FOTD: Red Carpet Beauty
It's BAFTA season, and today's post is all about the glamour and elegance of red carpet beauty. I love to look out for the season's strongest beauty and style trends when I peruse through the 'Best Dressed at BAFTA' posts the morning after. This year I'm expecting to see trends swing from the boho-bronzed 'no makeup' makeup look to the pairing of sultry black eyeliner and bold orange lips. I personally prefer a classically glamorous style, popularised by the movie stars of the Fifites, and seen today on the likes of Helena Bonham Carter, Nicole Kidman, and Angelina Jolie. Cat-eye liner, bold red lips, an alabaster complexion, and lashes aplenty can never go wrong on the red carpet in my opinion, It's a timeless look that has truly spanned the decades. I'm not expecting a BAFTA invite anytime soon, but this old-school glamour look is my go to makeover for a night out or special event.
First up, base. In keeping with the season's trend for a natural look I'm using Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation in the lightest shade, 10 Beige. This ultra lightweight foundation is completely weightless and leaves a beautiful dewy finish. The coverage isn't great if you have blemishes to cover up so I always make sure to wear a concealer with this foundation. I'm still a loyal devotee to Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer. It's a perfect high-street dupe to the much-hyped Nars offering, and works just as well in my opinion. I use this to cover up blemishes, brighten underneath my eyes, and as a highlight down the centre of my face. Base applied, I've brushed over a dusting of Chanel's Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powder in 10. A staple product in my makeup bag, this powder prevents shine, smells amazing, and adds a slight glow to the face which makes such a difference. I've eschewed from blush and bronzer for this look, preferring to keep it simple and classic. Instead I've applied a light dusting of highlighter to the tops of my cheekbones using The Balm's Mary-Lou Manizer. This incredibly pigmented powder must be applied with the lightest of hands as it is very shimmery, but creates a beautiful blowy effect, and is an excellent way to add definition to your face without bronzer.
At the moment, I'm absolutely loving Cosmetic A La Carte's Stay Put Eyeliner*. I'm no whizz kid when it comes to applying eyeliner so I always opt for felt-tip pen applicators like this one. This is one of the best I've used, it's really pigmented and has a really strong nib so is super easy to apply. For my lashes I'm straying from my usual beloved L'Oreal offering to put a new purchase to use. Benefit's They're Real mascara holds the accolade of best-selling mascara in the UK - and it's an accolade well deserved. This mascara does it all, volume length, hold, and last. The perfect product for creating red carpet worthy lashes. I've lined my lips with my favourite N07 Precision Lip Pencil in Nude to give them a bit more volume and definition before applying my favourite red lipstick, Chanel's Rouge Coco in Gabrielle over the top. I've then used Lipcote* (like a nail top-coat but for lips) to ensure that my lipstick remains smudge-free for as long as possible.
To complete this look I would head to my nearest House of Fraser** store and pick out a bottle of what is arguably the world's most famous perfume. Timeless and sophisticated, Chanel No5 is a rich, floral, classically scented perfume. Made famous as the perfume worn to bed by the movie star of all movie stars, Marilyn Monroe, this perfume has undoubtedly earned itself a place on the red carpet.
I'd love to know which products you would choose from House of Fraser to complete your red carpet look. Let me know in the comments below! To stay updated on future posts and reviews you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Bloglovin.
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*PR sample
**This post is in conjunction with House of Fraser: The Blog.