Makeup Tips for College Girls – Night
Photo by At~A~Glance
In the last post about makeup for college girls, I talked about makeup for daytime: the natural, fast, low-maintenance look. Today, it’s all about the fun stuff – nighttime makeup!
Some of you may be wondering how to take your makeup look from day to night.
For a while, I didn’t really change my look much from classes to parties – I thought natural and cute was great for anytime. That’s not wrong or anything, but I’ve learned that night is the best time to have fun with your makeup, so you might as well doll yourself up!
Here are my tips for amazing nighttime makeup looks:
Experiment and have fun!
Photo by val-j
Let’s face it: between classes and extracurriculars, work, and working out, there aren’t many opportunities for college girls to have fun getting all dolled up. Parties, bar-hopping, and date nights are the only chances we get!
Like clothes, makeup can be a great way to express your personality, so take advantage of that and have some fun!
If you’ve always wanted to try a new makeup look, but knew it wouldn’t fly in a classroom, nighttime is your chance. The worst that could happen is that you’d hate it, and could just take it off anyway. You can’t really lose.
Get inspired.
Makeup artists aren’t called that for nothing – cosmetics truly can be an art form, and every artist needs a little inspiration!
Before you do your makeup for night, come up with some looks that you’d like to emulate. This could be anything from a look you saw on The Hills, to an old glamour photo of Marilyn Monroe or even something random that popped into your head. Keep track of inspiration when it comes to you, and draw from those ideas when you’re getting ready.
Change at least one thing.
Don’t just recreate your daytime look. For example, if you don’t wear foundation during the day, use some at night to give you that flawless look. Or if you never rock eyeliner, change it up at night. If you look too similar to your day look, change your makeup even more.
The change doesn’t have to be drastic, but it should be different. Variety is the spice of life!
Fabulous Nighttime Beauty Products
When I’m getting ready to go out at night, I step it up a little bit from my daytime makeup routine, and add a few extra products into the mix. These are a few of my favorites.
Eyeliner
I am a self-professed eyeliner fanatic. I think it’s because I have light eyelashes, so I need all the extra definition I can get. (Or maybe it’s an unconscious desire to be a rockstar.)
Either way, eyeliner is a must for me. My favorite is MAC powerpoint eyeliner because it lasts for hours & doesn’t budge, but I have heard lots of rave reviews about Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner too.
Eyeshadow
I don’t always wear eyeshadow, but sometimes I like to wear some metallic bronze-y shadow by MAC on my lid and crease. It gives the eye more definition and looks really pretty in the light. For a smokey eye look, I love MAC Knight Divine.
For a more dramatic look, I use MAC eyeshadow in a bright shade instead of eyeliner. If you’re into bright colors instead, MAC really does make the BEST bright eyeshadow ever. But you probably knew that!
Eyebrow Powder
I’m a natural blonde, so my eyebrows are so light that they’re almost invisible. It’s not cute, I assure you. That’s why I wear brow powder. If you have naturally dark brows, you probably don’t need this step.
My favorite eyebrow powder is Anastasia Brow Powder Duo – Ash Blonde. It goes on smoothly, looks totally natural, and lasts forever. The perfect brow powder.
Lipgloss (!!!)
So important for any evening-out look. I’m not a big lipstick fan; gloss is just so much better!
If you wear a lot of eye makeup, you want to keep the rest of your face toned down. A nude lipgloss is perfect for that. There are a billion great nude lip glosses out there, but my favorites are Chanel Glossimer in Pinup (a shiny, light peachy pink), and MAC Lipglasses in Prrr and Underage. What are your favorite lipglosses?
Eyelash Curler
A good eyelash curler is essential if you have short or sparse eyelashes, or if your lashes don’t naturally curl.
Shu Uemura’s eyelash curler is the only one you should consider buying – it’s a favorite of every makeup artist, celebrity, and fashionista. It’s well-priced and it will last you forever. Invest in one!
Your Thoughts?
What are your favorite nighttime makeup looks? Are you an eyeliner person like me, or do you have a different favorite product? What are some of your favorite brands? Share your tips and opinions in the comments!
Posted on on September 15, 2008 / Filed Under: Beauty & Hair / Tags: Beauty, Inspiration, Makeup, Tips
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Lyd
I’m not really into liquid eyeliner, but i do prefer to use eye pencil, (preferably not black). Eyeshadow is a must for me (preferably in trio colour as it is easier to know that the combination of colours look good). Ligloss is great as well, and as i agree with you in not liking lipstick. :D
Rachelle
We are makeup twins…I LOVE eyeliner and lip gloss, too :) My favorite lip gloss is Victoria Secret Beauty Rush in Peach Buzz. I have dozens of glosses, but it’s always the one I use the most for day or night.
Mairi
I love false eyelashes for nights out, although you have to be careful with them to avoid looking like a drag queen, haha. It’s a good idea to buy separate ones to make them look a bit more natural. And I love Mac lipgloss in Viva Glam. Also, Estee Lauder’s Double Wear foundation is amazing for going out – that stuff will stay on for HOURS.
lauren
I have this one eye shadow palate that has black, gray, and silver all swirled together so you brush it on and its an automatic smoky eye look, perfect for the evening!
Also, a good foundation underneath some bronzer to make my make-up stay when I go out with friends is an essential fo me:)
xoxo
Hilary
You should check out revlon lip gloss – cherries in the glow! its perfect for a night look because it has an awesome darker color, but its not too bold, it is slightly sheer. Especially perfect if you’re dressing up your eyes with brights or eyeliner, its a simpler look for your lips to balance out.
Jen
love love love your website
the series of Make up for college girls -day and night are GREAT!
Liv
I really like this website, and this and the last makeup post were good. However, I was hoping I would see a few organic or eco friendly makeup product recommendations.
I understand there are fewer brands out there so there’s not always any emphasis put on that type of makeup. But I think that people should be aware of the natural makeup products that work just as well as the synthetic ones. Not everyone wants to use makeup with harsh chemicals, petrolium derivatives, and a heavy metal content that could be potentialy harmful over time.
I don’t intend any disrespect to you or the post, but it would be nice to see some of the natural and environmentally friendly products mentioned.
I really love this site, keep up the great fashion tips!
Sandy
Yes!!! I not only have a Shu (BEST eyelash curler invented), but I also LOVE Mac’s Prrr and Underage!!! I am also a huge fan of Mac shadows, especially the bronze ones like Romp.
Valerie
I love false eyelashes like Mairi. I ALWAYS use indiviuals. They’re easy to apply and don’t look fake or like a hooker. Also, I like to use a lip tint with my usual nude/transparent gloss. More band for my buck and the color doesn’t get all over my drink or date
Yuki
Lip gloss looks cute but it’s severely hard for me to find a good one that doesn’t have too much pigment, looks too shiny, or doesn’t make my lips break out like an Old Testament plague. ^__^;;;
My alternative is to use a sheer glossy lipstick. It isn’t as opaque as other lipsticks, making finding a color hard, and it lasts alot longer on me than the few minutes of the smeary or sticky lip gloss. It’s like the best of both worlds and I still get that nice little look of healthy shine.
I love the new and practical ideas on dressing up makeup for night in this series of day and night looks. It makes me want to try something different. Thanks for the awesome posts!
Jane
What is the name of the shimmery brown MAC eyeshadow you have shown?
Philippa Drage
I absolutely love colour and i believe no one should ever be afraid to try something different.
If you wear neutral colours during the day, its easier and quicker to just work on top of your original makeup…
Add alittle bit more blusher to brighten up your cheeks, and to add colour to your eyes, go for a earthy green or smokey blue which work well with most neutral colours and dab a small amount at the outer corners of your eyes and eyelid, use your finger to smudge in so you can control how bright you want to go.
I think this is the best way to start to experiment with colour without looking like a clown!
goodluck, have fun. BE COLOURFUL! :D
dnay
The look I don’t like is to do the daytime makeup routine, just triple it. More is not better in this case.
I agree that eye liner makes it. I think to change it up from your normal wear is great, and to add eye shadow. I also think a hint of color on the the cheeks and forehead, not to look clownish, but very subtle, is needed.
Deanne
I love wearing “Golden Sunrise” eyeshadow by Covergirl at night. It’s burnt orange and glittery, and looks awesome in the dark (even on someone with my pasty skin)! I also use Covergirl Wetslicks in Tangerine (another shiny orange color), because it’s something you can hardly get away with in broad daylight, but looks great under dim light. Glitter is your best friend at nighttime! :)
Paulina
to make your eyes really pop in the inner corner line it with a bright shade of gold or silver. :)
i also really like liquid eyeliner but i prefer lancomes artliner. its really exact and it lets you put it on as thick or thin as you prefer. also, mac offers some nice lip gloss that comes in shades :)
Carol
Looks like you´re a MAC fan lol :)
LJ
eyeliner’s probably my number 1 make up. i only wear a little bit for school, because i can get away with it behind my glasses and my eyes look tiny without it, but at night i really step it up :)