Day to Night Makeup Tips

Daytime makeup doesn’t always translate when the sun comes down. As someone who goes from desk to drinks on a regular basis, I either never have enough makeup to refresh my look, or I end up taking it all off and starting over (so time consuming!). Turns out, there is a way you can take your makeup from day to night, without having to add too many new products in to the mix (or start over again).

I consulted with my beauty friends at Bluemercury and they set me up with with Israel Platero, a regional makeup artist for Laura Mercier, who not only did a fabulous job of doing my makeup for this post, but also educated me about how he took my look from day to night. Once he created my day look (some eyeshadow, a little blush, mascara and liner on my upper lash line), he simply enhanced certain features and added a few more products in to the mix to transform in to a nighttime look (creamy eyeshadows, liner on my lower lash line, illuminator, and a little more concealer to refresh my look). From makeup application advice to the essential tools, Israel dishes on the best day to night makeup tips and tricks.

Israel on How to Take Your Makeup from Day to Night:

“Hydrate your skin accordingly. Oily skin types to combination should use an oil free moisturizer, and dry skin types need something more emollient.

Use a primer under your foundation. This will help makeup look less makeup like and will prevent your face from absorbing foundation.

Set makeup with a translucent powder.  Even if you have dry skin, a translucent powder will seal your foundation without drying you out.”

Use water resistant shadow, mainly cream shadows because they are weightless.

Apply water resistant liner and mascara; it will prevent any smudging.”

Israel’s Top Makeup Application Tips for Eyes, Lips & Face:

“For eyes, use a shadow base. This will show the true color of the shadow and will prevent the oils from the lid from melting your look.

Use a lip brush. This will allow less color on the lips and prevent bleeding of the lipstick, also use a lip pencil to keep color in place.

For the face, make sure you have the right color foundation, going too dark can make you look bronzy sometimes just ends up looking orange or muddy and you might end up with a line on the jaw line, it’s easier to use a bronzer powder then having to blend the wrong color foundation on.”

Israel’s Top Three Laura Mercier Favorites:

“Laura Mercier Foundation Primer, being the original primer in the market and water base. This primer will refresh your skin and will keep your makeup intact and fresh for many hours.

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage. It’s a concentrated two tone concealer that Laura Mercier created to look like skin, not makeup. It’s weightless and blends seamlessly on the skin covering any imperfections that foundation can’t.

Laura Mercier Tightline Cake Eye Liner. It’s a cake liner that you wet with a flat liner brush. Dot it along the root of the lash line. This will create full lashes without a heavy liner look and it’s water resistant.”

Top Three Tools Every Woman Should Have:

“A concealer brush: Applying concealer with your fingers applies too much product, resulting in a cakey finish.

A blush brush: Using a powder brush for blush applies color on the entire cheek and jawline area making it hard to contour the face, blush brushes are smaller and fit right on the apples of the cheeks giving you more definition on the face.

An eyelash curler: This opens up your eyes and makes your lashes look longer and fuller.”

What are your best tips for taking your look from day to night? 

Photography by Kendal Stopak of Metropolitan Thread