Get Ready With Me | Party Make-Up Edition

If you're anything like me, you'll appreciate the fun of getting ready before an important party that you've been looking forward to for weeks, or even maybe months. There is a lot of time and prep that goes into getting ready, including showering, washing hair, shaving, picking the outfit etc; it really is an absolute mission. This week-end, I had a family friend's 21st birthday bash and I took full advantage of the fact it was a milestone birthday and therefore put much effort into looking as glam as possible, after all, I had just completed my first week of interning in London and I was in desperate need to let my hair down a little (ah, commuter life).

I've always been somewhat of an over-dresser (if you know me, you know), it's genuinely how I feel most comfortable. So, it's no surprise that I love styling party outfits and spending an age painting my face with my favourite make-up products like an child eagerly completing a paint-by-numbers. In this post, I will walk you through all of the steps, (in chronological order) that I took to get myself pampered and prepped for my friend's special evening, resulting this being the final look:

Pamper sesh

I like to fully milk the pampering experience, after all, they say we are the generation of self-care, right? My favourite thing to do is take a nice long, hot bath the night before so I can fully soak, however, I didn't have the time to do this unfortunately. A hot shower had to suffice, but I used my favourite Tresemmé Shampoo and Conditioner to wash my hair, Cowshed Replenish Bath & Shower Gel to wash my body and once dry, the Lancôme "La Vie est Belle" to moisturise (I LOVE the slight sparkle it leaves on your skin! (However, this is only the effect of the Christmas Limited Edition moisturiser, but the usual one still smells fantastic!).

Skin Care

Before embarking upon the creative process that is applying make-up, I ensure my skin is perfectly prepped and glowing. At the moment, I am using Tropics skincare, as it's organic, cruelty free and genuinely clears up my blemishes. I first started with the Smoothing Cleanser, followed by the the Clear Skin Blemish-Fighting Mask, which rids my face of pimples (and, may I say, is award winning). Once washed off, I spritzed my face and décolletage with the Vitamin Toner Pore Refining Mist and finished off with the Skin Feast Nourishing Cream Concentrate.

Make-up

I like to prime my skin first, so my foundation holds for longer, so I used the Bare Minerals "Prime Time" Foundation Primer as my base. Following the primer, I used the L'Oréal True Match Foundation in the shade Rose Vanilla, however, I had to mix this with some darkening drops as I have caught a tan on holiday and, like most other women, prefer my foundation to match the tone of my skin. To contour, I used the BeneFit Hoola Bronzer (classic) and my Clarins Blush Prodige blusher in the shade 02 Soft Peach. To finish off, I highlighted my face with the Makeup Revolution Highlighter Reloaded in the shade Raise The Bar. I adore the gold shimmer this brings to my cheekbones.

I filled my eyebrows in with a mac eyeshadow and an angled brush, as I don't gel well (pardon the pun) with many brow gels, so a compact powder works just fine for me.

For my eyeshadow, I used a mixture of my Naked Heat Palette and my Chanel "Les 4 Ombres" Palette in the shade 304, focussing the darker shades on my outer V and crease and using lighter, pinkier tones all over my lid. I finished by adding my Bare Minerals Loose Eyshadow in the shade Queen Phyllis on my inner corner, to add some extra illumination and sparkle.

Eyelashes are now an essential part of my routine (thanks to the influence of my bestie!), so I secured my Eyelure No. 105 lashes using a pair of tweezers (I am very much an amateur) and topped my eyelashes up with the BeneFit Bad Gal Bang Mascara.

My lips were painted with the Rimmel Apocalips lips lacquer in a berry shade (it's since been discontinued), as this matched my dress perfectly and brought the whole warm-toned look together.

Hairstyle

I decided to have my hair in a low(ish) ponytail for this look, as having my hair off my face would enable the make-up to take centre stage. When I have false eyelashes on, I don't particularly enjoy having my hair down because it constantly gets stuck on the lashes whenever I swish my head around or dance too violently (which happens all too often). Also, since my dress was long-sleeved, I thought a ponytail would balance the look out a little and also prevent me from getting too hot on that humid evening!

Perfume

Now, you may call me a weirdo for this, but I like to match my perfume to the season or the colour of my outfit. Seeing as my outfit was a burgundy-hued colour, I chose to wear the Dior Hypnotic Poison perfume as the perfume bottle was the closest colour match to my outfit. I like to think of this logic as "arty". (pls don't judge me). Plus, I absolutely adore the richness of the scent, especially for the evening time or a special occasion. I spritzed this on my neck, behind my ears and on my wrists, so I would be fragrant and sweet-smelling all night!

Ready to go!