The choice of an outfit depends on the occasion, so does a woman’s makeup. You won’t wear the same makeup on a late night party or wedding with the makeup style you wear for work or grocery shopping. Of course, you would want to look fabulous on a special occasion. Whether it’s for a girl’s night out, a cocktail party, a gala or any event that calls for extra dramatic get-up, here are some makeup tips to help you stand out because you look glamorous:
1. Apply foundation
Before anything else, apply a foundation that gives full coverage. Your whole face must be covered in a foundation to even out your skin tone, and conceal black spots and pigmentations. This also works as an important makeup base. L’oreal Paris’ Infallible foundation line is one of the best you can pick.
2. Choose what to emphasize
Focus on one feature and do your best to emphasize that. Like in a carefully decorated room, your facial makeup must have only emphasized one focal point. Is it your eyes or your lips? It’s either you’d go for full-on eye makeup and an understated lipstick shade, or a bright red lipstick and a subtle eye shadow. Emphasizing both will overdo your look, and that’s neither classy nor glamorous.
3. Contour
If you love watching makeup tutorials, you’ve probably heard how important contouring is over and over again. Believe them, because contour is really important in achieving a glamorous makeover. The goal of contouring is to define your cheekbones and enhance the facial structure. It is beneficial especially to round and square faces to make them look oval, which is the shape considered ideal by beauty standards today.
To “sculpt” your face for a glamorous look, you can use bronzers or shade colors like blush to contour your cheeks. Shade right underneath your cheekbones (the hollows of your cheeks) in a diagonal motion from the upper ear to the corner of your mouth. The key is to blend carefully using an angled foundation brush for a more natural look.
After that, apply bronzer or shadow color to your temples using your angled brush, from the edge of the brow upwards. Blend it carefully. Then, apply blush to your cheeks based on the shape of your face and blend well.
4. Highlight your best feature
When making a glamorous makeup look, always remember to highlight your best features to make them stand out. Use a face highlighting powder across the highest points in your face such as the cheekbones, the brow bones, the nose bridge, the cupid’s bow, and the center of your forehead. Highlighting these parts of the face will cause them to catch the light in your room and grab attention.
5. Play up your eyes
The eyes are the most exciting and also the most frustrating thing to work on when doing makeup. But when going for a glamorous look, the smoky eye and shimmery eye is the perfect look. These dramatic eyes are fun to do, plus they add shine and drama for your natural look.
The smoky eye is the go-to makeup look of most women who want to look glamorous. The most common smoky eye styles use a palette of gray eyeshadows, but any other colors work too. For summer, the smoky color palette may look too much, so lighter colors like pink, green and purple works great. To achieve the smoky eye look, you need a primer, a light color for highlighting, a medium base color and a dark color. Here’s one way to do it:
- Apply primer to the eyelids so the eyeshadow would stay in place.
- Apply the lightest shade to the inner corners of the eyelids and under the eyebrows.
- Apply the medium eyeshadow shade across your entire eyelid.
- Gently apply the dark eyeshadow shade to the crease of the eyelid.
- Blend the colors using a blending brush.
Another makeup technique for a glam look is the shimmery eye. When we talk about glamour, diamonds is to jewelry while glitters are to makeup. Using a shimmer or glitter eyeshadow to do your eye makeup will do the trick. You can also go for a smoky and shimmery look if you want to.
But remember, if you’re going full-on on eye makeup, don’t pair it with a brightly colored lipstick. Pick subtle pink, subtle orange or glossy nude shades to complete the look.
6. Use false eyelashes
False eyelashes are what gives the glam look a dramatic and gorgeous feel. It opens up the eyes and makes them appear bigger and brighter. Using falsies or fake eyelash strips is the easiest way to achieve long, natural looking eyelashes. A lot of falsies today look very realistic and comfortable to wear. If you haven’t used it yet, here’s how to wear them:
- Size the lashes and cut off any additional length so it would fit your lashes perfectly. Trim them down if necessary.
- Apply lash glue on the outer seam of the lash strip with an applicator or small brush. Wait for the glue to dry for a moment before putting it in your eyelashes.
- Carefully place the strip on your eyelid as close as possible to your real lashes. Allow the lash glue to dry naturally – no need to press or hold it to stay in place.
- Apply mascara to blend your lashes with the falsies so it would look more natural.
- If there are any spaces between the false eyelashes and your real ones, apply liquid eyeliner along your upper eyelid to fill in any gaps.
If you’re up to a more permanent and natural-looking eyelash improvement, get an eyelash extension. Eyelash extensions are individual false lashes applied individually, so it will take a longer time to apply and it must only be done by a professional. But it will last for more than one day, like for a month or so, and you’ll continue looking glam even after your big event.
7. Use liquid eyeliner
A glamorous makeup look is incomplete without a liquid eyeliner. A winged eyeliner is the best complement to your smoky or shimmery eyeshadows and fluttery false eyelashes. Don’t use a pencil eyeliner because it will most likely smudge.
8. Sculpt your eyebrows
The proper eye makeup is not finished until you’ve groomed and defined your eyebrows. Having a sculpted eyebrow is important for a glamorous look. Create an arch by tweezing any stray hairs below the peak of the brow, but don’t overdo it. Fill any spaces or sparse areas with a good eyebrow pencil and powder, then comb the brows.
9. Opt for bold lipstick
Nothing says classic glamour like a perfect red lipstick. Cocktail and night-out parties are the best opportunity to flaunt your favorite bright red lipstick that is too fabulous to wear for an ordinary day at work. Find a bold shade of red (or plum or bright purple, if you want) that brightens up your entire face. A metallic sheen is perfect for a glam look, but you can use any lipstick finish and just add a glossy topcoat. Line your lips with a lip liner of a similar shade for a finished look. But remember, don’t pick bright and bold lipstick if you’re going full-on glamour on your eyes.
10. Finish with a setting spray
After you’re done with your makeup, an important thing to do is to finish with a setting spray to help makeup stay longer. You have labored for hours to perfect your look, so ensure that it stays fresh all night until the party is over.