What’s your go-to look for a special occasion? Share!
Tom Ford Pink Haze + Escapade cream eyeshadows on the lid, Tarina Tarantino Spark of Envy on the lash line, mascara, Tom Ford Love Lust blush, Guerlain Gems lipstick or Chanel Dragon!
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I don’t have any special occasions, so I don’t have one.
Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation, MAC All That Glitters all over the lid with MAC Quarry in the crease, mascara, Nars Madly blush, and some sort of lipstick, depending on the occasion/time of the special occasion.
Hi Christine, Love the question and your answer but how about us that don’t have any of those sold out or discontinued products, like Tom Ford Pink haze and Dragon lipstick? Thank you!!
Hi Lauri,
I’m sharing what I personally choose to wear! It’s very rare that I actually get to wear something that I want to wear (with no restrictions, just for fun, no blog-related purpose behind it), so on special occasions, I think it should be okay that I wear products that may be discontinued or not 🙂
sure i understand
Makeup Geek Goddess+Cocoa Bear for eyeshadows and MAC Giga Black mascara+YSL Volume Effet mascara,Nars blush in Finalcut,YSL PurCouture #N51 or MAC lipstick in Dangerous
Instead of a black smoky eye, I love doing a navy smoky eye! My go-to look is MAC Contrast eyeshadow layered on Blackground paint pot, with a ton of black mascara and soft, pink blush (something like MAC Well Dressed) and a soft pink lip (Roman Holiday lipstick by NARS).
A navy smoky eye? That sounds great!!
That sounds stunning, I’ve done looks like that in the past with Bareminerals On The Rocks and Shaken Not Stirred, but not in a long time! Thanks for reminding me!
Definitely dark smokey eyes with a soft lip!
I do kinda a retro, Dita Von Teese-ish look: light eye make-up with sharp black eye liner, pink cheek, and a strong dark pink lip. Sometimes lashes. I can’t do cat eyes anymore since my eyes have developed a little wrinkle at the corners but it’s still very flattering.
Draw over the wrinkle! You dictate your makeup, not your wrinkles!:-D
My crow’s feet make the cat eye harder, but Benefit’s They’re Real liner actually went over them with no problem. Mine aren’t terribly deep, but since yours sound pretty light, it might work for you, too.
I’ve always wanted to try that liner, I usually use a gel and a brush,
Tho’ I probably can’t do a cat eye even with it. I have really heavy hooded lids (kinda like Renee Zwelleger before she messed them up with surgery) and they fold over at the outer corners which makes it almost impossible.
That’s too bad. The look you described sounds really pretty, even without the cat flick.
I don’t have a go to look for special occasions – that’s the one time I feel I can give myself a free hand to use colours and products I don’t necessarily use every day (highlighter for my cheekbones/face, more vibrant eye colours, etc.) BUT if I’m going out somewhere where I really want to know I’ll look good, out comes my Guerlain Les Fumes eyeshadow quad, Shiseido Sheer and Perfect foundation (or Guerlain LdeP) and Bite lippie in Vigne.
When/if I have a special event/occasion, it’s generally a situation where I’ll carve out a bit pf extra time to really do something more extravagant. Most days I just grab one random palette, and start from there, but when I have more time, I’ll use 2-3 palettes, and do more intricate eye looks. I’m also alot more likely to pull out my eyeshadow singles. As for technique, I base that on what I’m wearing in terms of clothes & jewelry, which are dictated by what type of event it is (day/night, indoor/outdoor, family/adult, etc…).
I like to wear a brown smokey look with my NARS Tinted Moisturizer, MUFE Camouflage Cream Palette, MAC Pleasure Model blush, MAC Magnetic Appeal Extra Dimension Skinfinish and whatever lip color I’m feeling at the moment. That switches up pretty often lol
I don’t have special ocassions at all, either. Lol… And if I ever do, I just improvise. It really really depends on my mood.
Btw, and speakimg of LE TF quads… Do you own Amber Burnished quad? Could you please, if you do own it, dupe it for us who missed it and are bashing our heads against the monitor trying to find something somewhat similar?
Also, speaking of Dragon… Did you try the new Bite lip something in the shade Port? Does it look anything like Dragon or no? Cause I bought it thinking on Dragon, but since I don’t own Dragon I cannot really tell. Thank you Christine.
Sorry, I don’t think I have it! I’m pretty sure I’ve reviewed all the TF quads I have. I don’t have Port! Dragon has some shimmer in it, so my guess is Port is probably not a dupe since it doesn’t have it.
Oh, I see. Thank you anyways Christine. Well, I will keep searching then.
My makeup doesn’t really change that much for a special occasion compared to what I normally do..but I would say definitely a smokey eye, black gel liner, mascara, Benefit Rockateur blush, MAC Soft and Gentle or BB Pink Quartz shimmer brick for a highlighter, a soft pink lip like YSL Nude Beige with a really shimmery gloss on top.
MAC Swiss Chocolate on crease, Urban Decay Crave on the outer corner, Chanel Illusion d´ombre Vision on the lid. For mascara MAC In Extreme Dimension feat. YSL Shocking to create a dramatic eye look.
Kat Von D. Lock it Foudation and YSL Radiance Powder for a flawless skin, NARS Casino to contour, MAC Gingerly as blush, MAC Whisper of gilty as highlighter, and Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso for a red matte vivid lip!
My go-to is: Urban Decay Half-Baked, Smog, Buck, with their Demoltion and Bourbon eyeliners; along with the best mascara I currently own. I tend to reach for Benefit Lady’s Choice for lips, a neutral pink blush (Clinique Pink Blush), and a gold highlighter (Stila Gold). So, a golden eye with neutral pink matching blush and lips, with golden accents.
A bronze/Coral smokey eye and coral lip.
A smokey eye with a red or berry lip colour.
My everyday look is a very nude/neutral look, eyes, cheeks and lips. For special occasions, I just bump that same look with a golden highlighter on my cheeks, gold pencil on top of my brown eye liner and a golden(a little shimmery) lip gloss. I’m very comfortable in that look, it goes with anything I wear and I don’t have to buy a bunch od special occasion makeup that I know I won’t use that often.
I tend to prefer a smokey eye but now that my eyes seem to be a little more hooded with age, I’m a bit unsure of the technique. If anyone has some pointers or a tutorial, I’d so greatly appreciate it! (And maybe smokey is not a good choice for me any longer?)
You might try looking at Phyrra’s blog. She has hooded eyes and lots of tutorials.
My eyes are deep-set and slightly hooded. I just bring my crease color all the way up to the lower part of my browbone, and then use a highlighter shade on the browbone.
I think there are a lot of tutorias on makeup for hooded eyes out there. I’m sure there are smokey hooded eyes among them. Just Google. I know I’ve seen some, but I don’t remember who did the video.
I absolutely think you can do a smokey eye even if your eyes are a bit more hooded. I do and my eyes get more hooded every day it seems.
I hope you find a good tutorial. I’ll Google tomorrow, I’m in Europe and it’s getting late here. If I find something really good I’ll reply to my reply 🙂
It varies and depends on the occasion and what I’m wearing. I like to mix things up.
I guess my two no-brainer defaults would be: 1) A purple-gray or brown smoky eye, black eyeliner, tons of black mascara,and a pinkish nude lip, with a rose gold or berry blush. Sometimes I do a red lip if I really want sexy and/or drama; 2) a sparkly barely-there nude loose mineral shadow from lashline to brow, black or jewel-toned eyeliner on the top lid, black mascara with a dark violet or sapphire mascara on top, and really bright red, pink or purple lips.
Guerlain L’or Radiance Concentrate with pure Gold makeup base and I like to do a decent contour (usually it’s extremely light). Ardell’s 315 maybe some bottom lashes too. Colors vary on the occasion.
It all depends on the occasion, what kind of clothes will be worn, day or evening, and a lot of other variables.
I either go for a smokey eye, can be in black-grey or purple or almost any colour. Or I go for a retro look, either with a black liner or a softer 1940s look, both with lashes and red lips.
It’s almost always a variation on a brown smokey eye, though occasionally I will go with a red and a neutral eye.
it depends what are the main colours I am wearing – if it’s blue it will be Dior’s quint in Navy design, green – Guerlain’s Les Verts, black and white – Too Faced Glamour to Go. I wear Elizabeth Arden’s Perfectly nude foundation, dior blush, Rimmel’s mascara. For lipsticks hmm.. Rimmel’s Red Temptation, YSL Orange/coral or a Milani Chocolate brown.
Neutral eye look on the top with a pop of color on the bottom. (green, blue, or purple) And I pair it with MAC Cream in Your Coffee or Milani Naturally Chic.
NARS TM, Becca SSP in Pearl, Guerlain Kohl, Jemma Kidd taupe eyeshadow, Prestige Kohl in black, and whatever lip I’m feeling at the time. Most of my special events are at night so I can get away with heavy liner and darker lips.
A flawless, contoured base and bold lips. I’ve been loving Estée Lauder DW foundation, either Tarte matte bronzer in Park Ave Princess or MAC Harmony blush for my contour, and Rimmel Stay Matte and Hourglass Diffused Light as my setting powders. Lips have been any NARS lip colors, tbh.
My Go-to Special Occasion Face:
Primer: Monistat Anti-chafing Gel
Foundation: Sephora Microsmooth Powder Foundation
Brows: NYX Single Eyeshadow in Black
Eyeshadow: Subtle look made from the LORAC Pro Palette
Liner: UD 24/7 Glide on pencil in Zero
Blush: a subtle neutral blush or a blush that coordinates with my bold lips
Lips: something bold, usually red or fuchsia
Hm…first four shadows in the UD Naked 2 palette, UD Demolition eyeliner with a hint of Junkie liner thrown in, a touch of Clinique Peach Pop or Chanel Affinite blush and one of my supply of ‘inoffensive but gorgeous pink’ lipsticks, like Chanel Charme, Laura Mercier Antique Pink or Guerlain Rose Lip. I would wear a brighter lip, but most of my special occasions these days call for a more professional or conservative sort of vibe, funnily enough!
Chanel Perfection Lumiere foundation, Anastasia brow powder in dark brown, MAC Satin Taupe, handwritten and naked lunch (inner corner) e/s, MAC fluidline gel liner in black, Buxom lash mascara, NARS Lokum cream blush, Chanel caractere lipstick, lips lined with MAC cork, with a dash of Prrr in the middle of my lips.
I don’t necessarily have a “go to look” although I often tend to go with a smoky eye that goes with what I am wearing. For example, if I am wearing something with purple in it I will do a smoky eye with shades of purples and maybe add some silver which always brings out the blue in my blue-grey eyes
I like to do a nude/neutral look with a bold lip, think Naked collection by Urban Decay with Gash or Mrs. Mia Wallace, (my new favorite lip color) lips.