Best Make-Up Looks for Prom

Makeup for the prom is the finishing touch to your beautiful prom dress. Prom makeup should be beautiful and trendy. It shouldn't compete with you for all the attention. As a stylist, I love to help young women pick out their prom makeup and learn how to apply it. Here are my top two choices for prom makeup this year: a classic look, and a trendy look.

Classic Look:
If you love to look sophisticated and classy, try a neutral eye with a deep, red lip. Choose three colors of eye shadow for this look: a taupe, a bronze, and a soft pearl. Apply the pearl to the inner corner of your eye and just under your brow bone. Apply the taupe from your lash line up to the pearl. Then, apply the bronze in the outer corner of the eye, blending into a sideways "V." Blend a thin line of bronze along your upper and lower lashes. Finish with brown liner and two coats of mascara. Lightly dust your cheeks with a bit of bronzer to warm up the skin. Use a lip-colored liner to line and completely fill in your lips. Then, using a brush to apply, dab on your favorite deep shade of red lipstick. Blot and apply a second coat. Finish with a dab of clear gloss in the center. You'll look gorgeous and classy.

Trendy Look:
If you are more inspired by the trends, then consider a modern take on the smokey eye. Choose three shades of eyeshadow, such as a soft pearl, a deep purple, and a charcoal. If purple doesn't match your dress, you may swap out the purple color for a deep burgundy, navy blue, or even a dark green shade. Sweep the pearl shade under the brow bone and in the inner corner of the eyes. This time, use the purple (or other colored shade), on the lid, blending from the lashline up into the pearl color. Apply the charcoal at the base of the lashes, and blend upward into the purple, causing the color to fade from charcoal to purple to pearl. You may make a sideways "V" in the outer corner of the eye, using the crease as the second leg of the "V. Blend well!

Use a black eyeliner to line the upper lashes, staying as close to the lash line as possible. Start at the inner corner, and using tiny strokes, make the line thicker towards the middle, and thinner at the corners of the eyes. At the outer corner, flick the line upwards and outwards just a bit to make a subtle cat eye shape. Using a thin eyeliner brush, apply a small amount of purple or charcoal shadow at the base of the lower lashes, and apply a thin line of black liner as well. Smudge as desired, and then finish with two coats of black mascara. Apply a hint of bronzer to the cheeks, and and a clear gloss to the lips. You are ready for prom!