16 Best Makeup-for-Weddings Hacks to Raise Your Party & Wedding-Going Game
Want to look your best? Try these Makeup for Weddings & Parties Hacks
With holidays approaching and wedding season always around the corner, there’s no better time than now to hone your makeup skills and raise your beauty game. Whether you’re going for a high-impact statement or a subtler, carefree look, this list has plenty of ideas for makeup for weddings and parties to help you feel radiant and current at your next event. These bridal & party makeup tips are tried and tested by celebrities and top makeup artists – including the elite team of pros at BoomZip.com who provide you makeup, hair, and other beauty services in your home – and are featured in thousands of 
easy to follow tutorials online. We’ve featured a few of the best resources to help you get started.
Makeup for Weddings & Parties Hack #1: Classic Red Lip
Our list begins with the #1 makeup skill every woman should have in her arsenal: the classic red lip. Depending on how you wear it, a pop of color on the lips can channel Old Hollywood glamour, wild rock-star energy, or a beguiling Parisian nonchalance. Skeptics may think it’s stuffy, but take note: the bright red pout is a time-tested look that’s as popular now on Rihanna as it was for Marilyn Monroe.
During this year’s film awards season alone, red lips were spotted on heavy hitters like Gwendoline Christie and Naomi Watts. This look is not only striking against the snowy backdrop of a winter wedding or New Year’s bash, it also works at outdoor and daytime events. When wearing red lips, let your mouth take center stage while keeping the rest of your makeup subtle and neutral.
Finding the red that’s right for your skin tone doesn’t have to be a wild goose chase; try a shade that’s proven to be universally flattering, like Fenty Beauty Stunna Lip Paint in Uncensored or Nars Velvet Matte Lipstick Pencil in Dragon Girl. And don’t worry if you have thinner lips than average; clever lipliner and highlight application can help the bright color take your pout to the next level.
Makeup for Weddings & Parties Hack #2: Smokey Cat Eye
If you love both the demure look of winged liner and the sultry mood created by a smokey eye, consider trying the best of both worlds: the smokey cat eye. While it may sound over-the-top, well-blended cat eyeliner adds a touch of subdued sexiness without too much drama, and is a favorite for beauties like Adriana Lima and Kim Kardashian. With diffused edges and coverage of both top and bottom lashlines, the smokey cat eye eliminates the harsh lines of classic winged liner, which can take your look into retro territory if applied too thickly, while still providing an elongated, wide-eyed shape.
If you’re still trying to get the hang of the wing shape, let beauty guru Jaclyn Hill take you through her step-by-step guide.
Makeup for Weddings & Parties Hack #3: Colorful Winged Liner
On the subject of winged liner, who says you have to stick with basic black? A flick of color on your lashline not only makes your eyes pop, but serves as a great conversation starter; it tells a crowd you’re ready to mingle. Blue, red, or orange liner keeps the cat eye looking fresh, while offering a pop of color to set off a neutral wardrobe.
Try choosing a color that complements your irises, like Millie Bobby Brown’s choice of lilac to set off her brown doe eyes (this infographic will help you find your perfect shades), or go metallic like Janelle Monae. Willow Smith and Rihanna prove that white liner looks incredible on darker skin. This guide is full of more great ideas.
Makeup for Weddings & Parties Hack #4: Graphic Eyeliner/Deco Liner
Mixing up your eyeliner shape is a fun way to show off your artistic side. There’s been no shortage of inspiration over the past few seasons, with the cobalt blue look on party girl Maxine from the Netflix series Russian Doll, the geometric designs Joan Smalls wore to match her Met Gala gown, or the brushstroke-inspired winged liner Dove Cameron wore to a Teen Vogue party.
Play with bright colors and negative space–just remember to pair it with a natural, glossy lip for an 
avant-garde but chic approach.
Makeup for Weddings & Parties Hack #5: Monochrome Look
Have a favorite color and a penchant for simplicity? This year’s biggest makeup trend has you covered: monochrome makeup looks that have been seen everywhere from the red carpet to Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty Youtube tutorials.
The best part of going mono is its affordability and eco-friendliness, as many top brands now offer all-in-one multitasking products for eyes, lips, and cheeks, cutting down on your holiday spending and packaging waste. Deep berry and burgundy shades as seen on Dakota Johnson and Shay Mitchell are romantic choices for fall and winter, while mauvey pink and coral brighten up a sunny spring or summer shindig.
Makeup for Weddings & Parties Hack #6: Bold Blush
For the literal image of a blushing bride, look no further than the rosy-cheeked models from the Chanel Fall/Winter 2019 runway. Catwalkers like Cara Delevigne, Anok Yai, and Binx Walton sported flushed faces as they stomped through a winter wonderland complete with fake snow, showing that high-octane blush complements any skin tone.
This luminous look begins with a dewy base, so that the blush looks natural, not powdery. For added authenticity, drag your blush brush across the bridge of your nose, as recommended in this tutorial.
Makeup for Weddings & Parties Hack #7: Fake Freckles
The fake freckles trend first cropped up in 2015 and was only strengthened when Meghan Markle made visible natural freckles her most stunning accessory at the internationally-televised royal wedding last year. Since then, beauty influencers and amateurs alike have taken to social media to spread the sunspot gospel, even if they weren’t born with spots themselves.
Fans of the look love that it gives a youthful, sunkissed effect, like you just got back from a bachelorette party in Malibu. Many have fallen so in love with it as to get their freckles professionally inked onto their cheeks–just one example of permanent makeup’s resurgence in mainstream beauty culture.
If you’re not ready to take the plunge toward facial tattooing, try the washable kind–a wet pencil brush and brown eyeshadow is all you need. Paired with bronzer and peachy blush, fake freckles are perfect for a low-key, beachy vibe. Chantel Jeffries shows you how it’s done in this video.
Makeup for Weddings & Parties Hack #8: Strong But Natural Brows
You could say the strong eyebrow trend started with a pair of jeans–the Calvin Klein denim worn by a fifteen-year-old Brooke Shields, that is. The controversial 1980 campaign catapulted both the supermodel’s career and our cultural fascination with thick brows, which lives on in the form of Instagram accounts dedicated to the well-endowed arches of Cara Delevigne, Lily Collins, and Emilia Clarke.
It’s now easier than ever to make this look yours, thanks to an ever-growing slew of brow gels on the market, as well as various permanent makeup artists perfecting the craft of microblading, a technique in which a trained professional uses a fine needle to make tiny brushstroke-like marks on the browbone to semi-permanently fill in existing brows, or create ones that look mind-bogglingly real.
With bold, bushy, tattooed eyebrows on the rise, it’s clear that Shields’ style is here to stay–literally. For a punchy party look, try a technicolor brow pomade. As with bright lips or eyeliner, you’ll want to use nudes or neutrals on the rest of your face while your brows steal the show.
Makeup for Weddings & Parties Hack #9: Sheer and Minimal
They say what goes up must come down, so it shouldn’t be any surprise that barely-there makeup is now toppling the heavily airbrushed makeup regime of the mid-2010s.
More a philosophy than a look, the no-makeup-makeup movement seeks to reframe traits once regarded as imperfections into beautiful idiosyncrasies. Instead of whittling a large nose with strategic contouring or concealing beauty marks under layers of concealer, let your uniqueness shine through with minimal makeup that leaves you looking like you–after drinking eight glasses of water and getting a full night’s sleep, that is.
You can thank Glossier for this paradigm shift; their girl-next-door models exude confidence while wearing nothing but lip tint, brow gel, and cream highlighter. Wearing a bare-faced look to a party shows you’re not afraid to let your natural beauty speak for itself, which is sure to turn heads.
Makeup for Weddings & Parties Hack #10: Thick Lashes
Slip on a pair of false eyelashes, and people are bound to notice something different about you, though they may not be able to put their finger on exactly what it is.
Fake lashes offer a simple way to accentuate your eyes and subtly enhance your natural beauty without applying layers of other products. Though they seem ubiquitous in today’s beauty world, false lashes had a rocky start: they originated on the film set of 1916’s Intolerance, when actress Seena Owen batted glued-on lashes that “brush[ed] [her] cheeks” so that her eyes would stand out on the grainy black and white film of the time. Unfortunately, the adhesive also caused an extreme allergic reaction, resulting in Owen’s eyes swelling nearly shut.
These days, women have the option of wearing safer falsies that yield a more natural, albeit enhanced, look, often with the help of single-use sets or semi-permanent eyelash extensions that last for weeks at a time.
With the highest-quality eyelash extensions (worn by the likes of Beyonce) ringing in at a whopping $300, they’re a luxury not everyone can afford to maintain. For a more budget-friendly take on come-hither lashes, tap your BoomZip App and get a fabulous set of eyelash extensions placed on you in your home by a BoomZip Pro. The key to looking like a supermodel, not a doll, is to choose sets with tapered ends that mimic the look of real eyelashes.
Makeup for Weddings & Parties Hack #11: Match the Bride’s Palette
Have you been invited to a wedding with an unconventional signature color? Check the wedding invitation’s lettering, borders, and decorations for colors likely to be featured at the ceremony.
While you may want to avoid matching your outfit to these colors–so as not to be confused with the bridesmaids–you can pay homage to the bride’s favorite colors with your makeup. Try incorporating cooler tones into your eye look, or channel a warm palette on your lips or cheeks. She’s sure to appreciate your nod to her fabulous taste in decor on her big day.
Makeup for Weddings & Parties Hack #12: Old Hollywood Glamour
What is it about cold weather that makes us want to amp up the vamp factor? Whatever the reason, we’re here for it–nothing makes a holiday party feel festive quite like jewel-toned lips, dramatic eyes, and sweeping waves. This polished, cinematic look works equally well for weddings: this bride’s smokey lids and punchy lip color set the stage for the gorgeous vintage-inspired gown she wore to her December nuptials.
For a true master class in makeup that hearkens back to Old Hollywood with a modern twist, look to 90s icons like Winona Ryder, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Helena Bonham Carter.
Makeup for Weddings & Parties Hack #13: Glitter and Jewels
Is there any better way to announce your entrance at a party than with something shiny? If red carpet looks are any indication, glitter and crystal makeup is having a moment–and not just on the eyes.
At the 2019 Met Gala, Zoe Saldana opted for megawatt eyelids, Lucy Boynton look a gem-studded approach to eyelashes, and Sophie Turner sported a silver glitter-streaked hairline. Though it sounds messy, cream glitter can be very user friendly when incorporated into cream products, like Tarte’s Treasure Pot Glitter Gel.
You can use glitter all over the face, build up the product for extra flash, or keep it subdued. For example, Victoria’s Secret angel Sara Sampaio wore a luxe take on Regina George’s iconic Halloween bunny look, with a dark smokey eye with a single crystal in each inner corner.
Makeup for Weddings & Parties Hack #14: Lip Stain
If the best thing about parties is getting dressed up, then second-best is indulging in all the delicious food and drinks.
Thanks to lip stain, you can serve fierce lip color without sacrificing it to the wine glass gods. Lip stains are perfect for when you want to highlight your lips without worrying about lipstick rubbing off on your teeth, creasing into fine lines, or fading into a patchy ring after a snack–they stay put through all your shenanigans.
Lip stains come in a variety of formulations and finishes, from inky liquids to creamy matte balms, and are the key to achieving the playful ombre effect that dominates the Korean beauty scene–when layered right, a pink, red, or purple stain will make it look like you just ate a mouthful of juicy summer berries.
Makeup for Weddings & Parties Hack #15: Pastel Eyeshadow
Bold brows aren’t the only throwback beauty trend coming back into fashion; the pastel shadows of the 60s are finding their way onto today’s runways and red carpets.
In a nod to retro beauty wisdom, stars like Awkwafina and Lisa Bonet are even matching their eye looks to their outfits, proving that a little respect for your elders can be a beautiful thing.
Did you toss out your icy blue eyeshadow when neutrals took over in the early 2010s? Don’t worry, these brands have all the frosty pastel palette options you need.
Makeup for Weddings & Parties Hack #16: Just Tap the BoomZip App
Keep your life super simple with this ultimate hack… Download the free BoomZip App HERE and get super convenience and salon quality care from elite makeup pros who come to you and provide you the makeup application in your home (or the wedding site), at a time you choose, any day of the week!
So…
Try all of these techniques at your next wedding or night out to see which works best for you, and don’t forget to keep practicing! You can still execute stunning results without being a card-carrying beauty influencer. Having a great wedding or party look is all about standing out in a way that makes you feel beautiful. A bedazzled guest or two may even ask you for your best tips. Cheers!
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