The Perfect Makeup For A Black-Tie Event
Whether you are a total makeup guru or a fresh-faced newbie, knowing how to transition your look from everyday wear to something more formal is one of the most essential skills every makeup wearer should have in their arsenal. Not only does spicing up your makeup for a formal event or a night out help your look best reflect the intended vibe and formality, but wearing the right products also helps ensure your makeup lasts all night long.
When it comes to getting glam for a black-tie event such as a wedding, makeup artist Carolina Dalí says via Vogue, "The ideal is glowing, lit from within the skin, softly accentuated features, and colors that work together in harmony. Let the chunky glitter and blue lipstick sit this one out. Photos will be taken that will be shared for generations to come; you don't want your makeup to look dated, so keep it as harmonious and fresh as possible." Opting for a timeless, classic, and glamorous application will help you look the part and photograph well while not standing out or distracting from the event in a negative way.
Here are the expert-recommended ways to execute the perfect makeup look for any formal, black-tie event.
Go full coverage
While we are all for embracing your natural beauty with a barely-there, sunkissed look, when it comes to getting ready for a black-tie affair, it's best to skip the bb cream and tinted moisturizers and instead opt for products that are a bit more coverage. Makeup artist Jaleesa Jaikaran suggests via Byrdie to go for a long-wear foundation that advertises 12 to 16 hours, like one by Bobbi Brown that offers transfer-proof and sweat-resistant staying power.
Makeup artist Carolina Dalí recommends applying two different types of foundation to give yourself a dewy glow in the areas you want it while canceling it out in places you don't. Using multiple foundations allows you to take advantage of the specific benefits that each provides to create a customized look that best suits your skin type. "Apply [mattifying] velvet matte foundation on the center of the face, around folds of the mouth, where your nose meets your cheeks, and a touch to the center of the forehead," she says. "Then, using a separate tool, apply a glowy foundation, like Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk foundation, to the rest of the face and neck where needed, blending nicely." If you are wearing a dress to the event or with a low neckline, don't forget to blend your foundation down your neck and onto your decolletage for a seamless look.
Opt for a smokey eye
A tasteful but dramatic smokey eye is one of the most timeless makeup looks for any black-tie event. A clean smokey eye, when done correctly, looks striking and bold while still being elegant.
Most experts say that powder shadows are usually a better choice than creams when it comes to a black-tie event; as Carolina Dalí tells Vogue that "cream shadows tend to crease or crack after hours of dancing and wear."
Per The Carousel, once your eyes are primed, outline your lash lines in a dark pencil liner (remember that taking it to the waterline can inadvertently make your eyes look smaller). Then, taking a small angled brush, blend black, dark brown, or dark gray shadow over the liner to make them look less harsh. With a small eyeshadow brush, press a slightly lighter shade onto your lids and work the deep shade you used to blend the liner into your crease using a circular, back-and-forth motion. The farther out you blend your shadow, the more dramatic the look will be, so keep in mind the type of event you're going to during this step. Finally, top it off with a few mascara coats or false lashes. Dali recommends opting for a waterproof mascara like Chanel's Le Volume. "Just in case you get teary-eyed or dance for hours on end, you want your mascara to stay in place," she says.
Be bold in your lip shade
If you choose not to rock a bold, smokey eye, you should consider making up for that lack of drama with your lip shade. And while it's been a rule of thumb in the past to rock either a bold eye or a bold lip but never both, many experts say it's time to rethink. Recent red carpets suggest more celebrities are embracing the bold eye and lip combo trend. Whether you pair it with a smokey eye or on its own, a bright, bold lip color is a timeless look.
The key to flawlessly executing a bright lip color is to ensure it lasts all night, as bold lipsticks and liners are far more noticeable when they smear, fade, or have application imperfections.
Carolina Dalí suggests via Vogue filling your lips with a liner shade that matches your lipstick for a clean and finished look and topping it off with a clear gloss for added shine. "Use feathery light strokes to shade the lip liner into your lips, then apply lip gloss to the bows and center of the lips only," she says. "Don't cover your lips entirely with the gloss; that will make your color wear faster."
Applying one layer of color, blotting it with a tissue, and reapplying one more layer before topping your lips off with gloss is a great way to help your pout last all night (via Carousel).
Set it and forget it
Setting your finished makeup look with a sheer, translucent powder not only helps mattify your skin and keep you from looking shiny throughout the night, but it also helps keep your makeup from melting or transferring.
After your foundation is applied, makeup artist Jessica Smalls recommends via Vogue using a soft, fluffy powder brush to lightly dust your t-zone and other areas of your face that tend to get shiny with a setting powder like ONE/SIZE's Ultimate Blurring Setting Powder for a smooth, photo-ready finish.
If you are going to a wedding, or another black-tie event where there will be a lot of photographs, be wary of powders marketed as HD. While they are intended to provide an ultra-smooth finish, if applied in excess or in the wrong places, they can cause flashback when flash photography is used — which can leave your skin looking ghostly white in photos. For this reason, Stylecaster recommends avoiding them entirely.