I’ve mentioned in a blog previously that just one element of dancing is looking the part.  The tan, the dresses, the shoes, the hair, the bling, the makeup!!

The makeup that I have used over the years for dancing has changed as I have learned what I like and don’t like, what didn’t look good on photos (especially if a photo at the end of the competition showed how oily my skin had become throughout the day!)

First things first……base!  I had intended to try a primer underneath my foundation this time, which I did forget, but in honesty, this foundation does not need a primer to do it’s job!  Having had a tan, my skin always feels slightly drier than normal anyway so my base is purely my Moisture Surge moisturiser by Clinique.

My go-to foundation for competition days is without doubt Estēe Lauder’s Double Wear!  It really does last all day and has brilliant full coverage.  Usually I am shade 1N2 Ecru but with my Blackpool tan (or any tan in fact!) this would be far too light.  I have often asked at a makeup counter for a shade of foundation a few darker so I can find a colour that works well with my tan.  Most I have tried have been too orangey on my skin but this time, the Estēe Lauder consultant gave me a shade 4W1 Honey Bronze.  This worked really well for me, but Double Wear is also blends easily so in the past I have mixed the darker shade in with my usual colour.  I applied this using a damp beauty blender.

For concealer, I stick with my usual shade because this gives a good highlight under the eyes with a tan and really brightens the eye area.  Today I used my Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer.  I also used this on my eyelids as a base for my eyeshadows.

Next, I used the Diorblush Light and Contour stick to create my contour lines and highlight followed by Clinique Chubby Stick is Robust Rhubarb for blusher and blended them in with my Beauty Blender.

This was then all set with Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder, a little of Mac’s Shadester Sculpting Powder to redefine the contour and Bobbi Brown’s Shimmer Brick in Rose to go over the highlighted areas.

I then used a mix of 2 powder blushers Mac’s Pro Longwear in Whole Lotta Love and Nyx Double Dare High Definition Blush and applied this in a swirl around the apples of my cheeks and a swish up into my temples.

Lips, I have blogged about this product before, but Clinique’s Colour Pop Matte Liquid Lip in shade Ripe Pop has to be one of my favourites for colour and longevity!  It is a very moisturising lip colour and it lasts all day.  I didn’t need to top it up all day!

Eye makeup is probably what takes me the longest amount of time!  I probably don’t use the same colours or shades every time so I can never make up my mind what to use!

Once I applied the concealer as a base, I attached my sticky tape where I wanted my lines to be (not only does this give a perfect guide for applying eyeliner evenly, it also acts to catch fall out!).

I then sprayed Mac’s Fix + onto my brush (this is sold as a makeup setting spray which personally, I don’t think it does a great job at but what it is great for is using with pigment powders and other glitters and gives a lovely sheen to them when applied wet).  Today I used a green powder eyeshadow by Barry M.

I then used a mixture of shades to create my crease and outer V.  Starting with the lighter shades from the Urban Decay Ultimate Basics Palette, I created my crease with a mix of Tempted and Lockout followed by a mix of Password and Smoulder from the Naked Smoky Palette.  As I wanted quite a dark yet blended outer V, I used Black Market from the Smoky Palette and then a little Extra Bitter from Ultimate Basics to warm the colours up and blend them together.  I also used the shade High from Smoky which has a lovely subtle shimmer to blend up and under my eyebrow and also on the inner corner of my eye to brighten the eye area.

Once all of this was complete, I removed the tape and applied Urban Decay’s Razor Sharp Eyeliner in Perversion.  Having used the tape I had clear lines to guide me as I am not great at freehand eyeliner!  Although I would be using false eyelashes, it is always a good idea to apply black eyeliner first.  Despite the fact the lash band may well cover all of it, it will conceal any tiny gap between the lash band and the natural lash line.  I then apply another line above the false lash line.  On my waterline, I use a white eyeliner, again in a bid to make the eye area appear more open.

My personal look involves another small black line to make a ‘V’ from the outer corner of my eye, then lining the black with a white to really make it stand out.  I used another Razor Sharp Eyeliner from Urban Decay in the shade Bump to do this.  This was then finished off with a couple of self-adhesive crystals from Claire’s Accessories.

False Eyelashes……top tip, always apply looking down!  I always place a small mirror on my lap and look down into the mirror to apply my lashes.  I also always use a lash applicator as this gives more control and keeps your fingers away from the glued lash line which can cause a mess when you’re trying to stick them down.  Lashes can be a real struggle for many people, I do find them easy to apply after so much practice but wish I had tried the applicator from the off!  I also apply a coat of mascara to my own lashes before applying false ones!

Eyebrows were done using Benefit’s Gimme Brow.  Good colour and control with the small brush.  Using such heavy and extended eye makeup requires an extended eyebrow so I always extend it out further than I normally would when applying competition makeup which you can see on the middle photo below!

There you have it!  My completed look which was applied at around 8am (middle photo), and I didn’t remove any of it before 2am after partying in the hotel bar!!! 😛

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think in the comments box below or on my facebook page. Follow me on Instagram: beautyandtheballroom and Twitter: @Mazzo7 xx