By Grace Arenas
Lifestyle Editor
With Birthday Ball coming up on Feb. 22, your main concern should be dancing the night away, not dancing your makeup off. It can be tricky to guarantee yourself a flawless face for the evening. While plenty of products claim to be long-lasting, they often fall short of our expectations. Luckily, there are ways to ensure your makeup stays put from the first dance until the midnight breakfast, ranging from special splurges to home remedies.
For your face
The main key here may seem obvious, but it also makes the biggest difference: start with a clean palette. Dirt and oils accumulated from a long day can prevent makeup from sticking, especially on thin skin like your eyelids. Give your face a good cleanse, then skip the expensive primers and head for the medicine cabinet. Milk of magnesia, when applied in a thin layer with a cotton ball, is a cheaper alternative and keeps your skin matte and oil-free for hours. The only caveats: make sure you get plain MoM, (no crazy fruit flavors), and only use it for special occasions like Birthday Ball, as daily use can disrupt your skin’s pH balance.
For your eyes
When it comes to long-lasting eye shadow, creams are always going to be better than powders. That being said, not all creams are created equal. Plenty of your average drugstore brands will inevitably crease and get cakey; however, for relatively little expense, you can get Maybelline’s Color Tattoo shadow. This cream/gel combo, once it sets, isn’t going anywhere (on a related note, make sure you either have a good makeup remover or a lot of patience with the regular soap and water routine to wash this stuff off). No time to get to Walgreens? Got a powder shade that you absolutely love? Using chapstick as an eyelid primer can help the powder adhere better, strange as it may sound. Just like with the MoM, though, make sure you use plain chapstick, as mint or other flavored ones can be irritating to the sensitive skin around your eyes.
For your lips
The key to long-lasting lip color is to make sure your lips are well exfoliated and moisturized beforehand. Exfoliating is easy to do at home; you can use either a clean toothbrush or a mix of olive oil and sugar to get rid of any flakes. Picking a lipstick that will last, that’s the tricky part. Lip stains are a good alternative, but can sometimes gather in the creases of your lips, making the coloring uneven. And between drinks, dancing, eating, and who knows what else, getting a lip color to last the entire night is nearly impossible. A good alternative? Play up your eyes, making them the focus, and use a tinted balm on your lips. You’ll have just enough color, you won’t have to worry about reapplying every five minutes, and you’ll avoid that ultimate makeup faux pas: lipstick getting on your teeth.