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While it’s best to try out different makeup looks for prom night ahead of time, some girls don’t get their dresses until the last minute so they don’t know what kind of makeup they need. Then there are the procrastinators. Whatever the reason for not having your makeup all picked out, it’s easy to look good last-minute.
Before you get started, put on your foundation. If it’s possible, buy your foundation at a makeup counter at a department store for a sure match up (and easy exchange at the last minute if needed). Match the foundation to your jawbone for the most realistic look. The two formulas of choice for prom: dewy-finish and long-lasting. Wait a few minutes to let it set. If you need bronzer to make your face match your neck (sometimes a problem with sunless tanners if it’s been a few days as the face exfoliates faster than anywhere else on the body), apply bronzing powder with a big fluffy brush. Touch up under eye circles and blemishes with concealer. At this point, either walk outside with a mirror, or stand by a window near a mirror to make sure your bronzer looks natural and blended. Finally, highlight your cheekbones, browbones, and temples with highlighting cream.
If your dress is romantic (think Cinderella-inspired with a full skirt and fitted bodice, or a light and flowing skirt that seems to be made of pastel air), your attire calls for enchanting, soft romantic looks, so turn to fairy tales for your inspiration. Shimmery shadows, possibly a touch of glitter on the cheekbones, immediately give you a surreal beauty. Go light on the liner (you can use almost any color with this style black, brown, gray, navy, plum…just coordinate it with the color of your dress and the eyeshadow colors you end up using). Soft petal pink or faint coral blush will give your face a childlike glow of excitement. Long-lasting medium-depth lipstick with plenty of gloss on top will keep you from fighting with constant touchups. Too dark of a color will be overpowering or make you look like you’re in a high school beauty pageant. Too light lipcolor will not show up well in pictures (and what night do you take more pictures than prom night?). Use a slightly deeper color than you might otherwise pick for this look if you’re playing up your lips as opposed to your eyes. Go with more of a darker medium than a medium on the light side.
If your dress is sexy (you’re wearing a slinky little black number that hugs all your curves) definitely go for smoky eyes and glossy nude lips. You can’t go wrong and you’ll catch the eye of every man at the dance, in the restaurant, in the limo…you get the idea. The traditional example of smoky eyes looks best on medium to dark skin tones, but a fair-skinned girl can still do this look by replacing the black and gray shadows with multiple brown shades (and maybe even throw a navy blue in there). Keep the black liner if you have dark eyes and fair skin; go with brown if you have light eyes and light skin. Fair girls should use a slightly pinker or coral shade of gloss to avoid looking washed out or like they don’t have lips.
If your dress is glamorous (and you’re red-carpet worthy), swipe a shimmery gold shade onto your lids, lighter off-white barely-there frost on your browbone and inner corners (great trick for brightening your eyes), and put a medium or dark brown shadow in the crease and on the outer corners in a wedge shape. Line lids with dark brown kohl liner and smudge the line with the same medium/dark shade of brown shadow you used in the crease. Top off with a lengthening/thickening mascara that gives the illusion of false lashes. For lips, use a medium toned pink, red, or coral depending on your skin tone and dress color. Sculpt cheeks with a peachy-pink blusher trio if you’re pale or a bronzing combo if your skin is dark. If you skipped this step earlier, highlight cheekbones, temples, browbones, and, if you think your nose is a little on the wide side, put a strip of highlighter or concealer a shade lighter than your actual skin tone down the middle of it, lengthwise. This thins out the appearance, especially in pictures. Just make sure to blend well to both sides so the line isn’t obvious.
If your dress is simple and you like to look natural, even when you’re all dressed up, your makeup should follow suit and look like your own natural beauty stepped up a notch (tomboys often like to reach for simpler styles than their frou-frou counterparts and can make them look just as sexy). Amp it up a bit for your special night by deepening your daytime colors just a little. Your pictures will thank you (and you’ll thank yourself later) and your features will stand out more if you’re parading around at senior walk (or as prom queen) on stage). Try a medium mauve gloss or even a brownish red color in a gloss or matte consistency. Try muted eyeshadow trios and apply black or brown liner more heavy-handedly toward the outer corners of your upper lids than on inner corners. Line the inner rim on the bottom lid. Smudge liner on the top with matching shadow to increase staying power and add drama. Extra tip: if you have freckles, don’t work too hard to cover them up; they’re cute.
If your dress is trendy/funky, play up your eyes with the most outrageous colors you can get your hands on. Use three sheer colors. Match one to your dress (especially if it’s turquoise! It’s such a hot spring/summer color). Blend two more complementary colors with them. Highlight your browbone with a pale, frosty shade. Lightly line the lids with black liner and swipe on a small amount of thickening mascara. Keep blush and lip color neutral and on the faint side just to enhance your natural coloring without looking clownish.
If your dress is classic (were you inspired by “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”?), red lips, light brown shadow (or a trio of browns if you want to add a little extra something), and brown or black liquid liner are your must-haves. Apply a hint of rose blush to bring color to your cheeks, and finish off with a few coats of black lengthening mascara. Usually this look is freshest on pale to light-medium skin tones but anyone can pull it off with a little tweaking of the lip shade and depth of eyeshadow and blush.
If at all possible, make sure you can get long-lasting products so you don’t have to worry about your lipstick kissing you goodbye (and your boyfriend hello), your foundation migrating to your hairline and away from shiny spots that keep appearing on your T-zone, or your mascara running down your cheeks while you get sweaty dancing. It’s a good idea to try to acquire your makeup products a few days before the event so you can play around with them and see how they wear for hours at a time. That way you’ll be looking your best for the longest time possible. You can also make sure the colors work perfectly for your skin before you get your $100 pictures back and look like you’re wearing a mask. A little procrastination won’t hurt but don’t put yourself in a panic on the day of, frantically shopping the drugstore next to the salon while your curlers set and your toenails dry.
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