Dashing party looks
THE PARTY season is upon us and you’ll be doing s o me desk- t o - dance-floor dashing. It’s simple to wear your usual make - u p a n d dress up your look with a bold lipstick or a swoosh of black kohl — but it’s also so predictable. We take care with the clothes on our back, especially for parties, so why not do the same for your face? Parties are the best occasions to try out a new beauty look (with a practice run in your own bathroom). Experiment to find your comfort zone. What’s the worst that can happen? It can all wipe off in an instant. You’ll need an amazing make-up arsenal to make that flawless day-to-night transition. Here are your must-haves. This season, it’s all about the sculpted look, with contouring and highlighting aplenty. Instead of worrying about the symmetry of your face, à la Kim Kardashian, use a make-up primer with light-reflecting particles that helps your skin glow and keeps make-up on for longer. Bring effortless radiance to your skin with Charlotte Tilbury’s Wonder Glow Primer, £38.50 or Urban Decay’s Naked Skin Beauty Balm, £23.50.
Code FFL mascara, £18.99 at Mascara is our best weapon against tired-looking eyes. Create even more impact by layering up shadows or adding subtle, glistening eye makeup. Stay clear of full-on glitter and instead choose shadows and liners that have a grown-up shine. Apply with a brush and build up colour on your eye socket. Finish with lashings of mascara on upper and lower lashes. Try Laura Mercier Eye Chrome palette, £32 and Max Factor Masterpiece Transform Mascara, £9.99, for party eyes minus the cheap glitter. Play with colour, especially if you’re wearing head-to-toe black. A strong lip commands the attention and transforms your whole face, not just your pout. Choose a matt formula if you’re not used to wearing lipstick, as it will feel much lighter than a shiny version. If you prefer lip-gloss, choose burgundy and berry shades, which are subtler in a gloss than in a lipstick. My go-to colours this season are MAC Lipglass in Rebel, £14.50; Charlotte Tilbury in Unleash Me, £16.50 and Max Factor Colour Elixir in Ruby Tuesday, £7.99, Limited Edition. Take your look up a notch and amplify those arches. Newly launched Billion Dollar Brows (
will take you through the ropes with a step-by-step guide and foolproof instruments and make-up that gives you a professional finish with
New CID i-blossom petal pressed powder, £19
Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm £23.50 your own hands. I’m loving the clever stencils from Brow by Mii Statement Brow Kit, £16.95 (
New CID cosmetics i-groom, £18.50 ( and Shavata Arch Enhancer, £11.50. To get a red-carpet finish, you need to polish both hair and make-up. However, some hair can be hard to manage or to dress up differently from its usual style. Below, celebrity hairstylist Paul Percival of Percy & Reed shares his top tips to create the easiest perfect party ready updo (which suits everyone). This may tempt you into going beyond your hair’s safe zone. STEP 1 “The first rule for putting up hair is preparation. You need to get some ‘guts’ into the hair. A great way to do this is by using a few sprays of dry shampoo. This will clean away any excess oils and give your style a longer life.” STEP 2 “Brush hair through. Find your parting and pull all your hair into a ponytail at the base of your neck. Next, roll the ponytail into a twist, while at the same time lifting at the back of the head. Control flyaways with a taming spray.” STEP 3 “Now, with one hand, take a keyhole instant updo pin and slide it across the twisted hair and then secure it back on to itself. Finish with a spritz of hairspray and you’re ready to party!”
Percy & Reed session hold hairspray, £12
Percy & Reed finishing polish, £10