3 Beauty Looks To Inspire Your Party Makeup

By mid December, many of us have already seen enough sequins, tinsel and glitter to last a lifetime. As the party season rages on, it's easy to feel uninspired not only by your wardrobe but by your makeup bag, too. Is your go-to party makeup look a quick smudge of lipstick and maybe a swipe of eyeshadow added to your existing makeup when you're running straight out after work? And at the weekend, when you have the whole afternoon to get ready? Still a quick smudge of lipstick and a swipe of your favourite eyeshadow? Yep, us too. There's nothing wrong with finding your winning makeup formula and depending on the same fail-safe face for every party you attend. But seeing as it's the festive season, when we all have licence to be a little more adventurous, why not embrace some bolder looks, and step out of your beauty comfort zone. Glitter? Why not! Graphic eyeliner? Go forth! Below are three party looks by makeup artist Lucy Pearson, modelled by fashion student and WAH Nails artist Jess Young and influenced by beauty trends created for the catwalk, that anyone from a novice to a pro can interpret themselves. Whether you want high-octane glittering glamour or just a hint of golden sheen, these three looks are playful, easy-to-do and will transform your party look from zero to hero in the flick of a makeup brush.

Golden Eye

It doesn't matter if you're particularly pale or have a deep, dark complexion – gold suits all skin tones and is not as daunting as it sounds. At the AW16 Markus Lupfer presentation, makeup artist Lucy Burt patted Maybelline Baby Lips (yes, that's a lip balm) onto the eyelids before pushing on chunky gold and bronze glitter. There were also gold glittery lids at Peter Pilotto and for the Tommy Hilfiger show in New York, grooming supremo Pat McGrath created a super pretty look with a hint of golden glitter dusted onto the inner eyelids, complemented by highlighter on the top of the cheeks. If glitter sounds a bit full-on and/or dangerous (you haven't known pain until you've got glitter in your eye), try a metallic sheen instead. For our take on this look, makeup artist Lucy Pearson used MAC pigments in rose gold and tan on the lid to create dimension with a lighter focus in the centre to make the eye pop. To add definition and enhance the sharp lines, Lucy added a gold Maybelline pencil along the waterline. The key to perfecting this look is to blend, blend, blend with a makeup brush so the two tones meld seamlessly.

Glitter Lips

While glitter on the eyelid might not be hugely appealing, we urge you to try a glitter lip for an upcoming event, taking inspiration from Pat McGrath's deep red glitter lip for DKNY SS17 and the sugar-coated golden glitter lips at Fendi SS17. For this look, Lucy filled in the lips carefully using a lip brush and Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipstick in Midnight Plum. She then applied Vaseline (Carmex is just as effective) as an adhesive, followed by MAC glitter in 3D Black, which creates an amazing holographic effect. You don't need to be too fussy about a neat, opaque layer of glitter – we prefer a more random and slightly uneven application, for an effortless, cool finish.

If your eyeliner routine consists of a quick black feline flick that you could do in your sleep, it's time to trial some new colours and a more adventurous line. Pair with a barely-there lip stain or balm and a natural blush to ensure attention is focused on your lids. For this look, Lucy drew an exaggerated cat-eye using Maybelline black gel liner, accentuating the line with a thicker inner triangle of colour, using a MAC paint pot in purple, which extends above the crease. Aubergine is the perfect colour to try if you don't want to veer too far from black but we also encourage experimentation with more vibrant shades. Don't worry if things don't go to plan immediately; everything can be corrected with a face wipe, and the compliments you'll receive at your Christmas parties will be well worth however many trial runs it takes to perfect these looks!