Party season beauty ideas to transform your look

By Katie Wright

Christmas is just around the corner and this year parties are – fingers crossed – on the cards once more. Hurrah! So, you’ve got a sparkly frock or trendy tailored suit sorted. Now it’s time to zhuzh up your look with a bit of festive glam.

Often, there’s not a lot of time to prep for midweek gatherings, but by focusing on one feature, you can go from plain to party-ready in a matter of minutes. Here, pro make-up artists offer seven quick-fix ideas for a fabulous festive beauty look…

 

The glossy lip

Legendary make-up artist Bobbi Brown, who recently launched new brand Jones Road, loves a high-shine red lip for a glam party look.

She says: “Like my super bright red nails that I love to wear, I adore a pop of colour and not much else. Distract from tired eyes and add a festive pop of colour with the new Jones Road Cool Gloss in Poppy Red. It is really red – no yellow, bright red. I think it’s super wearable with the sheen, versus a matte red lip. I would wear the red gloss with just mascara and a little Miracle Balm on my skin.”

 

The easy smoky-eye

Jamie Genevieve, make-up artist and founder of Vieve, is all about the “one-and-done smoky eye”, created with a brown eyeshadow stick, instead of a palette.

She explains: “Scribble your chosen Vieve Eye Wand shade onto your lid. With a clean brush, start to buff the colour evenly over the lid. Once you’ve done this, scribble a little bit more of that same shade into your crease and dab with your fingertips. For an even more dramatic look, sketch the Eye Wand along your lash line and use a smaller, more precise brush to shape the shadow into a wing.”

 

The shimmer smoky-eye

“Your eyes deserve to be the focus when it comes to party glam,” says make-up artist Aimee Connolly, founder of Sculpted by Aimee, who suggests a three-step “buff, smoke and shimmer” approach.

“Start by buffing a matte transition shade through the crease of the eye to add some depth, then add some smoke with a darker matte shade on the outer corners of the eye and around the lash line. To finish, sweep a dazzling shimmer or metallic shade across the eyelid, and pair with lashings of mascara.”

 

The scarlet lip

“Rouge Dior Lipstick 999 Velvet is the ultimate festive lip colour,” says Jamie Coombes, Dior Beauty international pro-artist, of the lipstick with a soft matte finish.

“As well as on the lips, it can be used as a cream blush. Add a touch off this colour to the upper part of the cheeks and blend out using the Dior Backstage Blender. Pair this with your Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara, and you’ll be party-ready in no time.”

 

The festive flick

For a dramatic eye look, pair rose gold shimmer shadow with black eyeliner, says Pablo Rodriguez, director of artistry at Illamasqua: “On the eyes, apply a solid block of eyeshadow, going from inner to outer corners, and from lash line up to the eyebrows. Apply Precision Gel Liner in Infinity, starting with a very thin line in the inner corner, and add more pressure to make it thicker as we go towards the outer corner. Smudge the leftover product in the brush across the bottom lashes. Curl lashes and coat them with mascara.”

 

The bronze eye

“A warm bronze shade is a really easy go-to shade for a party look,” says Melanie Barrese, head make-up artist at Eyeko.

“Take an eyeshadow brush and ensure you have patted the colour densely onto the eyelid. Then take a fluffy blending brush and, using backwards and forwards motions, blend out – ensuring you push the product outwards and upwards. This can be kept just to the upper lid or, for more drama, apply underneath the eye as well. If you’re going from day to night, don’t forget to add an extra coat of mascara.”