Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
How I Stopped Paying for Event Makeup and Started Doing It Myself
33
items Spending $80-150 every time you have a wedding, gala, or holiday party adds up fast — I did the math and realized I'd dropped over $900 in one year on professional makeup for events. So I taught myself, product by product, and now I get compliments l...
Sections
11
Primer That Keeps Everything Locked In All Night
Foundation That Photographs Like Professional Work
Concealer That Actually Covers Without Creasing
Setting Powder for Shine-Free Event Skin
Bronzer and Contour for Sculpted Cheekbones in Photos
Blush That Lasts Through Hugging Everyone at the Party
Primer That Keeps Everything Locked In All Night
My makeup used to slide off by the cocktail hour — I'd look great for photos at 5pm and like a melted crayon by 9pm. These primers changed that completely.
Grab this if your skin gets dry under heavy foundation — I wore it through a six-hour outdoor wedding in August and nothing flaked or cracked. Perfect for anyone whose makeup usually looks cakey by hour three.
MAKE UP FOR EVER Step 1 Primer Hydra Booster
Smooths out every pore like a real-life filter. I used to think primers were a scam until I tried this before my sister's rehearsal dinner — someone asked if I'd gotten a facial that morning.
TATCHA - The Silk Canvas Filter Finish Protective Primer
Spray this after everything and your face literally does not move. Danced for four hours at a New Year's party and my liner was still sharp. Stock up before holiday season hits — it sells out fast.
Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray Duo $78 Value
Foundation That Photographs Like Professional Work
Flash photography used to make me look ghostly or orange — finding the right formula took me five returns, but these three actually match and perform under any lighting.
Switch to this if you want that expensive, lit-from-within look without a makeup artist. My coworker thought I had professional makeup done for our company gala — nope, just this and a damp sponge.
Giorgio Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Foundation
Use this for events where you'll be photographed a lot — zero flashback, zero transfer. I wore it under a white blazer at a fundraiser and not a single mark on the collar.
Too Faced Born This Way Soft Matte Foundation
For anyone with combo skin who can never find something that doesn't get oily OR patchy. Wore it to three weddings last summer and looked consistent in every single photo.
Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation
Concealer That Actually Covers Without Creasing
Under-eye creasing in event photos haunted me — every picture I looked ten years older than I was. These concealers sit smooth even after hours of smiling and squinting.
Dab a tiny amount under each eye and blend fast — a little goes far. I used to pile on concealer thinking more was better, and this taught me that coverage is about formula, not quantity.
tarte shape tape™ full coverage matte concealer
Keep this in your bag for touch-ups between the ceremony and reception. Blends in seconds with your finger and doesn't disturb whatever's underneath. Wish I'd found it before my own engagement photos.
Radiant Creamy Concealer - NARS
Try this if heavier concealers settle into your fine lines — it's lightweight but still covers dark circles. My mom borrowed mine at a family wedding and immediately ordered her own.
Liquid Touch Brightening Concealer
Setting Powder for Shine-Free Event Skin
Nothing ruins a confident moment faster than catching your reflection and seeing a grease slick on your forehead. I tested a lot of powders before landing on ones that mattify without making you look flat.
Pat this on your T-zone and under your eyes — that's it, don't overdo it. I went from reapplying powder every hour to forgetting I even had it on. A classic for a reason.
Translucent Loose Setting Powder - Laura Mercier
Grab the mini first to test it — but fair warning, you'll want the full size within a week. Feels like nothing on your skin but keeps everything matte through dinner, dancing, all of it.
Hourglass Veil™ Translucent Setting Powder - Talc Free
For anyone who hates the powdery look — this one blurs without drying you out. Used it for a black-tie event and my skin still looked like skin, not like I was wearing a mask.
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder
Bronzer and Contour for Sculpted Cheekbones in Photos
Flat lighting at event venues washes everyone out — I learned the hard way that you need a little dimension or you disappear in group shots.
Sweep this along your cheekbones and jawline for definition that shows up in photos without looking muddy. My friend who never wears makeup borrowed it and said she finally understood what bronzer was for.
Sun Stalk'r Instant Warmth Bronzer
Use this if you're nervous about overdoing it — the shade is foolproof and blends out even if you go heavy-handed. Took me from looking washed out in fluorescent venue lighting to actually glowing.
Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Matte Powder Bronzer
Pair this with a tapered brush for cheekbone definition that looks natural, not Instagram-dramatic. A makeup artist friend actually recommended this one — it's what she uses on clients.
Kevyn Aucoin The Sculpting Contour Powder
Blush That Lasts Through Hugging Everyone at the Party
Blush was always the first thing to disappear on me — by the time appetizers came out, I looked like I'd never applied any. These formulas actually grip and stay.
Toss out everything you know about blush and start with ONE tiny dot of this. Seriously, one dot. I made the mistake of using a full squeeze once and looked sunburned for an entire bridal shower.
LISA FRANK BRONZER blush new in box bitten and bronzed matte bronzer rare sold out hard to find in box Glamour Dolls collectible
Layer the cream first, then the powder on top — that combo lasted through a five-hour reception with zero touch-ups. Perfect for anyone who always reapplies blush in the bathroom.
Major Headlines Double-Take Crème & Powder Blush Duo
Bring this for a more natural event look — it gives that just-came-back-from-vacation flush. I wore it to a garden party and three people asked if I'd been on vacation recently.
BeachPlease Tinted Balm for Lips + Cheeks
Eye Shadow Palettes for Every Event Dress Code
Figuring out eye looks stressed me out more than picking the outfit — too dramatic and you look costume-y, too subtle and it doesn't show. These palettes make it almost impossible to mess up.
Grab this if you panic about eye shadow — every shade works together and you literally cannot create a bad combo. Wore the smoky corner look to a cocktail party and felt like I knew what I was doing for once.
Pillow Talk – Instant Eyeshadow Palette
Snag this for weddings and formal events — the shimmer shades catch light without chunky glitter falling on your cheeks. Blends like butter even if your technique is mediocre, which mine definitely was at first.
Natasha Denona Yucca Palette NIB!
Use the matte shades for daytime events and add the shimmers for evening — one palette handles everything. Saved me from buying five different palettes for five different occasions.
Anastasia Beverly Hills - Soft Glam Eyeshadow Palette
Eyeliner and Mascara That Won't Smudge When You Cry at Weddings
I am the person who cries at every wedding toast — so smudge-proof eye makeup isn't optional for me, it's survival.
Keep your hand steady and do short strokes instead of one long swoop — that trick changed everything for me. Cried through two ceremonies and the wing was still sharp in the after-party photos.
Stila Stay All Day® Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner
Try this if other mascaras give you raccoon eyes by hour four. Wore it through an emotional memorial service and not a single smudge. The wand is thin enough to get every tiny lash too.
Lancôme Idôle Lash Lifting Volumizing Mascara, Black
Layer two coats for drama that actually holds curl — I stopped using my eyelash curler entirely because this formula keeps them lifted. For anyone who wants big lashes without falsies.
Benefit Cosmetics BADgal BANG! Volumizing Mascara
Lip Products That Survive Dinner and Drinks
Reapplying lipstick after every sip of champagne got old fast — I needed something I could put on once and forget about until I got home.
Ditch your regular lipstick for events and use this instead — one coat and it does not budge through dinner, drinks, or kissing the bride's cheek. Let it dry fully before pressing your lips together.
Unveil Stunna Lip Paint Longwear Fluid Lip Color
Wear this for events where you want color but not a full lip look — it's comfortable and doesn't feel like it's drying your lips out. I wore it to a brunch wedding and it lasted through eggs benedict and mimosas.
YSL Loveshine Lip Oil Stick
Swap to this for formal nights when you need a bold lip that stays put — I ate a full steak dinner at a gala and the color barely faded. Let it set for sixty seconds and don't blot.
Dark Matte Liquid Lipstick, Long-Lasting Vegan Cruelty-free Makeup, Choose Your Shade
Brushes and Tools That Make Application Look Professional
Bad tools were secretly ruining my makeup for years — I was blaming products when really it was my crusty old brushes making everything streaky and uneven.
Dampen it until it doubles in size, then squeeze out the excess — that's the step most people skip and it makes all the difference. Foundation goes from streaky to airbrushed in seconds.
Beauty Blender Sponge Set
Use this for buffing in foundation if you prefer brushes over sponges — it gives full coverage without brush strokes. Took me from looking like I finger-painted my face to actually polished.
F80 Air Flat Kabuki™ Brush
Grab this specifically for eye shadow blending — harsh lines were my biggest struggle and this brush fixed it immediately. For anyone whose smoky eye always ends up looking like a black eye instead.
1x Sephora Collection Pro Blending Brush #27, Brand New!
Setting and Finishing Touches That Pull Everything Together
The final steps are what separate looking like you did your own makeup versus looking like you hired someone — I didn't believe it until I added these to my routine and saw the difference in photos.
Press this onto your skin as the very last step — it blurs everything and gives that soft-focus effect you see in professional photos. Wore it to my friend's engagement party and she asked who did my makeup.
Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder
Toss this in your clutch for mid-event touch-ups — it's compact, mess-free, and brings back that fresh-face look without layering on more product. Saved me in a humid bathroom at an August wedding.
COVER FX Pressed Mineral Foundation Shade P110
Hold it about eight inches from your face and do an X and a T pattern — sounds weird but it gives even coverage. Everything I sprayed this over survived a rainy outdoor ceremony. Wish I'd known about it years ago.
All Nighter Waterproof Makeup Setting Spray