Prom’s coming up for my good friend Tess, so she had a makeup-related question for me. I’m just going to cut and paste the wall post below!
Hello my dear! I have a make up question for you. Prom is coming and I want a type of foundation, mascara, eyeshadow, liner that will last the night… do you have any brand suggestions?
Damn straight I have suggestions! I’m going to pretend I didn’t read the word “brand,” though, and I’ll grace over cheek products as well ;)
Foundation
As you all know from yesterday’s review, I’m completely in love with Make Up For Ever Face and Body. However, I know she wouldn’t splurge on something like that — for starters, there’s no Sephora in her city, and her skin’s gorgeous enough that she doesn’t usually need wear-like-metal foundation! So, I’d go with something light- to medium-coverage.
Recommendations: I’d look for the best shade match for your skin, and give it at least two days’ trial run before an event. Some drugstore foundations to check out would be Maybelline SuperStay, perhaps, or Revlon Photo Ready (a MUFE HD “drugstore dupe.”) Optimally, though, I’d have Tess pick up samples of the correct shades in MUFE Face and Body and HD! They’d look lovely for the night, but not empty out her wallet or leave her with excess product.
Tips: Make sure to bring blotting tissue, and to powder! If I need something to wear for an insanely long time, I’ll actually powder twice — after my foundation has set, I’ll powder very lightly, spritz with a facial spray (or just water+glycerine in a 10:1 ratio in a spray bottle, which can be picked up at almost any dollar store,) then re-powder and re-spritz once that’s dried. Additionally, avoid foundations with SPF, and do a flash test of your foundation match as well as looking at it in different lighting!
Lashes and lines
I love, love, love tubing mascaras. They won’t smudge, flake, or run on you, even if you get a little teary-eyed! We tried Fiberwig on Tess last summer, and it held up through hours of crying. (Though her liner did end up running anyways. There goes a bright white napkin!)
Recommendations: I’d look at Imju Fiberwig and L’Oreal Beauty Tubes for mascara, and GOSH Extreme Art Liners are the only option for your liner! (Seriously, that stuff is crazy.) Another option is something like Benefit’s She-Laq, which “seals in” liner and mascara in case of tears! (I haven’t tried this specific product, but a friend of mine uses it while [synchronized] swimming and says it’s wonderful.)
Tips: for an in-your-face fringe, layer your tubing mascara over something volumizing! Make sure to keep a lash comb at hand while applying, and try out the combination beforehand to see how it works. Also, keep q-tips in your clutch in case your liner does run, so you can clean it up without having to take everything off.
Lids
One word: primer. I’d definitely go with something like Urban Decay Primer Potion or Too Faced Shadow Insurance, but if neither are accesable, a cream concealer or a layer of foundation plus a sweep of powder with do an okay job, too. (Just make sure they don’t leave a “slippery” finish, like some silicone-based liquids can!) As for shadow, stay away from creams if you’re not sure if they crease on you or not, and use what you already have.
Recommendations: I know Tess is set for shadows, but if all you have are powdery pans of chalkiness, you’ll want to pick up some new shadows! It’s hard to go wrong with a MAC quad or Dior quint, but I’d also recommend Annabelle trios for an awesome drugstore choice. If you don’t want to really invest in some good neutrals, trios, quads, and quints are a great way to get a little more bang for your buck!
Tips: stick with neutrals or subtle colours — this is not the time to go crazy with trend makeup! While it’s good to have fun with your shadows, remember that you’ll probably still have these photos fifty years down the road when all the styles have changed… and you have grandkids.
Cheeks
I’d stick with matte or semimatte blush and contour, layer a powder over a cream (or use powder alone,) and be sure to flash-test your cheeks before leaving! Tess will probably be taking a lot of photos, so it would also be a great time for her to contour her cheeks… but if you do this, make sure it’s flawlessly blended and you’re comfortable with it.
Recommendations: none here; there are too many great cheek products out there! I do love MAC Harmony to contour, though, and I know that I’d for sure wear Rose Fresque.
Tips: while a subtle luminizer on the tops of your cheekbones will be gorgeous, a superfrosty cheek will look dated and unnatural in 95% of your photographs. Avoid, avoid, avoid!
That’s all for today — have fun at prom, love! Do you have any tips to share? Hit us up in the comments! Here’s a photo of the lovely Tess so you ladies can have an idea of what skintype, face shape, etc you’re recommending things for!
