How A Makeup Artist Nails Festive Party Makeup

How A Makeup Artist Nails Festive Party Makeup

Want to nail fun, festive makeup but have no idea where to start (or finish) (or anything)? Fear not! Makeup Artist/Glowy Skin Extraordinaire, Yen Hoang, is here to walk you through her go-to festive look: Radiant skin, a sparkly wing, and a last-all-night red lip.

Over to Yen!

The Base!

Festive season or not, prepping your skin is the numero uno essential for any makeup look.

Cater your products choices to what your skin is craving for that particular day. My ultimate go-to combo for an instant pick me up is of course, the Go-To Transformazing Sheet Masks paired with Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels.

Not only do these help to hydrate and de-puff skin (from late nights in the silly season), but they allow your makeup to glide on smoothly and feel oh so fabulous.

They say not to prime is a crime, so after skin prep, head straight onto primer. Using a face primer based on your skin type prior to makeup will allow products to grip better and extend the longevity of your foundation. Follow on with your personal favourite foundation and concealer combo (one that you know lasts and works for your skin; my personal favourites are MAC Face and Body Foundation and NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer) and build up to your desired level of coverage.

Next? Blush! We all love blush for a natural flush of colour and it’s perfect for a fresh, festive look. Want your look to last all day? Try using a blush cheek stain/tint. These are very long lasting and will be sure not to budge. They’re also highly pigmented so a little goes a loooong way. I suggest starting lightly and gradually building up to your desired colour.

Finish off your base by setting with powder. Glowy, dewy skin is a highly requested makeup look, but using only creamy products tend to not last long on the skin. Setting your complexion with a powder will help lock your makeup in place. Try using it only in areas you find tend to be shiny or oily. A current favourite is the Hourglass Translucent Powder, it has no added colour and feels very lightweight. Now you're ready to dance away!!

The Eyes!

It’s time to prime! Again! This time we’re focusing on the eyes to help prevent eyelids from getting oily but most importantly make the eyeshadow pigments extra bright and vivid. Try using Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Eye Primer. (Tip! I like to use this along the t-zone too as it’s a common area that tends to get shiny.)

Once you’re prepped and primed, we’re going to create a wing. Instead of using a liquid liner, I like to use eyeshadow on a wet, angled brush. Wetting the eyeshadow pigment will create a liquid formula for a stronger payoff and allow for smoother application.

For a low-key look, finish with a coat of mascara. If you’re feeling fancy, pop on some false lashes. Eylure Lashes Starter Kit (#118) is my lash of choice for this look.) I always trim them first to fit the shape of my eye, apply some lash glue on the band, and then lightly bend them for 30 seconds (until glue gets tacky) to help them sit on the curve of your eye. (You can watch exactly how I do it riiiight here.)

The Lips!

If you are opting for a bold lip, like I am for this look, always start with lip liner. Line and colour the entire lip, that way if your lipstick starts fading from all the eating and drinking at the party, you still have your liner there as back-up colour. Once your lips are lined, you can follow on with lipstick. For this festive-y red lip look, I’ve used Mecca MAX Pout Pop Lipstick in Crush It but feel free to use whatever you have on hand.

Voila! You're ready to go!