Take Your Makeup From Daytime to Nighttime

It’s 4:30 PM and your best friend calls you to make last minute plans to go out after writing paper in university library. You rush home and, being crunched for time, you only have about 20 minutes to change and be out the door. You don’t have time to re-do your makeup, but with a few quick steps and key products, you can create a dramatic evening look, depending on whether you want to highlight eyes or lips.

• Use oil-blotting tissues to remove any shine, then apply a light layer of illuminating, translucent loose powder.
• To focus on eyes – use a slightly darker cream eye shadow and a slate gray (for brunettes) or dark brown (for blondes and redheads) eyeliner pencil with shimmer or a slight touch of glitter and line the upper and lower lids. Smudge color with a Q-tip. Or apply to upper eyelids only and slightly extend and wing-out the outer tip. To balance strong eyes, downplay lips by mixing a little concealer and lip-gloss and apply with a lipbrush.
• Carefully comb eyelashes with a clean eyelash comb (don’t reapply mascara!)
• Add a two sweeps of your blush to refresh the color, then apply one to two drops of a liquid shimmer on the tops of cheekbones and temples to highlight.
• To focus on lips – gently remove any remaining lip color, apply conditioning lip balm and line lips with a lip pencil that matches your lip color or is a neutral tone. Use a lip color that is slightly bolder than your daytime lip color. Suggested colors include a dark berry for light skin tones, a deep mauve or light red for medium skin tones and a deep red or wine for dark skin tones. Using a lip brush, apply one layer and blot. Apply one more layer and top off with a layer of clear gloss, adding a very small amount in the center of the bottom lip to create a bee-stung look. Balance the look by combing the eyelashes and emphasizing eyebrows by applying a few light strokes of matching eye pencil. Apply one small dot of the liquid shimmer under each brow bone to subtly highlight the eyes.

Multitasking Makeup

You’re on a budget and need to keep a few key makeup items in your collection. Or you wear minimal makeup and want to keep your makeup routine simple. Multitasking your makeup is a good idea for these two factors along with the desire to achieve a natural look or as a no fuss summertime makeup routine. Thanks to more advanced cosmetic formulas and products, colors are sheerer, consistencies are lighter and less aggravating on the skin and pigmentation is denser for longer wear. Some products that do double duty include:

 Concealer

Along with covering up a night without sleep and old acne scars, concealer is an excellent primer on eyelids and lips under eye shadow and lipstick. Makeup will adhere to the concealer and is less likely to crease or run. Concealer can also be blended with lip balm or clear lip-gloss to make a natural, pale lipstick to complement smoky eyes.

Eyeshadow

Use a dark brown, gray or soft black as eyeliner for a softer look. Can be used either wet or dry.

Eyeliner

After lining the eyelids with pencil eyeliner, define the eyebrows by applying light feather strokes in the middle of the brows and toward the outer edges. Avoid applying in the inner eyebrows (to avoid the Groucho Marx look!)

Blush and Bronzer

After applying on the apples of the cheeks and cheekbones, apply a little extra on eyelids, temples and lightly along the forehead for an extra glow.

Creme Lipstick

Dot three small dots on the apples of cheeks for a light flush and a foolproof way to get an exact match of lipstick and blush.

Lip-Gloss

Apply one to two very light dots on the very top of cheekbones and under the outer edges of eyebrows for a dewy, slight sheen to compliment a nighttime look.