SPECIAL-OCCASION MAKEUP

Few women have the time or energy to clean their faces at the end of the workday and redo their makeup for a night out. Instead, they want a few quick tricks to make a simple transition from office to evening. Since lighting is often softer at night and the occasions are dressier, the idea is to make the face look a bit more dramatic than during the day.

Transforming a Day Face into an Evening Face

Start with a touch of eye cream to smooth out existing concealer. Reapply as needed.

Apply foundation as needed to cover any blemishes and even out skin tone, especially around the nose.

Use a blush that is slightly brighter than the one used for a daytime look. Use it alone or as a pop of color just on the apple of the cheeks.

If skin is showing on the neck and chest, make it glow with a light sweep of bronzing powder.

Use shimmer on lips, eyes, or cheeks to make the face look dressed up. Warning: Too much shimmer will look overdone, so don’t use it on all three areas at the same time.

Switch to a darker shade of lipstick. Red or burgundy will add drama to your look. Or try a sheer shade paired with a more dramatic eye.

Add drama to eyes by sweeping on a darker shadow as a liner and applying plenty of black mascara. A smoky eye is always sexy for night looks. Applying white as a highlighter under the brow bone is also a great evening look.

Spritz on a warm, sensual fragrance, and put on a great pair of earrings.

Try red lips with pink cheeks and minimal eye makeup.

Pair shimmery bronzer with smoky brown eyes, bronze cheeks, and copper lips. Add shimmer to either lips or eyes, not both.

Have fun with a bright pink or orange mouth, pale pink or apricot blush, and soft eye makeup with several coats of black mascara or false eyelashes.

For very special occasions, don’t be afraid to go all out. Cool colors such as white, platinum, gunmetal, and slate work on the eyes with black liner and individual false eyelashes. Using pale pink with a hint of shimmer on the cheeks and soft beige or sandy pink gloss on the lips will look great.

Use an oil-control lotion on oily areas of the face to keep it shine-free.

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Updated: July 14, 2015 — 3:44 pm