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We’ve all been there: you do your make-up flawlessly for the Christmas party, and before you even arrive, your mascara has already started running from the biting cold. Add to that the inevitable lipstick smudges from your champagne glass and the patchy foundation brought about by central heating, and, to put it bluntly, nobody is going to want to be stuck under the mistletoe with you by the end of the night.
If that sounds familiar, YOU has good news. We’ve spoken exclusively to Jamie Coombes – a pro make-up artist at Dior who’s worked with everyone from Dakota Johnson to Bianca Jagger – about his surefire ways to keep a killer make-up look in place all night.
Keep reading to find out how to make sure you look just as good when you’re enjoying your drunken 2am McDonald’s as you do when you make your grand entrance.
Perfecting your lipstick
According to Coombes, the key to long-lasting lippy is to make sure you prep correctly. ‘Exfoliate your lips and prime them by applying a lip balm,’ he advises, his balm of choice being Dior Addict Lip Glow in 000.
Two of Jamie’s recent red-carpet looks
‘Then line your lips with lip liner in a slightly darker shade,’ Coombes says, ‘before blotting with tissue and a translucent face powder, using a single ply of tissue to set the balm. This creates a non-slip base for the colour to hold onto.’
‘I repeat the process with the lipstick, either applying the colour with a brush or dabbing it with the ring finger. It’s better to layer and fix each properly rather than going straight in with the lipstick bullet, as you can risk overloading the lips and the product sliding off as soon as you take a sip of anything.’
Nailing sharp eyeliner
So many people struggle with eyeliner, largely because the harder you concentrate on it, the wobblier your hand gets. And while Amy Winehouse could pull it off, we’re not sure uber-thick flicks and smudgy black eyes are quite the look to go for at your work Christmas do.
Coombes has a handy trick to help steady yourself: ‘Apply your liner in small, dotlike strokes, and then slowly join them up when you’re happy with the shape with a final swoop. You can also use a q-tip or a cotton bud dabbed with make-up remover to sharpen the edges.’
When positioning your liner, there are two things to remember, Coombes says. ‘Firstly, make sure the liner is deep into the roots of the lash line, which will make your lashes look fuller.
‘Secondly, don’t start halfway along the lash line, whatever some people suggest. Apply liner from the inner to the outer corner of the eye, which will balance out the shape and make your eyes look bigger.’
Stopping the 10pm slip
Jamie’s glam on the Cannes red carpet
Okay, so you’ve got yourself looking fab – but how do you keep it that way? Coombes says part of it’s in the prep: a good, moisturising primer (he, of course, uses Dior’s) will help your skin absorb the product and thus stop your foundation going patchy.
‘Layer your base in delicate layers,’ Coombes says, ‘but don’t over apply. I love to apply powder before foundation, as there are so many finely milled talc-free formulas with hydrating ingredients that won’t make the skin look dry. After applying skincare and primer, I set it with powder; it seals and locks everything in, creating a texture that allows creamy foundation to grip onto, resulting in pigment coverage rather than a weighty coverage.’
His final rule? ‘Apply small amounts of makeup at a time. ‘Adding more is easier than removing it and starting again.’
