I haven’t put on makeup in so long that a glamorous party look throws me off balance. My standard evening makeup is usually exactly the same as my day makeup with a little more eyeliner and possibly an extra layer of mascara. But I’m not sure if that’s flattering for my over-50s skin.
Since most of us have less than 10 minutes to put our faces on, I wanted a lesson in how to apply easy evening makeup that will make me look a little more glamorous than usual and allow me to leave the house without any hassle. . my husband loses the plot while waiting in the car.
I called on the skills of British make-up artist and writer Wendy Rowe, who has made up everyone from Helen Mirren to Priyanka Chopra, and is on speed dial for Victoria Beckham and Sienna Miller when they want to look fabulous on a magazine cover or on the red carpet.
“There are two very easy party looks,” says Rowe, “that are timeless, relatively quick to finesse and suit most faces. The first is a red lip with lots of lashes and the second is a relaxed, smokey eye.
“The key to both looks is getting the skin right,” Rowe continues. “When people ask me for my top tip when you’re short on time, I just say to redo the skin (complexion) even if you don’t have time to reapply your eye makeup. Great looking skin makes average makeup look great.”
How to keep your skin looking flawless
“You probably don’t have time for a long massage, but even a quick two-minute relief massage while you cleanse or apply moisturizer (focus on the jawline) can make a difference,” says Rowe (she has some good videos to follow on her website wendyrowe).
“If you have time, use a sheet mask. The 111 Skin Cryo De-Puffing face masks work wonders and I always use them on people before a big event or shoot. They really make the skin look better. They are also great if you have redness because they are cooling. You can always apply mascara while you wait for the mask to work,” adds Rowe.
111 Skin Cryo The Puffing Face Mask, £20, Selfridges; Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Matte Beauty Blush Wand, £30, Space NK
Rowe’s other trick is to apply contour and blusher to moisturized skin before applying foundation. “I notice that if you do it this way, your skin looks more beautiful and radiant. It feels weird at first, but the skin looks more polished,” says Rowe.
“When it comes to blush, apply it a little higher than you normally would, so almost on the cheekbone. As you get older, the cheeks become pulled down a bit, so this is a good way to give the face a subtle lift.” Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Matte Beauty Blush Wand is good.
“Then, blend the contour stick (applied to the apple of the cheek and under the jawline) and blusher into the skin with a large brush before applying your foundation and concealer, only to the areas you need. One of Rowe’s favorite foundations is Mac Studio Face and Body Foundation because it isn’t too heavy and won’t accentuate lines or wrinkles like most other foundations.
“Finish with a matte bronzer and a bit of highlighter, but don’t be tempted to use something with shimmer as that will settle into lines and make you look older,” says Rowe. She likes Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream and Westman Atelier Lit Up Highlight Stick, which is applied to the cheekbones and gives the skin real glass-like luminosity.
Westman Atelier Illuminated Highlight Stick, £44, Cult beauty; Face and Body Foundation £38, Mac studio; Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream, £46, John Lewis
Three rules for the perfect red lipstick
“Finding the perfect shade of red takes a bit of trial and error. Matte red looks a little more chic than glossy red and requires less maintenance because you don’t have to keep touching it up,” says Rowe. She created a red lipstick that suits “almost everyone” for the refillable lipstick brand La Bouche Rouge. Makeup by Mario and Armani Beauty also have very good red shades.
“Use a lip liner before applying and remember that the bottom lip is much fuller than the top. The key to a beautiful lip line is to smile to stretch your mouth. Don’t try to do it normally with your mouth, because then it will become fluffy. I don’t think over-lining is a good idea. Work with what you have, don’t try to make something different for yourself – it will just look a bit wrong.
“If you’re going to wear a red lip, you have to own it,” says Rowe. ‘You can’t just put it on and hope no one will notice. You have to say: I wear it and I feel good about it. Think of Robert Palmer Addicted to love video.”
La Bouche Rouge, £36, cult beauty; Makeup by Mario, £30, sephora; Giorgio Armani Lip Power in 400, £35, Boots
How to easily create a smokey eye
Rowe first applies mascara. “You can go right up to the lash line, and if you’re a little sloppy with the application, it doesn’t matter if you shade it. And as you get older, use a lighter mascara to make the eye look as wide as possible. Volume-building mascaras can make eyes look smaller, which is the opposite of what we want.” Max Factor 2000 Calorie waterproof mascara is great.
“After a certain age, use an eye shadow with a cream texture, because it does not remain in the lines. Victoria Beckham has some good taupe ones. Simply apply it to the eye socket and eyelid. So easy. Then finish with a powder eyeshadow in a deeper chocolate color, just on the outer corners to give the impression of a larger eye. The Chanel Les Beiges eyeshadow palettes are my favorite and have great chocolate brown shades. You can blend with a small brush for a polished finish, but remember to blend upwards from the corners of the eyes and not pull the eyes down.
Max Factor 200 Calorie Waterproof Mascara, £9.99, Super drug; Les Beiges Eyeshadow Palettes, £53, Chanel
“Be careful with eyeliner as you get older because it can be too harsh. You want to make sure everything looks soft, without any harsh lines,” says Rowe, who decided not to use eyeliner on me at all.
“Most importantly, don’t be tempted to wear glitter on the eyes (or anywhere on the face). It will fall apart and will last a few years longer. A wet look, shiny eye shadow is a stylish alternative. Surratt Lid Lacquers are great and super easy to apply.
“And try to avoid making your eyebrows look too arched, like they did in the 1980s. Use an eyebrow pencil to make them look a little straighter. It will look more youthful.” Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pencil has a very good color choice.
Anastasia Beverley Hills Brow Wiz Eyebrow Pencil in Caramel, £18.40, Look fantastic; Surratt lid lacquer in Hadaka, £35, Space NK
Three tips for party hair
Hairstylist Neil Moodie, who often works with Rowe on celebrity photo shoots and at his east London salon, says that if your hair is long enough, a high ponytail with a little volume towards the back of the crown is quick and easy. style to accompany a red lip. “Apply hairspray directly to your hairbrush while brushing the hair into the ponytail. And follow the line from your cheekbones to where you leave the ponytail at the back of your head. It can also create a bit of a lift in the face.
“Depending on your style, ‘undoing’ the hair a bit can be more youthful than looking too polished. French women are good at this relaxed style, and it can work well with a smokey eye, because you don’t want everything to look too perfect.”
If you don’t have time to blow-dry, spray a blow-drying spray on the roots (try Sundaze Sea Salt Spray for a tousled, relaxed look or Save the Do for a more polished finish, both from Hair by Sam McKnight and blow-dry it with a round brush or fingers for a quick volume boost for thinning hair.
Sam McKnight Save the Do Blow Dry Style, £26, Sephora; Sundaze sea salt spray, £26, Sephora