Evening makeup is tailored to a specific occasion. The lighting, duration of the event and dress code determine how intense the colours and accents should be. Evening makeup is most often chosen for:
- corporate events and New Year’s Eve parties;
- birthdays, anniversaries and graduation celebrations;
- theatre visits, concerts and restaurant dinners;
- photoshoots under artificial lighting.
For a more understated event, such as a drinks reception or business dinner, your makeup artist may suggest cocktail makeup. It is lighter and closer to a natural look.
Types of evening makeup
- Classic: Winged eyeliner or smokey eyes, well-defined brows and deep brown, graphite or black eyeshadows. This look holds its definition in flash photography and pairs well with an evening dress or suit.
- Festive: Rich colours, glitter, shimmering eyeshadows and highlighter. This category also includes Eastern-inspired looks with dramatic eyeliner and shimmering eyelids. It is often chosen for New Year’s Eve, themed parties or graduation celebrations.
- Soft: Beige and pastel eyeshadows, subtle shimmer and lipstick in natural shades. Ideal for romantic dinners, dates and light-coloured outfits.
- Light: An even complexion, defined lashes and brows, and one soft accent. A good choice for those who dislike the feeling of heavy makeup on their face.
- Retro: An even matte complexion, precise winged eyeliner and classic red or wine-coloured lipstick. The main focus is on the lips.
How to match evening makeup to your look
Evening makeup is usually chosen last, once you have decided on your dress, jewellery and hairstyle. The colour of your outfit helps determine the eyeshadow and lipstick palette, while your hairstyle influences whether to emphasise your eyes and cheekbones. Bring a photo of your outfit to your makeup appointment.
The second factor your makeup artist considers is your eye and hair colour:
- For brown eyes: Bronze, gold, plum and emerald shades, as well as brown smokey eyes.
- For green eyes: Plum, burgundy, copper and warm brown tones.
- For blue eyes: Peach, copper and gold eyeshadows, along with smokey grey.
- For brunettes: Rich smokey eyes, defined brows and lipstick in wine and berry shades.
- For blondes: Soft brown and taupe eyeshadows, brows one shade darker than the hair, and lips in pink or peach tones.
What makes evening makeup different?
Evening makeup is the most expressive type of makeup. Your makeup artist carefully defines the contours of your face, emphasises your brows and lashes, conceals skin imperfections and enhances your lips. Richer and darker shades are used to keep your features defined under artificial lighting.
For evening looks, the artist chooses long-lasting formulas. Foundation, eyeshadow and lipstick are designed to stay in place until the end of the event without constant touch-ups.
False lashes, glitter, shimmering eyeshadows and other statement details can also be part of the look. If you want defined lashes for more than one evening, you can book eyelash extensions in advance instead of using temporary false lashes.
The appointment length depends on the complexity of the look. On average, evening makeup takes one hour.
