By Maria Shah

Homecoming is right around the corner, and after you (finally!) figure out what you’re going to wear, now you have to figure out what kind of makeup look is right for you. Before you decide what look you’re going to go for this homecoming, first remember these three rules:

1. Don’t overdo it. While makeup is a lot of fun, you don’t want to look like a cartoon character either.
2. You know you best. If someone tells you to wear green eyeshadow, but you know green is SO not your color, don’t be afraid to swap it out
3. Have fun! There’s nothing wrong with experimenting with makeup. Start preparing for your homecoming look before homecoming. If you’re afraid that any new products you buy will go to waste, trust me, even if the new eyeliner you bought just for this event sits on your dresser for two months, it WILL come in handy one day.

COLORS TO AVOID

There are many factors when it comes to determining what look will work best for you such as the color of your dress, the color of your eyes, your skin type, your face shape, etc. but that doesn’t mean finding your look will take forever. To make it a little easier before we get to the complete makeup looks, here are some combinations, that should be avoided.

• Hot Pink and Purple– Unless you are going to some sort of costume party. NEVER wear pink and purple together. If your dress is purple, or you really want to add purple to your look, go for a very subtle and light pink lipstick/gloss on your lips, but NEVER hot pink.
• Bright Colors Everywhere- This goes hand in hand with the hot pink and purple rule. If you are going to add a bright color such as sunbeam yellow, or electric green to your makeup look (generally on the eyes), make sure everything else is a softer neutral color (This will be explained in more detail later)
• Hot Pink in General– Hot pink is a very complicated matter. When you’re wearing a bright dress, and you look party-ready, sometimes hot pink can make you look like you were trying too hard, even when you are totally chill. If you know that you can pull off hot pink though, then go for it! However, be cautious.

FOUNDATION

Before we start, here are some tutorials/websites on applying foundation/getting the base of your face ready. This step is the same for all the makeup looks, and is crucial in making your look more complete. If you don’t have a foundation, I’d recommend Maybelline’s Fit Me Foundation line, but other companies are great as well.

• Findation– This website is a literal LIFESAVER. Are you worried about what foundation to use? Do you know your color in one company.. but not the other? Simply put in all the companies/shades that work for you and this website will match up what shade will fit you in other companies.
• Contour Tutorial – While contouring isn’t necessary, it’ll definitely give you a fiercer look.

Since the theme for homecoming this year is Hollywood Glam, the focus, was all about the eyes. So after you’re done priming your face (ESPECIALLY YOUR EYES), here is how to complete the classic look.

Now it’s time for the complete looks.

When it comes to Old Hollywood Glam… there’s really only one look that you’ll most likely go for… and that is the red lipstick and winged eyeliner look. Here are some tutorials on how to achieve that look perfectly:

• Old Hollywood Glam Makeup Tutorial
• Old Hollywood “Glamour” Tutorial

If you’re having trouble with your winged eyeliner (remember… only practice will make perfect) just follow this simple tutorial to make it a little bit easier:

However…. there is one problem… the thing about Old Hollywood is that it was very…. white. Therefore, some of the looks are hard to pull off, not because they won’t look good on someone who isn’t white.. but simply because you will rarely see a tutorial for old hollywood glam where the person isn’t white. Don’t worry though, because while the American film industry was mostly white, that doesn’t mean that every film industry was. So therefore getting a look that’s right for you isn’t that hard.

Watch the “normal” tutorial, and then follow some of these steps:

The simplest way is to change the lipstick. Everyone loves the classic-ness of the dark red lipstick, but when you have dark eyes, and dark hair… sometimes the dark lipstick looks a little too much. How do you fix this? Well do the opposite! A light pink lipstick like Ballerina Shoes by L’Oreal ($4.79), or something similar, should do the trick!

If you’re going to change the lipstick, change the eyeshadow too.You don’t want to have red eyeshadow and light pink lipstick. Get a shimmery light eyeshadow instead (ex. NYX Roll On Platinum Shimmer Eyeshadow $4) and use that as a base for your eyes up until the brows. Get a very faint violet or pink shimmery eyeshadow and use this for your crease and the lid near your lashes. (NYX Roll On Shimmer Eyeshadow in Mauve Pink $4 is a good guideline for this)

Thin out the eyeliner. If you’re not white… your eyelashes are probably extremely thick and long… use this to your advantage!! Make your eyeliner on your upper lid thinner, but not too thin. This will not only look more elegant, but also show off how you actually have eyelashes. If you thin out the eyeliner/eye makeup in general… don’t be afraid to go for a darker or brighter lipstick. 

Use eyeliner on your lower lid (optional) This tip depends on how youfeel about it. Try this before homecoming just to see how it works out. By applying a thin line of eyeliner on your lower eyelid, your lower lashes and your darker eyes will pop out more. It will make you look different and classic at the same time.

By wearing a lighter lipstick, the eyes can be accentuated more without overdoing it. Eyeliner on the lower-lid is used here as well.

Here is another example of how wearing lighter lipstick/lipcolor can allow for more focus on the eyes. In the same way, you can easily wear a brighter or darker lipstick by simply thinning out and lightening the eye makeup