The party season is just on the horizon, and you best believe we’re ready to get glam. Party outfits are being planned, and next on our agenda is to work out our party makeup looks. If there’s ever a time to go all out, it’s this time of the year.
Now is the time to experiment with makeup that you might not usually feel brave enough for day to day. It could be a deep-red lipstick that is vying for your attention from your makeup bag or that sparkling eye shadow that you save solely for special occasions. There’s plenty of room for experimentation when it comes to party-season makeup.
So if you’ve got your outfit but haven’t settled on a makeup look yet, allow us to help. We’ve trawled through the Instagrams of the top celebrity makeup artists to save the best party makeup looks. After all, who better to look to than the pros who prepare celebrities for red carpets, premieres and parties on a daily basis? Whether you prefer a natural party makeup look or are ready to embrace all things glittery and sparkly, you’re bound to get a dose of inspo below.
We’ve been seeing these iridescent eye shadow looks everywhere, and not just on celebrities. Urban Decay’s cult Moondust Eyeshadow (£18) has been taking off on TikTok, and it’s safe to say that sparkling lids will be big news for the party season. The look can be subtle or dialled up—it’s all in the formula of your eye shadow. Urban Decay’s Moondust will add a subtle see-through twinkle to lids, whereas other eye shadows will provide full-on glitz like Lily James’s look here.
This deep midnight blue is so chic and is a great hue to try if you want to steer clear of super-bright colours on your eyes.
I love how Rachel Zegler’s eye shadow has a wet-look sheen, and it is so pretty in these purple and taupe shades.
Grab this TikTok-trending eye shadow while it’s still in stock.
Party makeup doesn’t have to mean going all out with glitter, as Florence Pugh demonstrates. Natural tones are the perfect pairing for the evening, and they let your outfit do the talking. You can bring natural-looking makeup into the evening with a few simple tweaks. Keep your base makeup light, but try going one shade darker on your lips, swapping your daytime brown eyeliner for black or perhaps going for an additional coat of mascara to elevate it for parties.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s softly sculpted makeup paired with a slicked-back bun is the perfect party look.
We love these brown tones on Hailey Bieber.
Makeup artists love this foundation for a flawless yet natural-looking base with a dewy finish.
Smokey eyes are a timeless party-season makeup look—it suits just about every eye shape (yes, even hooded eyes). You can experiment with different tones, such as dark browns, black or charcoal, to draw attention to your eyes. The key is to keep the rest of your makeup pared back (as seen here on Victoria Beckham), so keep your base lightweight and your lips neutral to really let your eyes do the talking. For subtle smoke, use a kohl liner and smudge outwards, or for more drama, you can create definition with the placement of your eye shadow.
False lashes can add so much dimension to your eyes in ways that mascara alone won’t. We love the feline shape of Laura Harrier’s look.
Celebrity makeup artist Alex Babsky used these charcoal tones on Simone Ashley for a structured smokey eye. The key is to apply a darker shade in the crease of your lid to add intensity to the look.
This eye shadow compact has every shade you could need to create the perfect smouldering eye.
Only have five minutes to get ready? Then a statement red lipstick will never let you down. Deep reds make for perfect winter makeup, and they are appropriate for party season too. From deep berry to aubergine and plum, there’s a shade to suit everyone. For a long-lasting finish, prepare the lips with a lip liner first, which will help your lipstick stay put, and apply your lipstick of choice. Satin formulas give hydration and a glowing sheen to the lips, but if you want a really long-lasting finish, then look for matte formulas. We’re screenshotting this makeup look on Bruna Marquezine for the party season.
How stunning is this deep aubergine on Lupita Nyong’o?
This deep berry on Olivia Rodrigo would go with any outfit, from a slip dress to a velvet suit.
This lip colour is the perfect cool-tone red.
We’re seeing more and more celebrity makeup artists deviate away from the standard neutrals for red carpets, and it’s giving us plenty of inspiration to try a new colour on our eyes for the party season. Jewel tones like emerald green and deep blue look great in eyeliner form and allow a subtle pop of colour as you blink. This shimmering blue eyeliner on Lexi Underwood is convincing us to dig out our coloured eyeliner for the festivities.
Blue eye shadow is back in a big way, as Kendall Jenner shows.
The slight emerald tone of this eye look on Yara Shahidi is almost undetectable but catches the light in the prettiest way.
Victoria Beckham’s eyeliners come in the prettiest jewel tones.
Soft-glam makeup has taken off amongst makeup artists, and it consists of beautifully blended makeup in neutral tones that still have an impact. Think brown and bronze shades that blend undetectably into one another to sculpt eyes and give the cheeks dimension. It’s the perfect pairing of neutral tones with all the drama of glam makeup.
We’re quite literally mesmerised by this makeup on model Rawdah Mohamed.
This bronze eye makeup look on Vanessa Hudgens is everything.
These silky smooth shadows are perfect for creating softly defined eye shadow looks.
