Get your war paint on and get ready to conquer the world. Whether it’s a really important work day or perhaps even your wedding day, professionally applied make up can give you a boost, creating a glamorous and more polished you. Flaws disappear, your features are enhanced and the evidence of last night’s cocktails is nowhere to be seen.

How does it work?

Dark circles, pigmented skin and barely-there eyelashes can dent your confidence and mentally overshadow your focus when you’re put under the spotlight. Professional make up treatments are designed to take the hassle out of hiding imperfections and to help you understand how to best to flaunt your fabulous face.

Following a consultation, your makeup artist will select products designed to work with your skin tone and type, which will produce the makeover results that you desire. To help with this process, it is a good idea to bring along clear images of looks and colours that you like from magazines or the Internet and show them to the makeup artist to help convey your ideas and expectations. Let them know the characteristics of your skin and remember that everyone’s face is different, so a smoky cat eye may not look quite the same on you as it does on Angelina Jolie. Rest assured that professional makeup artists will do their best to create a flattering look that draws on what you’ve suggested, but ultimately works for you too.

If you know you are sensitive to particular ingredients or in particular areas of your face, it is a good idea to let the therapist know before they start. Also consider longevity- if your event is taking place in the heat or you anticipate tears at your wedding, specialised products can be used to prolong your pampered look. 

Most makeup used by makeup artists can be easily removed at the end of the day with standard make up remover, although be sure to check whether any waterproof or setting formulations require a specialised oil-based cleansing product to be used.

Is it for me?

If you like the idea of one less stress before a big presentation or party, then leaving your makeup in the hands of a trusted professional for the day could be right for you. If you’re very specific in the makeup products you want to be used on your face (for example, if prefer to use vegan products, have a skin complaint that is likely to be irritated or have severe allergies), or don’t think you could keep still whilst someone else applies mascara to your lashes, or you simply think you know how to create the look you want, then maybe it’s best to really hunt down a specialist or go it alone.

For more long term improvements that won’t have washed away the next day, you may want to consider permanent or semi-permanent make up or treatments such as eyelash and eyebrow tints, and if you have certain areas you want to conceal for long periods, camouflage make up may be an option to keep you glowing. Finally, if there is a feature you are desperately unhappy with, and have found that make up cannot improve the look of things to your satisfaction, then careful consideration of cosmetic surgery may provide the answer.

Good to know

The ancient Egyptians used charcoal, along with lead and copper ores, to create the world's first cosmetics… and we’re glad they did.