Tips from Benefit’s master makeup artist.

Going to a hot party this New Year’s Eve and looking to impress? You’re in luck. We teamed up with Benefit Cosmetics Makeup Master, José Rivera, who gave us the best holiday gift of all: professional beauty tips. Keep reading to learn how to highlight your brows, contour your eyes, and make that pout last through your New Year’s Eve kiss.

 

Let’s start with basic party skin prep. How do we get a flawless base?

Using a washcloth soaked in tepid water, I press the cloth on my skin a few times before finishing with a moisturizer. Moisturizers provide the ultimate preparation for makeup as it helps blend everything effortlessly.

 

How do we get perfect brows for New Year’s Eve?

Brow highlights! To create this look, you add hints of highlights through the brow hairs. By adding highlights, it gives brows subtle contrast, making them appear softer and lighter, opening up the eye area.

browtones benefit

The Brow Highlight

  1.  Sweep Benefit 3D BrowTones through the brows in an upward motion and you can transform brows into effortlessly chic frames for your face.

 

How do we get long, flirty lashes without extensions for New Years Eve?

“Top-coating” is my go-to technique to stretch the length of your lashes.

benefit lashes

The Top-Coat Technique

  1. Start with your favorite mascara (I prefer They’re Real Mascara for the dramatic length and volume) on the top of your lashes and continuously rotate the wand to generously coat the lashes.
  2. Then, go back under and rotate the wand the opposite direction to stretch and separate the lashes.

 

We want some flirty eyes for New Year’s Eve. What are some looks we can try?

A Marilyn Monroe bedroom eye is a favorite of mine since it’s essentially a contoured eye with a subtle downturn to add that touch of glamour.

benefit dual tone

The Marilyn Monroe

  1. To achieve this look, apply an eyeshadow that’s darker than your skin tone and sweep into your crease.
  2. Next, apply a complementary eyeshadow lighter than your skin tone to your lid and blend towards your lash line.
  3. To finish, blend the two together to blur any harsh contrast.

Pro tip: To make your life a little easier, you can try Benefit’s They’re Real Big Sexy Eye Kit which will helps you contour your eyes with a simple sweep of the ShadowBlender.  In seconds, you’ll have bigger sexier eyes, perfect for any special occasion including the biggest night of the year!

 

How do we highlight our killer cheekbones?

Think one: strobe, two: shape, and 3: sculpt.

blush benefit

The Contoured Cheekbones

  1. Strobe the top of your cheekbones by mixing a liquid highlighter mixed with a touch of your foundation.
  2. To shape, apply your choice of cheek stain. Start on the most pronounced part of the cheek and circle the product onto your cheeks, mimicking the shape of a pinwheel. Gradually make the circles bigger and bigger until you have wrapped the entire cheek area and blend. The result is a perfectly placed and blended tint.
  3. Lastly, sculpt the cheek using your favorite bronzer. (Try Benefit’s Hoola, which I love because it’s matte). Starting from middle of your ear, sweep the bronzer towards the nose to tuck under the cheekbone and sculpt the cheek. Start with light strokes then build and blend your way to perfection.

Pro tip: Tap the end of the brush with the bristles facing upward so that the bronzer goes into the brush, versus sitting on the ends which will blotch on your face when you have just applied a tint and highlighter.

 

For the no-makeup makeup gal, what’s an effortless look for NYE?

Simple can be sexy. Go for what I call the filter-free face to look smooth, bright, and luminous.

filter free face

The Filter-Free Face

  1. Mix two parts POREfessional primer and one part luminizer or liquid bronzer.
  2. Massage the mixture onto clean and hydrated skin.
  3. Add a touch of concealer only where needed to correct dark or red areas.
  4. Finish off the skin with a setting powder mixed in with your favorite blush.
  5. From here, it’s onto brows. For natural looking brows, reach for a brow gel to add just enough volume without looking too “done.”
  6. A brown mascara on the lashes opens and lifts the eyes.
  7. Finish with a lip and cheek stain that mimics the color of your natural flush.

 

New Year’s Eve is all about glitz and glamour. What’s the best way to wear a bit of shine this NYE?

My trick for wearing glitter is to start off with an eyelid primer to prep, perfect, and protect the eyelids before glitter is applied.

glitter face

The Glitter Bomb

  1. Using your finger or concealer brush, pick up a touch of eye shimmery eye shadow then lightly dip into your glitter.
  2. Blend the two together on a tissue then stipple onto the eyelid. The effect is perfectly applied glitter, while avoiding the dreaded “fallout” of glitter on your cheekbones.

Pro Tip: Bend your neck to face downwards, while holding a mirror in one hand and applying the brush using the other hand–this way any glitter that falls will do so on the mirror, not your cheeks.

 

What’s the trick to getting your eyeliner to last without smudging? And what fab look can we do with that eyeliner?

Mix a small amount of a waterproof gel liner with an eye primer. Benefit’s Air Patrol is a BB cream and eyelid primer in one. The primer not only ensures that your look “doesn’t fade before you do” on NYE, but it also provides a great base that gives you the perfect consistency to apply and blend a thick liner across the lids.

eyeliner benefit

The Smoky Eyeliner

  1. Using a brush, line the upper lash line with the cocktail of the two products.
  2. With a fluffy blending brush, lightly buff and blend the upper edge of the liner to get the perfect smoky and smoldering look.
  3. You can top off the look with a touch of shimmery dark shadow or even a loose pigment to add an added layer of dimension and effect.
  4. Finish off with loads of mascara to open and lift the lashes.

 

We want to go all out for this party. What’s a look we can wear to have all eyes on us?

A sexy and stylized look for NYE would be a combination of glitter across the lid with a smoky and defined crease.

glitter liner

The Glam Gal

  1. Follow the steps as the smoky liner look, but in lieu of applying it to the lash line, line the crease and blend upwards toward the brow bone.
  2. You can even extend it outwards a touch like a small wing versus going down to the outer corner of the eye.
  3. Complete the eye look by following the Glitter Bomb steps.

 

Last Minute New Year’s Eve Makeup Tips

  • To get your lipstick to last until midnight’s kiss: Make sure your lips are well-hydrated before using a bright color or highly pigmented lipstick because otherwise it’ll bleed.
  • To be selfie-ready all night: Remember to prep, prime, then perfect your look to get the longest and most comfortable wear out of your makeup.
  • To remove your makeup easily: Priming your makeup (beforehand) actually makes makeup removal much easier later on as it creates an impermeable barrier between your skin and the makeup–also great for sensitive skin to avoid makeup irritating the skin. After that, removing your makeup any way you’d like should be a piece of cake.

Choosing just one option from the makeup looks that we’ve given you isn’t going to be easiest decision, but we’re sure whichever one you go for you’ll walk into the new year looking amazing! We would love to hear which new years look you like the most so let us know in the comment section below.