Do you remember ‘getting ready to go out’? I do, with great nostalgia. It involved a fog of hairspray, clouds of perfume, lashings of eyeliner, and friends with whom to talk about how the night may go, who might kiss whom, etc.
Times have changed. The last big night I went out on involved dashing from the office to my house, pulling on a pair of tights so quickly that I laddered them then swore copiously (and wore them anyway), pulled a dress on only to realise it needed an iron (and also wore it anyway), then applied a bit of powder, a few squirts of perfume, and dashed out the door.
The only remaining semblance of those hallowed long 'getting ready' sessions which remained was the music — but even that was picked to help me speed along.
That said, however hurried I am, I will always make time to give my make-up a little tweak — even if it’s just adding a little lipstick to liven my face up. Better yet, lipstick and a bit of highlighter. Or best of all, having a refresh with the help of Daniel Martin, Tatcha’s Global Director of Artistry and make-up artist to innumerous celebrities including Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Jessica Biel, Michelle Yeoh and Priyanka Chopra.
On this one wonderful occasion, I plonked my fully made up but London-beaten face in front of him, and he very quickly did five things that woke it up, made it look fresh and polished. They mostly all involved skin, because, as Daniel explained, that has the biggest impact beyond lipstick (which I was already wearing).
Here’s what he covered off, and some general rules if you, like me, sometimes need to tidy up your make-up in minimal time.
1. Refresh skin
The first thing I notice when I’ve been wearing make-up for a while is that my skin looks sort of sad. Maybe make-up has migrated a bit to the creases around my eyes and nose. Maybe it’s disappeared in some places but looks ultra shiny in others. My top tip for this? Take clean fingers and press the make-up so it redistributes. The more sophisticated version by Daniel involves a mist (he used Tatcha Dewy Skin Mist, £24, tatcha.co.uk) pressed onto the skin with a sponge.
2. Add depth
This will vary from person to person, but nearly everyone will need something to add a little shape to the face, either in the form of bronzer or a strategically-placed blush. Daniel’s tip here: add colour into the eyelid too, to make it all look harmonious and sophisticated.
3. Conceal
If there’s one thing I always, always do when I check my make-up, it’s add concealer. I press a little around my nose, in the dip of my chin, around my eyes; basically anywhere that’s a bit red or looks like it could do with some help. You could also, if you want to give Daniel’s method a whirl, use a shade that’s a hint warmer under eyes to soften the effect.
4. Highlight and powder
Once you’ve done all that, taking down sheen in some areas and amping it up in others is the next port of call. Daniel opted for an ultra-glossy highlight and then used blotting papers to absorb grease without disrupting the make-up underneath.
