Nothing worse than feeling as though your make-up is slipping off your face causing unwanted creasing and looking like a sweaty mess – especially at the races!
Spring Carnival is a time where girls, and don’t forget about us guys, get to dress up and wear looks that they may not adorn in their everyday life = win!
When it comes to beauty, it is of course fun to try new techniques and the latest hot trends, but some women forget that it is a day time event and go that little too far.
The question we all want answered is, where is the balance??
By Michael Brown
Twitter: @mbrown_beauty
Facebook: facebook.com/michaelbrownbeauty
In the lead up to race day, it is important to think about the overall look you want to portray and of course outfit choice plays a big part in it.
If your outfit is loud in terms of the print, or maybe colour, try to balance with neutral shades and a more simple approach to your make-up, defining features rather than trying to too many trends at once – Boderline Drag!
Then if your outfit is simple in print, no loud colours, play up your look with your fascinator and give a new hot trend a go, like false lashes with liquid line or a deep bold lip to balance and add a focal point.
Nothing worse than a simple dress, simple make-up and hair, where is the focus?
You need at least one eye-catching feature, is it your lip and nail colour? Your dress? Or accessories?
Skin is a big worry of mine on race days…
So many women make the mistake of treating their foundation application as if they are going to a club on Saturday night! Club lighting can often hide the fact that your foundation is a tad too dark, or slightly unblended, but the daylight of race days cannot and you don’t want a badly blended or over concealed face being your focus of the day!
Less is sometimes always best and priming is so important for these long wear daytime events. A well-hydrated skin, smooth exfoliated surface from the day before is vital for any foundation to accept well and bond to the skin looking seamless all day.
Water based moisturizer is my first choice to really plump a tired skin, then adding a smoothing and brightening primer to give a healthy glow is the best canvas to work on when talking about skin. I sometimes even mix a slight amount of primer into my foundation to dilute and melt over the skin, only then adding concealer on areas needed – remember you do not have to cover the entire face with concealer or foundation just because of one spot.
Always dab your concealer with your finger into your foundation, for a great bond; the warmth of the fingertip will help melt all products together.
Below: Laura Mercier Foundation Primer RRP: $45 and Benefit Boi-ing Lemon Aid RRP: $39
MB Beauty Tip – Use deeper more peachy/orange base concealer shade to cover imperfections like dark circles and lighter shade on top to brighten
Never powder straight after foundation application, I find it best to wait until you are just about to walk out the door or until you have signs of shine. The more you apply the cakier you will look = Heavy!
Contouring is a must for enhancing face structure!
Use a shade colour under cheekbones to lift, over socket to recede large areas or puffiness and a wash under jaw and around hairline to give shape.
Then use highlight shades on top of cheekbone, cupids bow and above brow to bring forward.
One look I love for the races is playing with fun fluffy lashes, even substituting a fascinator for lashes!
If applying this look, your outfit and hair needs to be simple, a low or side pulled back bun is perfect and only use a liquid or a slightly smudged liner at base of lashes to add definition.
You can also add colour with a bright or deep bold lip in a shade to suit your colour theme as the eyes do not have bold colours or strong eye shadow lines, the lashes do all the shading for you – Balance!
Add a defined brow and the eyes are done, leaving sockets natural and highlighted when looking down and when eyeline is level a bold, open eye is showing off femininity with the flutter of each lash.
Below: Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura Eyelash Curl and Karl RRP: $50 and Shu Uemura Black Velvet Feather False Lashes RRP: $50
MB Beauty Tip – when using lashes, make sure you trim to size as most will not match your eye length, most being to long which when applied can droop your eyes down = fail!
Bold lips are going to big this Spring Carnival! I know some of my looks I am creating have coral reds, hot pinks and even a bright plum to add some fun and balance into outfits.
You may as well not even bother if your lips are not smooth and moisturized; it is lip suicide, as the pigment will go darker on the dry areas leaving a very patchy lip.
I love using my ring finger to apply lipstick, especially bold shades, as the ring finger is perfectly rounded to create a perfect pout plus the warmth of your fingertip helps melt the pigment to the lip. I also like this method because the actual lip colour is what touches the lip first, not the liner, allowing the true colour of the lipstick to show through. Once my fingertip has pressed the pigment into lips, I then define using a liner, allowing for a long lasting colour, which being applied before lip liner will stain and keep fresh.
No one likes just a lip liner look at the end of the day; it shouldn’t be the most used product for lips, only a simple defined line over lipstick to finish.
Once total look is complete I love using a mist of some sort to spray lightly over make-up. It simply leaves a fresh and very hydrated feeling for the skin, which will actually help the products set as they will not be sitting on top of the face as such, but fused together to last all day.
The more hydrated the skin the less creasing and movement will appear in the dehydrated areas, especially when drinking in the sun all day!
Below: Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist RRP: $24 from Myer
Lastly, the most needed touch up products for your clutch!
Do not over pack and take everything because you will feel the need to keep touching up everything when you probably don’t need too, the more you apply the heavier the makeup will be by 6pm!
Always pack a pressed powder or oil blotters for shine, your concealer for redness that may appear throughout the day and of course under eye circles as they can creep up on you. I never feel the need to touch up eye makeup as when applied correctly and a concealer as a base, it should never crease.
Definitely take your lip colour and if needed it can act as a cream blush – love multi-use!
I am worried that when someone packs a bronzer in their bag they will keep getting it out and feel the need to apply, but after a few champagnes the application becomes patchy – leave it at home ladies!
So race goers, we love less is best, balance and replicate the words elegant and chic this Spring Carnival – good luck!
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