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Model with glowing skin

The Key to Makeup That Goes the Distance

If you want to ensure your look lasts well beyond midnight, you'll first need to learn how to prep your skin for makeup. Let Liberty show you the ropes
By: Laura Kennedy

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The Key to Makeup That Goes the Distance

The Key to Makeup That Goes the Distance

If you want to ensure your look lasts well beyond midnight, you'll first need to learn how to prep your skin for makeup. Let Liberty show you the ropes

By: Laura Kennedy

Photography: Benjamin Madgwick
Makeup: Celia Burton
Hair: David Wadlow

Every beauty enthusiast knows that the real work of perfect makeup happens long before you apply your foundation in a towel while panic texting your friends that you’re ‘absolutely’ already dressed and ready to go. Your skincare routine creates the canvas you need to do your best work. After all, Raphael painted his frescos on freshly prepared plaster. We make extra effort with special occasion makeup precisely because we’re aiming for a Raphael rather than a hurried stick figure drawing on a post-it note. This isn’t the makeup on your commute or a quick slick of your favourite lipstick on the go. The key to the best possible party makeup? Preparation.

Read More: How to get glowing skin, according to the experts

A FEW DAYS BEFORE

Out With the Old

Malin + Goetz Resurfacing Glycolic Pads, £40

Make sure to exfoliate a couple of times in the week before an event. Skincare acids will ensure that any dull surface skin is dispatched and skin will be dolphin-smooth by the time you apply your pre-party foundation. These peel pads provide a gentle at-home chemical peel, so you can skip any potential irritation or redness from grittier physical exfoliants.

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Moisturiser Is King

Augustinus Bader The Cream, £225

It may sound obvious but keeping skin moisturised and balanced will ensure that the chances of a facial melt-down (we’ve all been there) on the day of the party are minimal. This formula is a velvety, radiant and plumping day cream that behaves beautifully under makeup, leaving a dewy, professional-looking finish and cocooning the skin from the elements.

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THE MORNING OF

DIY Massage

Wild Source Rose Quartz Gua Sha, £30

Most of the work is already done. Going too hard on skincare is a mistake on the day of an event – we’re aiming to sculpt and spruce only, while minimising any chance of irritation. A good morning massage will help reduce puffiness, promote blood flow and prep skin for the day, plus you’ll always see the pros doing this for clients before red carpet events. Wild Source's gua sha tool stimulates the lymphatic system to tone and sculpt the face. Chill it in the fridge for an even more soothing experience.

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Lipcare Is Key

Dr. Sebagh Lip Balm, £35

Now, and not right before applying lipstick, is the time to ensure your lips are comfortable and moisturised. Apply a generous layer of lip balm and keep it topped up through the day to prevent any pinched texture or chapping later on once you’ve applied lipstick or liner.

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BEFORE APPLYING YOUR MAKEUP

The Pre-Game Sheet Mask

Sarah Chapman 3D Moisture Infusion Single Sheet Mask, £15

All the real prep work is done. We strongly suggest making a nice cup of tea before you maximise hydration to ensure your smoothest, plumpest possible skin. This will prevent makeup from sitting in dry patches or sliding from oily ones. Whip a sheet mask from the fridge about thirty minutes before you want to apply your makeup. It gives a quick and efficient skin refurb, depuffing and plumping as well as priming skin for moisturiser.

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Prime Your Real Estate

Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Primer, £55

Once you moisturise, leave it to sink in for ten minutes or so, then go in with a primer like this one from Hourglass to ensure that the makeup you’re about to apply will stay exactly where you want. Until, that is, you get home exhausted and have the post-party debate about whether or not to sleep in your (hopefully still perfect) makeup. We can’t help with that bit, unfortunately. Except to advise washing off your makeup before bed.

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Discover More

The Taylor Taylor salon at Liberty

Routines & Rituals: The Spa in the Heart of Soho

From transportive massages to transformative facials, and haircare tailored to modern life: there’s a world of ritual wonder hidden at Liberty
By: Team Liberty

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An artist wears blue overalls and stands in front of a wall of sculptures

Inspired by LBTY: Liberty 1875 by RA Schools Graduate Esther Gamsu

Meet the winning Royal Academy Schools graduate behind the design of Liberty LBTY. Fragrance’s latest scent.
By: Team Liberty

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Discover the new Beauty Kits just launched at Liberty

Liberty, Home of the Best Beauty Kits and Boxes

All hail the Liberty beauty kit: our expertly curated edits of must-have beauty products designed to satisfy your every beauty need
By: Team Liberty

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Dries Van Noten fragrance bottle on a vanity, next to a vase containing yellow-gold poppies

In Full Colour: Inside the Bold Kaleidoscope of Dries Van Noten Beauty

Liberty explores Dries Van Noten’s unbridled expression of maximalist bliss as the innovative brand brings its beauty collection to our Beauty Hall…

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A pristine blue pool in the sunshine surrounded by trees and yellow sunloungers

In the Lobby with Réservation Parfums

Check in to the fantastical world of Liberty’s latest fragrance arrival, and uncover a world where scent and storytelling combine.
By: Harriet Brown

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By: Harriet Brown
Image of Seventh founder Bukki Ojo and Creative Director Emmanuel Duro

A Spotlight On: Black Owned Brands at Liberty

This Black History Month, discover the work of five Black-owned brands at Liberty leading a new generation of Liberty’s artistic movement

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Dr Barbara Sturm is one of the luxury skincare brands available at Liberty

Professional Skin Advice, in a Bottle

The hardest-working formulas full of cutting-edge ingredients, straight from the pros. Liberty shares the expert-led skincare brands deserving of your precious shelf space
By: Shannon Peter

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Ex Nihilo Blue Talisman Eau de Parfum

In The Studio with Ex Nihilo

Join Liberty as we step into Ex Nihilo’s world of boundary-pushing perfumery - where Parisian artistry meets innovation, and every scent is a statement of individuality.
By: Team Liberty

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A bottle of product in a dimly lit room

Anything but Routine: 4 Products to Transform Your Haircare Rituals

Relax into a new era of haircare routines: redefined for modern beauty needs.
By: Team Liberty

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Perfumer Clement Gavarry

Meet the Perfumer: Clement Gavarry

The creator of Liberty LBTY.’s new fragrance tells us about bottling 150 years of history and collaborating with the Royal Academy Schools
By: Georgia Graham

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By: Georgia Graham
A woman sitting in a chair, holding skincare products, wearing an all-white outfit

Arabella Preston’s Natural Skincare Mission

Liberty talks to the Votary co-founder about building a skincare empire, from the kitchen table to the Liberty Beauty Hall
By: Amy Falconer

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By: Amy Falconer