Made to party

Estee Lauder. Photo / Supplied

Party makeup should look stunning and require minimum maintenance, so you can have fun rather than fuss about with endless touch-ups. The secret is in picking the right items to start with and spending a bit of extra time in front of the mirror before you head out to ensure your look will be long-lasting.

A special occasion deserves more than everyday effort, so do add a bit of drama. It's easiest to play up your eyes and sculpt your skin, while keeping your lips mostly natural, with a non-sticky gloss.

Bright lippy does look festive, but it will soon sip or kiss off, so if you're tempted by a statement lip check out some longwear formulas or you may look smeared rather than smashing (Revlon make some of the best). Another trick is to colour your entire lip with a pencil, then apply your lipstick, blot and reapply to add staying power, with just a little gloss on top for freshness.

Glowing skin looks great, so start with a primer, add concealer as you need it, and a dewy fresh foundation or just a tinted moisturiser if your skin doesn't need full coverage. Then contour with bronzer, blush and highlighters. A touch of powder sets the look.

Colour-wise, gold is the stand-out shade for summer, warming skin and highlighting eyes and even lips.

The sunset effect extends into corals and hot pinks on nails and lips. For a softer look try rose-gold or amethyst tones as seen in Estee Lauder's new Sensuous Gold colours.

For the eyes, gel eyeliner lasts well and is softer looking than a liquid liner. You can then top it with shadow to build a smokey look. (I'm particularly impressed with Elizabeth Arden's glide-on gel formula). Avoid shiny, glittery shadows on the brow-bone, they can catch the light and be ageing; a little metallic shading along the lash lines is a better option. The lash line is also a good place for a shot of colour that doesn't overwhelm. Then define your brows, set with gel and let your well-mascaraed eyes do the talking.

In your carry-along kit you should only need lipgloss or lipstick and perhaps a little powder to dab on if you get a shiny Santa nose. A powder combined with a blush or highlighter is a handy complexion reviver later in the night. (M.A.C has a half-and-half duo that works well and see the Clinique version below).

If you're going to do anything silly like jump in a pool or go to bed with your makeup still on, then use a waterproof mascara. Or make off early enough before you spoil the illusion and turn into a pumpkin ...

1 Clarins Instant Sun Light Summer Glow Palette for Face
$77

A five-shade fine-powder bronzer, with SPF15, for a sun-kissed look for medium or darker skin shades.