8 EVENING CLUTCH-BAG BEAUTY ESSENTIALS
Think of the contents of your clutch bag as the artillery base of your on-the-go beauty cannon. Party-season demands no less than the brightest, boldest of looks, which necessitates a portable beauty strategy as quick and effortless as it is alluring. Products worthy of inclusion must be both compact and high-performing additions - never has the need to streamline your beauty edit been quite so vital.
Find below a curation of the utmost necessities to slip into your clutch this party-season.
TOM FORD Lip Colour Shine in Bare*
As festive as a red lip is, wearing a high-maintenance colour when eating, drinking [and kissing under the mistletoe] are on the agenda will mean multiple trips to the powder room; instead, it’s smart to wear something a little less obvious. The trick is to apply product in multiple thin layers that will wear off evenly, rather than in obvious patches that result in an unfortunate ‘lip liner’ effect. This particular colour looks gorgeous with all skintones and immediately makes your face looks radiant and put-together. Paired with a smokey eye or cat-eye liner, the barely-there, dusky-pink hue is perfect, and the sheer texture and subtle shimmer are ideal for a festive occasion.
NO7 Precision Lips Pencil in Nude
A good nude lip liner is the sort of product that will take permanent residence in each and every one of your on-the-go beauty edits. This has a perfect pink-nude balance that blends with your natural lip colour and consequently can be worn with shades of every hue - not just nudes. The soft, creamy texture creates the perfect base for lipstick application, making it easy to apply a perfect pout in one step. Plus it’s smudge-proof and will last all night.
BOBBI BROWN Face Highlighter in Seashell*
This versatile formula instantly refreshes tired skin by adding a fresh, healthy glow, and recreating the appearance of luminous, hydrated skin. Dispense a pea-sized amount and blend between the ring fingers before patting over the tops of the cheekbones, down the bridge of the nose, and around the eye area for instant skin brightness. The cool, golden tone suits all skintones and subtly sculpts the face in a reverse-contour effect, and the formula has just the right amount of shimmer for a festive night.
EX NIHILO Travel Kit*
It’s important to feel put-together when heading out to party and nothing says ‘finishing touch’ quite like a spritz of scent. A portable fragrance vial brings a touch of efficiency to perhaps the most essential of evening essentials, and means that your fragrance of choice need not be left at your dressing table. Instead, slip a sleek vial into your clutch for multiple and effortless fragrance touch-ups throughout the night. Ex Nihilo’s exquisite fragrance kits allow you to edit your very own portable fragrance wardrobe; choose three scents and never go without fragrance again. When a night in the city is upon the agenda, opt for Bois Di’Hiver - a perfect, dark balance of wood and musk.
EVE LOM Sheer Radiance Translucent Powder*
Ditch your compact for something a little more high-tech in the form of Eve Lom’s Sheer Radiance Translucent Powder; the formula has enough coverage to cancel out redness and blur imperfections, but still looks natural. Unlike many similar alternatives, the finely-milled powder prevents oil from shining through without mattifying skin - resulting in a luminous natural glow. Talc-free and translucent, it doesn’t clog pores or add colour to skin, but instead diffuses light, giving a healthy, airbrushed effect. The built-in brush perfectly replicates the finesse and efficiency of your best powder brush, without you having to carry a bulky extra - perfect for freshening up between courses.
CHANEL Pinceau Lèvres Rétractable Lip Brush
Chic and effortless to carry, this is an ideal investment if you frequently find yourself a girl on-the-move. The small, perfectly precise brush allows for colour to be layered from sheer to bold, without overloading the lips with pigment in one go, and even performs when delivering colour to fiddly corners and defined Cupid’s bows. Above all, the packaging [the brush twists in and out of the wand, and is capped with a lid] is perfectly portable [it even has its own velveteen case], so won’t result in a stained clutch lining or skewed brush bristles.
OJON Rare Blend Tamer Wand*
When makeup errs upon the side of extravagant, you can’t go wrong with a super simple, sleek hairstyle. Whether wearing it loose or sporting a perfectly straightened ponytail, smooth this root tamer over the top of your head to keep frizz and flyaways on lockdown all night long - ensuring the look meets the level of perfection required to pull it off with elegant finesse.
& OTHER STORIES Lemon Daydream Mini Hand Cream*
An understated but high-performing addition to your evening clutch, a good hand cream performs multiple functions - delightful soft hands and a subtle aroma infusion are the ultimate crowd-pleasers and will ring in compliments. & Other Stories’ hand creams are without a doubt the best I've used thanks to their incredibly potent and complex scent combinations. In the case of Lemon Daydream, the fresh citrus scent will complement almost any perfume without being a distraction, and the powdery formula absorbs without leaving a greasy residue - preventing sweaty palms even in extreme temperatures.
What are you evening clutch-bag essentials come party season?
