'Step away from the glitter': Beauty editor ROSIE GREEN'S 5-step party make up plan from sexy eyeshadow to megawatt skin

No need to go OTT with the party make-up, says Rosie Green – just amp up your usual look 

To tell the truth, I’m allergic to the idea of party make-up. Call me a killjoy, but unless it says fancy dress on the invitation, ‘fun’ or ‘jazzy’ are not adjectives I want my make-up look to elicit.

Nope, I believe you shouldn’t deviate massively from your usual look just because it’s your work Christmas do or New Year’s Eve. Special occasion make-up is so pressured you want to stick to what you know and what suits. Just like on your wedding day, a whole new look is at best inadvisable and at worst renders you unrecognisable.

That said, I think there’s a good case for amping things up. If you usually define your eyes, then by all means add more smoke. Layer a liquid liner on top of pencil. Buy a full-throttle mascara. If you are more of a lip person, then maybe invest in a more intense version of your shade. And upgrade to lining them first – use the pencil to colour in the whole mouth before adding lipstick. This technique ups its staying power.

Longevity is important here, so either opt for formulations that can take you from canapés to carriages or invest in some minis for your teeny clutch bag (Charlotte Tilbury does great dinky sizes of her Pillow Talk lipstick). Throw in a sample-size fragrance – most companies offer them now – and a travel mascara (I like Hourglass Caution Extreme Lash Mascara, £14, cultbeauty.co.uk).

And my last word of make-up advice? Think about your event’s lighting and adjust accordingly. Daylight always necessitates a lighter touch.

MEGAWATT SKIN

This product touts itself as a – wait for it – radiance booster, base and a highlighter. Personally, I use it as a foundation. It has a Vaseline-on-the-lens ability to soft-focus your skin (essential during party season). Plus, it’s loaded with hydrating ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and squalane, making it manna for thirsty mature skins, never sitting in lines and wrinkles. It helps you glow in a good way. To make it last longer, mix it with a long-wear foundation or lightly dust loose power over the top.

Elf Halo Glow Liquid Filter in Neutral Peach, £14, elfcosmetics.co.uk

SEXY SHADOW

The make-up artist founder of RMS Beauty, Rose-Marie Swift, is 68 and her formulations are flattering to everyone from teenagers to nonagenarians. Her creamy Eyelights are no exception. They add a flattering sheen to lids that feels special and seductive. Swift says they are ‘luminous’ rather than ‘shimmery because shimmer means little particles, and on older skin that will not look good’. They are also easy to apply with your finger. Expensive, but they come with a tool that means you get every last bit out.

RMS Eyelights Cream Eyeshadow in Blaze, £29, spacenk.com

A-LIST NAILS 

I have white goods older than Hailey Bieber (model and wife of Justin) but she is my beauty inspo in one area: nails. Her ‘glazed-donut’ talons went viral on social media. They are a sheer, shimmery shell pink that is classic with a sexy twist. Turns out they are also easy to achieve. Just invest in Manucurist’s powder and press it on to a freshly painted nail with a foam-tipped applicator and your nails are oh-so now. Inexpensive and impressive.

Manucurist Glazed Effect Powder, £9, uk.manucurist.com

BEAUTIFYING FLUSH

Blusher is more usually associated with looking sweet than sexy, but it’s key to an attention-grabbing look. This Vieve cream formula works well on older skin as it’s not too shimmery, sinks in well and comes in natural shades. Dial up your blush look by tapping it on the top of cheekbones and blending it up and out in an upward curve around your eyes. To amp it up further use a contour stick (I like Victoria Beckham’s Contour Stylus, £32, victoriabeckhambeauty.com, which doubles as an eyeshadow) blended below your cheekbones.

Vieve Sunset Blush Balm, available in four shades, £21, vieve.co.uk

GRAB BAG

The Dior Makeup Clutch (£270, dior.com) contains a lipstick and three refills, comes with a chain and makes a great night-out bag (for a fraction of the price of the brand’s fashion-line iterations).

‘I’m happy people find me attractive, but really it’s a matter of mathematics – the number of millimetres between the eyes and chin’

- Paulina Porizkova

A REAL EYE-OPENER 

Want Everlasting Eyeliner? This is genius if compromised eyesight means you struggle to apply liner accurately or, like me, you are pressed for time in the mornings. I recently had my lash line tattooed by semi-permanent make-up artist Suzanne Martin. She used a mix of very fine needles to create a subtle line that means I wake up with defined eyes every day. The process lasted 90 minutes, was a bit scratchy but not painful, and there was very minimal downtime. It costs £1,400 across two sessions, and lasts for around four years. 

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