for when you want to contour your face. Apply bronzer to your cheekbones, browbone, jawline and any other contours of your face or where your skin naturally catches light.

Highlighter

Add a luminous quality to your skin with highlighter. Dust along areas such as your cheekbones, browbone, the bridge of your nose and your cupid’s bow, to help define your features.

Blusher

Blushers are excellent for giving your cheeks that rosy flush. By adding a little bit of blusher to your cheeks, you can easily achieve a vibrant, fresh-faced finish.

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Shimmer

Shimmer Waves can be used in a number of ways to achieve all of the above. In three different shades – Bronze, Blush and Coral – they help illuminate your face.

Party eye make-up

If you’re wanting to get creative, your eyes are the perfect place to do so. But before you start, it’s good to consider your skin tone when picking out colours, and your eye shape when thinking about styles. Everyone’s different so what may work for your bestie, mightn’t work for you. Ready to experiment? Pick up our Eyeshadow Palette and explore its gorgeous shades.

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Find the right brushes

For application, a short-haired brush is best for picking up maximum product. With dense bristles, the fluffy end of our Duo Eyeshadow Brush is great for distributing your shadows. For blending, try our Down to Earth Multi-Tasker Eyeshadow Brush – its looser bristles help achieve that soft finish. And when it comes to precision applications, like darker eyeshadows along the lash line, try the opposite end of our Down to Earth Multi-Tasker Eyeshadow Brush.

Find your shape

To create shape and definition, always follow the actual shape of your eye. A perfect place to start is the crease of your eye, which is the natural fold in your lid where your eyelid meets your brow bone. Look straight in the mirror and, with your eyes open, apply your chosen shade with a brush just over your eyelid. This way, you’ll always have definition and shadow that can be seen when your eyes are open. When it comes to applying liner, always follow the natural curve of your lash lines.

Practice blending

Eye make-up can be a bit tricky but, as the old saying goes, practice makes perfect. Our tips? When picking your shades, opt for a mix of light and dark colours – always bearing your skin tone in mind. Start with the lighter shades first and apply all over your lid using the fluffy, short-haired brush. Then, apply a small amount of your darker shades to the outer area of your eyelid. Use a fluffy domed brush to blend together. Keep applying and blending your shadows for a more vibrant eye.

Statement lips

Lipstick is the one thing that can really bring a look together – whether you’re wearing a full face or not. If you’ve held back on your eyes, it’s definitely safe to go bold with your lips. A simple splash of colour can instantly get you party ready. We’re sure you have your favourite, pout perfecting colours but what about finishes? Let us help.

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Sheer

A sheer finish is a classic. It can look just as effortless as it does glamorous. A sheer lipstick typically has the colour payoff of a normal lipstick but the sheen of a gloss.

Satin

Love the richness of a satin finish? Us too. Satin lipsticks are usually soft, creamy and full of moisture. And if that’s what you’re looking for, then try our Colour Crush™ Lipsticks. They come in 20 shades, deliver a pop of high dose colour and are enriched with marula oil to help keep your lips hydrated.

Matte

Bold and daring, the Matte lipstick is for those who really want to make a statement. With bold colour payoff and a no shine finish, a matte lippy is certainly a look. Try it yourself with our Matte Lip Liquid. It goes on like a gloss but sets like a matte. It’s super lightweight on the lips and has a soft, velvety finish.

PARTY MAKE-UP

SHIMMER INTO THE NIGHT WITH OUR TIPS ON HOW TO ACHIEVE GORGEOUS PARTY MAKE-UP, FROM PREPPING YOUR SKIN TO CREATING THE ULTIMATE GLAM LOOK.

PARTY MAKE-UP LOOKS

The party season means that everything gets an extra dose of sparkle, including your make-up. As your calendar gets busier with events, nailing simple make-up for a party or a bold make-up look is a great way to give your look an edge. Discover all the ways you can make your party make-up pop starting with our top tips for a fresh face all the way to our best products to make your eyes and lips really stand out.

PARTY MAKE-UP TIPS

TIP 1: PREP YOUR SKIN

Before beginning any party make-up look, your skin should always be prepped with a great skincare routine. This is key for simple party make-up and bolder looks, where more make-up will be applied.

A clean and smooth base ensures make-up can be applied more evenly. Lather with our facial cleansers, remove any traces of dirt and impurities with our toners and complete your routine with a moisturiser to lock-in hydration for softer and smoother skin.

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TIP 2: PERFECT YOUR PARTY MAKE-UP BASE

No-one wants a party look that gives up halfway. Make your look last with a flawless even base that’s camera ready.

Get started with Instaglow CC Cream for the perfect primer. Follow with a foundation that gives 24-hour full coverage with oil absorbing properties, like our Matte Clay Foundation . For those on-the-go touch ups, you can easily pop our Matte Clay Powder into handbags and clutches.

Prefer something lighter? Make-up isn’t always about needing full coverage. You can get more from your look by using lighter and heavier products on different areas of your face. Our Fresh Nude Foundation has medium to light coverage, ready to give skin a nude glow.

Keep your make-up looking fresher for longer after you’ve perfected your base, or at the end of your full party look with our Make-Up Setting Spray. Not only will using a setting spray help your make-up last longer, it stops powders looking too cakey without leaving an oily finish.

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TIP 3: APPLY BRONZER & BLUSH

Add definition to your base, especially mattifying ones, by using colour and highlighters to help sculpt the face. Illuminate your face with bronzers , blushes and highlighters and look photo ready, even after the flash.

Get a natural-looking glow all night long with our longwearing All-In-One Cheek Colour , available in five shades. For a quick glam and glowy finish for the party season, add Shimmer Waves . This clever 3-in-1 compact can highlight, blush and bronze when you’re in a rush.

Sparkle at every party with a glow that lasts. Apply a powder highlighter to your cheekbones, under the brows, tip of your nose and inner corners of your eyes for a cooler and more iridescent glow.

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TIP 4: APPLY PARTY EYE MAKE-UP

There’s no better time to give your look a playful edge than during the party season. Up your glam with our range of party eye make-up to help achieve a bolder look.

Experiment with shadows when you’ve got the time with our vegan Paint In Colour eyeshadow palette. Give your eyes some depth by applying darker shadows to the crease of the eye, then use a bright colour or shimmer on the lid. For extra precision, use our Double-Ended Shadow Brush for a dazzling look.

Take your party make-up even further and try something different. Shadows and mascaras are a great way to enhance your party look and a felt liner on one end and a bold star stamp liner on the other, you can effortlessly create a starry constellation.

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CHOOSE THE RIGHT LIP PRODUCT

STATEMENT LIPS

Being a beginner in make-up doesn’t mean you can’t experiment, especially during the party season. Use your lips as a canvas to make a bold statement when you’ve kept the rest of your make-up simple.

Start with a bold colour that lasts all night and use our lip liners beforehand to create a clean and lasting finish. We recommend choosing a liner shade slightly darker than your lip shade to help it stand out.

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