12 Posts Before Christmas: Christmas Dinner Party Makeup

Hello!

Christmas dinners are quite common events, and as I'm a uni student, society dinners and dinners with friends have made my evening makeup routine become a lot more standard and this is my go-to look for a nice dinner.

For the face, I use whatever foundation I feel like at the time, usually I go with the Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Powder Foundation because I like the high coverage and I like the fact it is a powder as I feel it helps a bit with the oil. I love contouring and highlighting so on my cheeks I use the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer, theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer, and Bare Minerals Ready Blush in the shade the Whisper which I can no longer find online. I find that this trio works really nicely together to give a really pretty look. The blush is understated enough to not look too bright and the highlight is just gorgeous and reflective.

For lips, I know that a red lip is considered the Christmas classic, but at a dinner, I don't want to be faffing around with re-applying or worrying about my lipline, so I go with a classic nude. This year I've been loving Clinique Nude Pop which I got a sample of in last month's Glamour magazine, but my go-to option last year was shade 08 from the Rimmel Kate Lasting Finish line. Occasionally I also pop Rimmel Exaggerate lip liner in East End Snob underneath to help it last longer.

Since I go relatively easy on the face, the eyes are really the focus. If I have time before the dinner, I try and get my brows threaded to get the shape really nice, then I fill it in with the Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade in Dark Brown. Then I use my Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion or the Helen E Stage eyeshadow primer. For the shadows my go-to is my Urban Decay quad that I put together myself. Not all the shades are available in the permanent line though. I use the shade Melt all over my lid, then Buck in the crease with Snakebite deepening the outer corner. I use the shade Minor Sin or my theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer for an inner corner and browbone highlight. 

I love a good liquid liner and my pick is the Kanebo Kate Super Sharp Liquid Liner as I find the fine brush nib very easy to use. However, the Amazon link I've added is a over-priced in my opinion and it's hard to get the product here in the UK. An alternative which I've only tried once and therefore cannot say if it's as good is the L'Oreal Superliner So Couture. It's a similar brush nib. In the waterline, I love the Rimmel Scandeleyes Waterproof Eye Liner in Nude on the bottom and the black on the top.

Final step in my routine is eyelashes. I use Benefit's They're Real Mascara on my top lashes and Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara on the bottom lashes. I love these together for making my eyelashes look longer and more volumised, though the Benefit mascara does clump.

I know this routine may seem quite natural for some people and honestly it's just an amped up version of my daytime look, but I find that a lot of the time, my friends don't really wear makeup and I'd rather not be the only one with a smokey eye and glitter everywhere. Also, for a dinner, I feel understated makeup is a bit more suitable, but it's up to you what you decide to wear!

Let me know what your go-to makeup look for a Christmas party/dinner is in the comments below!

Signing off now,

Dusty Foxes