Here is what North Shore Dance Society found from Dance Comp Review
Is your Face ready for your next Ballroom Dance Competition? Here are a few essential tips on MakeUp that will save.
1. Prepare your face properly to make your MakeUp last.
Wash you face and brush your lips. Yes, brush you lips with a soft toothbrush to remove any chapping. Your lipstick will look better and hold better after this quick lip exfoliation.
Your skin should be moisturized but not oily. To remove excess oil, left over dirt and makeup, go over your entire face with a bit of toner on a cotton ball after washing. Then apply a light moisturizer. If the moisturizer is too heavy, or if you do not use any moisturizer at all, the make-up will not stay long.
Then to make sure that your make-up has the best staying power, put a very thin layer of non-greasy, waterproof sun-block. Yes, sunblock. You should experiment with brands in between competitions. The main thing is to use one that leaves your skin dry. Thick like toothpaste hold make-up better than those that are a bit runny. You could also use primer or other products that help make-up stay put, but the dry touch waterproof sun-block stands up the best to the amount of sweat and make-up you will have at a competition. When sunblock has been applied, wait 2-3 minutes before applying your foundation.
2. Make your skin look flawless but not flat.
If you have any darkness under your eyes, red spots or blemishes, dot your foundation there first and let it dry for 2-3 minutes before applying the rest. By the way, in these short breaks, you should have lots to do. Brush your teeth, take out your shoes and costumes, do a couple of warm up exercise or check your eyebrows for stays.
Apply a high quality, high coverage liquid or stick foundation. You can use your fingers or a brush to apply the foundation. You can also use a sponge if that is the only thing you are comfortable with, but it will take longer to apply full coverage as the sponge absorbs some of the foundation.
Tapping the make-up into your skin with a brush gives an air-brushed look. Patting it into your skin with your fingers gives a naturally smooth look. Either is good. Do not rub it in. You will actually be rubbing it off.
To make sure that you have a bit of glow, you can go over your base foundation with a mineral power foundation in a compact (not another liquid or nor foundation stick) or regular mineral powder. The mineral power foundation in a compact adds a bit more staying power to base foundation, and is great for quick touch-ups since it is less likely to cake-up than straight powder.
Make sure that you soften the make-up at the chin or blend it into your neck so you do not have the look of a mask.
3. Highlights make a huge difference.
Using a highlighter around your eyes is essential to draw attention there, which is what you want. You can use white or silver iridescent shadow as a base on the lid, on the inside corner of the eye, below the eye and on the eyebrow bone into the temple. You can also put a couple of dots over the first one-third of the eyebrow that is closest to the nose for added lift, and above and below the centre of the lip to add a look of extra fullness.
For an even greater effect in opening the eye, draw a line above and below the lower lash line with a white, light, shimmery or bright coloured eye pencil that goes well with your costume. If you are not sure which to use, use white.
You can also add highlighting powder on the top of your cheekbones in white or a soft bronze that is much lighter than your skin. This further opens the eye, as well as highlights and adds dimension to your face.
Finish with translucent powder applied in a circular motion with a soft brush all over the face.
4. Select a theme for your eyes.
Ballroom competition make-up is performance make-up. You are performing for others and the best way to connect is with your eyes. Most of the time you spend doing your make-up should be spent on your eyes.
The theme you choose could be dark and dramatic, bold and theatrical, multi-coloured and dimensional, or soft and enticing. Think of the impression given by your costume and hair and continue it with your eyes.
Eyeshadow is generally the first step in building your theme, and is done after highlighting the eye area. Look at several pictures and several styles to select an approach to eye shadow that works for you. Some people love the look of just the iridescent base shadow from the step above. That is OK too. One way or another, always use the best quality shadow that you can find and afford. It needs to stay put and not crease or fade. Theatre make-up is an option, but not necessary if you invest well. You will also use less of a good quality shadow, so it will last longer.
5. Eyeliner can make or break your look.
For the cleanest and clearest look the blackest, black eyeliner works best for most when it comes to competitions.
Waterproof gel liner is often the best selection. It has a paste like consistency so it is easy to spread thick, or to a thin point with a small eyeliner brush, and lasts without fading or smudges.
Liquid liners, pens and pencils are generally more likely to fade, and power liner is difficult to use. If you use one of these, make sure that you have tested it first under athletic conditions so you will not be disappointed on the floor.
You should extend the liner a bit beyond the eye to make it look bigger. If you do a cat-eye look, use the straight edge of a business card against your face to create a ruler for a straight eyeliner line. The edge of a spoon is a great guide for a curved line. Take note of the exact position of the card or spoon when doing the first eye and make sure the position is the same for the other side.
6. Mascara can help your false eyelashes look fuller.
Just like the liner, a waterproof version is a must and the blackest black is generally the best colour. You will get more from your false eyelashes if you apply mascara to you own lashes first. If your eyelashes are lighter in colour, this is very important so the look of the false lashes is not weakened. If your eyelashes are black, the mascara will add to the look of thickness.
You do not need to use much mascara if you are applying false eyelashes on top. You should however look for brands that have anti-clumping brushes since your lashes will not blend well with the false ones if you have mascara clumps.
7. False eyelashes are the crowning glory of your eyes.
Your lashes give you a finished look. With the strong lighting, and rhinestones costumes at competitions, your eyes will likely disappear without them.
Look for both length and thickness in the lashes. Thickness sometimes is overlooked which is generally a mistake. Some brands come in double thick versions. If you are a bit uncomfortable applying thick liner, this type should be your preference.
For lashes that are connected in a strand, select brands that are not stiff and will allow you to easily bend them to the shape of your eye. You may need to trim the lashes, but you only really need to if they extend beyond your lid.
White or clear glue should always be used even if you have a self-adhesive brand of lashes. Remember when you are on the floor you are an athlete. Everything needs to be extra secure to you can move without distraction.
If the glue is new and runny, let it dry for a minute so it is more paste-like when you put it on. It will secure more quickly this way. The rounded end of a hair pin works well to make sure the lashes are in the right place.
Some lashes have rhinestones at the base. Some come in different colours. This is your choice, but for coloured lashes, make sure you have a back-up pair of black on hand for a quick change if you do not like the finished look, or leave this selection to a pro. Coloured lashes work well for some overall looks and not others.
8. Why not add extra sparkle?
Eyelash glue is great to have on hand for more than just eyelashes. You can glue loose rhinestones under the outer corner of your eye, or in simple designs on your forehead.
You can also bring hair jewelry forward onto your forehead and secure it with glue for an interesting look.
9. Do not forget your neck.
A long neck looks great on the floor, especially for Smooth and Standard. If you do not have this naturally, costumes with V neck-line can help, so can height in the hairstyle. It can also help to put the highlighting powder with some shimmer down the centre of you neck and into cleavage. Every little bit adds up.
10. Taking it all off.
Jewelry and eyelashes should come off first with a gentle pull. Then, wash your face, rub lots of moisturizer on your face, wash again and then repeat the cycle. The moisturizer rub helps to break down the left over make-up without over drying your skin. If eyeliner is very hard to remove, use petroleum jelly on your eyes instead of the moisturizer. After that, remove any last bit of makeup or excess oil by rubbing a cotton ball with toner all over your face. You will need to make sure your skin is completely clean after each competition so it will be in in great condition for the next time you shine on the floor.
North Shore Dance Society thank you the Author: Miss P and encourage all the ballroom competitors to follow this wonderful article.