NEW YEAR’S EVE GLAM
Charlotte Tilbury makeup artist Barri King shares go-to beauty tips for the biggest party of the year
Forget the massive, illuminated disco ball descending over Times Square in New York City. This New Year’s Eve, the one who will be shining is you.
“It’s always about looking really radiant, hydrated, youthful and glowy,” Barri King, a lead artist for Charlotte Tilbury, says of the go-to beauty look for NYE fetes. “I always say holiday makeup is just really great everyday makeup but with a little pop to it.”
According to King, it starts with the skin.
“For us out here on the West Coast, it really starts with healthy, bouncy and radiant looking skin,” she says.
A good moisturizer, one that provides hydration and also preps the skin for makeup application such as Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream, is essential for your skin to achieve what King calls that “redcarpet Hollywood glow.
“Usually, during the holiday seasons, you’re combating freezing temperatures, redness and dryness,” she explains. “So, it’s important to make sure you have your staple moisturizer.”
Once your skin is set, it’s time to move on to makeup. While skin prep can work wonders to make skin look plump and healthy, a good dose of highlighter helps, too. And, this step, King assures, is for everyone.
“We’ve been told for so long that shimmer isn’t good on mature skin,” she says. “But we need to revisit that, because we have so much technology that goes into how we refine products.”
King says that while the less refined powders of previous years were prone to producing swaths of gritty glitter that settled into fine lines and other assorted skin imperfections, the finely milled versions of today can be far more forgiving.
“Just because something has a nice pearl sheen to it, doesn’t mean it’s going to exacerbate every wrinkle on your face,” she says.
“We almost need to revisit that standpoint and give people that reassuring pat on the shoulder that, hey, it’s OK to go for something that has a bit of a pearl or radiance, because that’s going to really catch the light and bring out the features of your face, without bringing out the things you want to mute.”
With an abundance of highlighters available on the market, ranging from soft whites to bright pinks, it’s easy to get overwhelmed when considering which hue to add to your shopping basket. Thankfully, King has narrowed it down.
“As far as creating radiance in the skin or the eye area, if you have anything in the champagne tint as far as a highlight, that’s always going to be a really easy go-to — no matter what your complexion is,” she says.
“Either a champagne tint, or anything that has rose gold . ... It’s nice because it’s not going to be a dated shade or technique. It’s still very relevant. But it’s also neutral enough that it’s not going to necessarily dictate the rest of your outfit or your lip colour.”
After applying moisturizer, a skin foundation product, and a touch of highlighter, it’s now time to move on to the eyes. For New Year’s events, consider donning an eyeshadow colour that’s both in-season — and on trend.
“I myself will gravitate toward ... anything that’s going to have a more bold undertone for the eye area, like an emerald or a forest green or Merlot shade,” she says. “Because they’re still based on everyday beauty colours, but they’re deeper and richer.”
She says the rich shades — unlike crazier colours such as blues and pinks — provide a bit of a twist to everyday makeup without going too far outside most people’s cosmetics comfort zone. For a lovely, lived-in look, King suggests doing a liner, then take a smudging brush dipped in a similar shade and run it over the fresh liner.
“It softens the edge,” she explains. “It looks intense, but you have a filter-esque effect that looks very flattering and not too edgy or fashion-week looking.”
And for lips, King says brick reds or berry hues are always a good idea. “When it comes to the holidays, that’s a playground to play with candy tones and rich, jewel shades,” she says.
Not sure which feature to play up? King says it’s important to consider what type of NYE event you’re headed to.
“I always consider what event I’m going to because I am definitely an eater. So, if I’m going to a holiday party where I know there is going to be a charcuterie plate, I’ll make sure to bump up my lip colour with a liner,” she says with a laugh. “There’s nothing worse than having a red smudge on your face and having no idea.
“It’s worse than having kale in your teeth and no one telling you.”