Ladies' Day at the Galway Races is just a week away. And if you want to look your best then it is important both to get your outfit and make-up right on the day.
With the skilful application of cosmetics you can accentuate your good points and play down any perceived imperfections.
And it is worth putting in the effort as you may be the lucky one who walks away with the top prize of €10,000 in the g Hotel and Spa Best Dressed Lady Competition. Or maybe you will clinch the Best Hat award of €2,000.
Lancôme at University Late Night Pharmacy in Newcastle is the official make-up partner to The g Hotel, the sponsor of this prestigious event in Ireland's fashion calendar. Finalists will receive a Lancôme gift courtesy of the pharmacy and the overall winner will receive a selection of skincare, make-up and fragrance favourites to the value of €500.
How can you achieve a radiant look with minimum effort and fuss? Lorraine Byrne, Lancôme’s events and training executive, is offering some tips and advice to help best-dressed hopefuls get to the top of this celebrated list on Thursday next.
Skin preparation
Flawless skin is the perfect foundation on which to create your race day make-up look. "As always, skin prep is key before any big event," says Lorraine. "Rule number one on a special occasion, such as Ladies Day is to achieve a flawless, radiant complexion that will last the entire day. To ensure a healthy, radiant glow apply Lancôme hydra glow primer to a moisturised skin. This can be used all over the skin or just on high points of the face. Next, choose a long wear make-up. This will ensure your complexion is even, flawless, and glowing from day to night. You’ll achieve a sophisticated yet natural look and your appearance in photographs will be flawless!"
It is most important is to choose the right tone of foundation. Do you know if your complexion is warm or cool? Make-up experts will advise you on the shade to match your skin tone but if in doubt a good way of telling, if you are not sure, is to try the vein test! "Look at the veins in your wrists, if you have blue veins you have a pink undertone in your skin, which means you have a cool skin tone and if you have veins that appear green – you have a warm skin tone."
When applying foundation use a foundation brush and a small amount of product. Start by working on the centre of your face and blend out toward the edges as this will make the foundation look more seamless and prevent it going into the hairline.
If there are any areas you feel need more foundation, use your brush with tapping movements to the area instead of sweeping the foundation everywhere.
Eyes: When it comes to the eyes, Lorraine advises: “Never match your eyeshadow with your outfit, This is a common mistake. Concentrate more on your eye colour and how to enhance your eyes. For women who have green or brown eyes, pink and plums look incredible on their eyes. And for ladies with blue eyes, earthy shades look great - choose shades like terracottas, mushroom browns, golds and taupes."
For eyes that will see you across the finishing post, the insider tip is to apply a crease proof base to the lids to smooth out imperfections and give added depth and longevity to colour. With a slick of mascara, lashes will look fuller, longer and more defined and will have a spectacular fan effect."
If you are trying to achieve a smoky look, use brown shades instead of black. Sometimes this can look softer yet alluring.
Define the eyes with black kohl pencil and use the kohl on your water line, too. This really helps to enhance the gaze.
Brows should also be defined in the creation of this look as eyebrows frame your eyes. They not only give them shape but an immediate lift.
Use a brow styler to add shape and definition to the brow. Comb through with gentle strokes and when happy with the shape the wax will set the brows into place.
Finally, you do not always need full-on false lashes; just mascara that focuses on giving you volume, but more importantly length so apply mascara for longer, fuller, more defined eye lashes.
Lips: The perfect pout is an all important part of achieving the perfect finish. To achieve this, start by lining and filling in the lips with a lip pencil for an ideal base and follow this by applying a vibrant long wear lip colour. Blot excess onto a tissue and re-apply. Always check your teeth for lipstick and never forget to reapply."
Apply your liner all over the lips to make your lipstick stay on.
Apply the lipstick with a brush, blot and apply more. Blot the inner top lip and bottom lip and this will stop your lipstick going on your teeth.
Tricks of the trade
Get plenty of beauty sleep before the event. It will make a tremendous difference to how you look and feel. When you are well rested your complexion appears glowing and rejuvenated.
If you prefer a no make-up look opt for a tinted moisturiser as it looks lighter.
Blusher adds instant colour and radiance and will bring balance to lip and eye make-up. Apply it under the cheekbones to give more shape to the face and make the cheekbones look higher and more prominent. To make the face appear rounder apply it to the apples of the cheeks.
Apply powder sparingly if you have fine lines on your face because it can settle into tiny creases.
Lipstick adds colour to your face and should enhance your natural skin tone. Use a lip brush to create a professional finish. A narrow brush will give you a good shape. Do not apply too much colour.
Concealer is an important beauty aid. It can be used under or over foundation to lift shadows, disguise blemishes and soften fine lines. It can also be applied under the eyes to camouflage dark shadows and worked out on to the cheekbones. Opt for a creamy one which will glide on effortlessly.
Avoid applying blusher in stripes as it can give the face a gaunt appearance. A subtle peach or dusky pink cream blusher will give you a warm, healthy glow.
