New Year’s Eve is one of the most fun and fabulous holidays. And since it’s the last night of the year, you have to go out with a bang. From your shoes to your eye shadow, drama is the tone for the night. You could look like Diana Ross and Liberace’s love child and no one would question you, because on this night, a little sparkle is necessary. Although going bold is a lot of fun, it isn’t easy. To prevent you from crossing the fine line between a drop dead diva and a raccoon with lipstick, Pipe Dream put together a few do’s and don’ts.
Do: Take your time
An easy makeup mistake many make is going straight for the darkest shade in the kit and slapping it on the crease of their eye. When creating a dark, smoky eye start light and build to dark. Beauty YouTuber Jaclyn Hill suggests starting with a neutral tone that is close to your skin tone, and gradually layer on darker colors, making sure to blend between each shade. This allows that dark color you want to blend seamlessly. However, if you’re working with a lid shade that you really want to stand out, YouTuber Nicole Guerrio suggests to first mist your brush with water or a product like Fix+ by Mac. Going in with a semi-damp brush will pick up more product, making it stand out more when applied. Be wary of using this technique above the crease, as it makes it extremely difficult to blend.
Don’t: Shy away from mixing fun colors with metallics
Silver eye shadow is a classic New Year’s Eve look, but it doesn’t have to be boring. Instead of going for the typical silver lid, smoked out with black shadow look, add some color. Jewel tones will never go out of style, and complement almost every skin tone. Add a pop of rich color to your crease like wine, navy blue or plum. YouTuber Jackie Aina demonstrated this look by using a gunmetal silver on her lid, and a deep cranberry in the crease. To add even more fun, she chose to highlight the inner corner of her eye in a metallic lime green. If this is totally outside of the box for you, it can’t hurt to do a trial look before the big night.
Do: Plan for a long night out
You’re probably going to do a lot of dancing, so being a sweaty, hot mess by the end of the night is inevitable. While no products can prevent sweat, the products you choose can keep you looking flawless longer that usual. A full coverage, long-wear foundation will be your best friend. Also, putting a sheer powder over liquid foundation and a setting spray over any finished look will hold your makeup in place and delay under-eye creasing and smile lines. Carrying around a small pack of blotting papers will also help. What makes these different from towels is that they can dry up moisture on your face without smudging your makeup. Of course blotting paper won’t help if you’re extremely sweaty, but if you just get a little shiny, these can save your look.
Don’t: Go broke in the name of beauty
From one broke student with expensive taste to another, makeup is often ridiculously priced — the last thing you want greeting you in the new year is an overdraft notice from your bank. Since the products you need to get a dramatic look may not be the regulars in your makeup bag, you may feel compelled to either splurge or just drop the idea and go with your normal look. Avoid these scenarios by taking advantage of free samples. While this may be impossible for certain products like eye shadows and blushes, things like liquid foundations and primers are easy to get. At Sephora, you can ask a beauty adviser to match your color and skin type with a product you’re interested in, then ask for a sample to “try it out before you commit.”
This is your last opportunity of the year to slay the makeup game, so you have to do it big.