For A Special Occassion

My cousin recently asked me if I would do her makeup for her graduation. Now, I have done makeup for my friends and family in the past but usually just for a night out, or for me to practice! I have never done someone’s makeup for an important event like a graduation. It was an honour to be asked and I wanted to share the look I created, so this post is a cross between a Look of The Week and a guide to how to do your makeup for special occasions where you are the centre of attention!

Your graduation is a very special day, a day to celebrate all the hard work you put in and to celebrate a great accomplishment. It is also a long day, your makeup has to carry you through a fancy ceremony, lots of photographs, a family celebration, and of course the after-hours celebrations with your classmates and friends. For this reason you need to make sure your makeup won’t budge but also that it is elegant enough for the day, and fun enough for the night out, without having to change a thing as the day goes on.

I chose a look for my cousin Méghan that was both elegant and pretty, while including bold colours that were fun. Méghan was wearing a light pink dress so I wanted to make her eyes bold and colourful to compliment her outfit. Blue eyes are the most versatile when it comes to makeup so any colour would suit her, I chose a deep wine paired with subtle pinks to make her eyes look super blue! Have a look at her photos and the step-by-step guide below. I have also included photos of me wearing the same look to show how a different eye colour and eye shape can change the look!

Seriously like, supermodel or what?!

In order to ensure your makeup lasts all day apply a primer. I used Charlotte Tilbury’s Wonder Glow. Priming your eyes is especially important. As always I used a lid primer and I applied concealer to the lids, this will hold any eye products in place and create an even canvas for applying them. I started by applying a transition shade above the crease, then I applied a very light pink shadow (Dust from Naked 3) across the crease blending it up into the transition shade. Next, using a tightly compacted eyeshadow brush I blended a very deep wine colour (MAC”s Plummed) all over the lid, bringing it up into the crease. Then using a brush with longer, looser bristles I took a small amount of an intense purple shade (MAC’s Trax) and blended the crease area connecting the deep wine and the transition shade. It is important to blend these shadows out, it creates a gorgeous gentle smokey eye. I then applied a very small amount of MAC’s pigment pot in Rose to the inner corners of the eye. This is a gorgous bright pink shimmer, it added a pop of bright colour to the smokey eye. It is best applied with a small damp brush, this stops the product from falling all over the place. Next, I applied a thin line of black gel liner across her upper lash line. I created a very subtle flick at the outer end because we didn’t want too much drama.

When her eyes were done I moved on to foundation. Having tidied up any product that had fallen under her eyes, I  applied a bright concealer under the eye area to make her eyes look bright and open. A big part of graduation is smiling for hundreds of photos. It is important you wear a foundation with little or no SPF. SPF reflects flash photography and can leave you looking pale faced in photos. We used a Clinique foundation on Méghan’s (already perfect) complexion. I then set both concealer and foundation with a setting powder. I like to add a subtle contour and highlight to the face when there is a bold eye, using a MAC Mineralize powder and a big face brush I created a very light warm glow by contouring the cheekbones, hairline, and jaw. I then used a MAC shimmer highlight and placed a very small amount on Méghan’s cupid’s bow and along her cheekbones. I then applied her blusher, we used a pretty peachy-pink colour to compliment both her blue eyes and the deep wine on her lids.

Going back to her eyes I blended the transition shade along her lower lash line and then added the purple colour  Trax also. Once these were blended seamlessly I applied Plummed more precisely along the lower lash line and blended this. I also used a black kohl pencil to line the water line for added depth. Because Méghan has super long lashes she opted for several coats of black mascara instead of applying false lashes. If you are thinking of wearing false lashes keep in mind the length of the day and how comfortable you are in lashes. I filled in Méghan’s brows using MAC’s brow crayon in fling, I never skip this step because it adds structure and dimension to the whole face. Make sure you brush the colour through your brows to ensure a blended, natural look. Below is a photo of all the eye products I used.

Last but not least, we opted for a bold lip colour to balance out the smokey eye. A nude lip, or a light pink lip would be gorgeous with this look also, but we wanted some glamour for the photos. We used a Bobbi Brown lipstick, Rose Blossom.

Primers will go a long way to keeping your makeup in place, but if you want to be confident that there will be no smudging or bleeding, a setting spray is well worth the investment. I used Urban Decay’s All Nighter.

This is a gorgeous look and is relatively easy to create. It is ideal for a graduation but it will really suit any special occasion that calls for a balance between elegance and fun. As you can see between my photos (below) and Méghan’s, her blue eyes and blonde hair make the wine and pink look really bright, whereas my green eyes and brown hair make it look deeper and darker. This look will suit light colour eyes like Méghan’s rather than darker eyes.

Hope you like it, xx