Race Day Makeup: How To

From the champagne breakfast to the final race, a day out trackside isn’t just about keeping your outfit or fascinator in check. Whether you’re planning for the Melbourne Cup, Derby day, Oaks or Stakes Day, match your makeup as a primary priority when it comes to dressing this racing season. Pick your battles though, as every season holds it’s fair share of hurdles. Would you glow for it in a dream-like state… so feminine and romantic for Spring, or throw a blush bomb with a smokey eye for a more accented finish for Autumn?

What products are key for your look? Whether it be the iconic battle between a vibrant lipstick or classic black eyeliner, to favouring definition and brightness over colour cosmetics, we’ve curated a list of stats and race face information to consider. What’s trending on the track? Is it:

Glossy or matte lips?Contour or highlight?Bold or neutral shadow?Smokey or cat-eye?Natural or false lashes?Matte or metallic colours?With this in mind, we key in on the ‘how to’s 3 trending makeup styles to get you inspired to a feature a look with this racing season’s must-wear trends!

1. Cooler Than Contour

Look: EgyptianSeason: AutumnKey race looks: Brave the neon trend or high-shine sequins FACE: Put your trust in siltstone palettes and the infamous kohl. There is more than meets the eye this falling leaves season. Firstly, lift and sculpt complexions with a bronzed ‘terra’ coloured shade. Perfect for emulating a rich ochre Vanitas. For a truly definitive slay, the key focus areas to bronze highlight are the eye crease, cheekbones and nose line. EYES, BROWS, MASCARA: Enhance this sculptured look with a simple eyeliner application. Swap your black khol pencil for liquid liners, and draw a bold line instead of a bold lip. If this resurging trend for coloured lash lines isn’t bold enough, try applying pigmented lashes instead. False lashes are the new fascinator, and a quick fire way to perfect race-face survival. Another good tip for those wanting a more low-key approach is doning the ‘deconstructed liner’. Define only the inner corners and create a feline flick for a sleek finish. LIPS: Think taupes and nudes to complement the soft earthy hues. Pare back lips with a more neutral tone. Here we picked our battles and chose to feature an area of the face. If your lipstick tends to disappear before you pick up a glass of Chandon, then choose to play up your eyes and minus your need for touch ups!

2. Blush Bomb

Look: RomanticSeason: SpringKey race looks: Guipure lace and grecian drapes

FACE: For those favouring femininity, break out your blush and wipe away any beauty inhibitions! The 80’s are back and they’re fresher than ever. Blossom this season with an overexposed shade of millennial pink. Yielded as one of the most coveted colours of Spring, apply this rosy shade squarely onto the apples of the cheeks, towards the temple. Whether you apply this with a heavy hand for a dance back time to the disco or more subtle blends, blush is meant to be seen this Spring. EYES, BROWS, MASCARA: Leave subtlety out the door. This beauty look is all about high intensity. Eyeshadow is best done in a neat pairing of base and top layers for voluminous blooms of colour. Brush your darker hues first and accent with brighter rosy swipes. Alternatively, add dazzle to this smokey blush by blending a metallic shadow in silver or rose gold. With this heavier look, ensure your base is more of a vintage pastel shade.LIPS: Complete this romantic look with a babydoll pout. Longevity is key! Layer a matte lipstick with a matching crayon and you’ve got a virtually indestructible lip lock on your hands. Contour the outer lip, and paint in the rest for a well defined edge with a romantic rendezvous shade of deep red.

3. Heightened Highlights

Look: NaturalSeason: SpringKey race looks: The satin touch and oversized rufflesFACE: In this day in age, there’s no such thing as too much highlighter. Nodding back to the 30s and 70s, keep it raw and bare with a megawatt glow, and pair your makeup routine with cream based highlighters for a seamless finish – but with a sucker punch! We’re emphasising this well-groomed dewy complexion with bold accents. Try gold leaf as the finishing royal touch upon your upper lids for a fierce Gatsby rendition upon a fresh base or gold pigment upon the cheeks to give the illusion of sweating gold. The glowier, the better. Achieve this through a high impact highlighter shimmer or intense skin prep and moisturiser. Nothing glows quite like healthy skin.EYES, BROWS, MASCARA: Give your brows a little lovin’ with a light feather for an added angelic touch, and metamorphosize your highlights even further with warm peach shadows coupled with a desaturated forest green, to re-imagine elements of the natural world. Translucent and sheer are the main characteristics of this lightly swept everyday look, whilst lashes are kept whimsical for a blinked-on application. A more DIY approach is to try the ‘bejewelled eyeliner’. Whilst there are the fair share of bare-faced beauties, experiment with taking it to extraterrestrial heights with stick-on crystals. LIPS: Why not put your money where your mouth is by playing up the lips with instead. From staple creamy classics to fluorescent reds to the trending colour-blocking technique, this terrain is a botanical foliage of colours to try! It’s a playful ‘day-to-night’ take on a classic beauty.

Race Day Survival

Problem: Your face doesn’t look fresh past 12pm?Key takeaway: Prep, prime, finish and refine.

*All photographs on this page are credited to Connie Puntoriero**All face graphs are credited to Samantha Saengpan*

From start to finish, keeping your base in place is key at the races. Empathise with your face’s natural instincts. Oily blends are perfect bases for mineralised matte powders, whilst stepping outside on a cold day can be enhanced by a natural flushed cheek and light spritz from a hydration setting spray upon your wintry fresh skin. Let your millinery and garment complete the rest of the story upon entering the fashion field. *Read our Spring Fashion Trends 2018 for style tips to compliment these beauty hacks!