Hoco Help: How to not look like the Joker by the end of the night

By: Daphne Becker

We have all been there. You perfectly apply your makeup at the beginning of the night, but by the time you come home, you look like a villain from a Batman movie. Without crying over the broken piggy bank, here are some ways to look not so crazy-looking when the clock strikes 11 on Saturday.

1. Waterproof mascara is probably the basic staple in every night out makeup hack. It leaves lashes long, dark and full without making it look like major tears happened in the bathroom at some point in the night. The drugstore has a lot of great mascaras with the option of waterproof, so no need for buyer’s remorse.

2. Eyelash Curler works wonders on almost all lash types, and it’s a great alternative to get a fake lash look without the glue and pain. (If you have ever gotten a fake lash to the iris, you know what I’m talking about). They’re easy to find at a drugstore, but if you really don’t feel like investing, there are tricks on how to use a spoon as an alternative.

3. Primer is one of the most essential and one of the most forgotten in the makeup realm. Putting on primer before your foundation/concealer will help with your makeup staying on all through the night and give more coverage so you don’t have to put as much on and have that uncomfortable cakeface feel. Many drugstore brands have also fully embraced the power of the primer, so, again, no crying for your credit card.

4. Eye Primer. Yes, there’s another one. This basically does the same thing for your eyes as a regular primer does for your face. It grabs the eyeshadows and liners so you don’t have to worry about them sliding down the rest of your face as the night goes on. If you don’t want to go spend the money on this, it can easily be duped for just a normal concealer you might already have.

5. Longwear lipstick will be your BFF if the post dance plans include Macking (McDonald’s, of course). It will leave your lips perfectly pouted all night without coming home with joker mouth: not a cute look. You will have to make a run for the store for this if you don’t already own some, but it’s something that can be easily found at a drugstore.

6. Waterproof eyeliner. If a bold cat eye is in the books for Saturday night, maybe think about investing in some of this. Honestly, anything “waterproof” will probably be the best bet for a night out. Waterproof eyeliner can be a little bit harder to find, so it might be easier if you narrow the search and mostly look for eyeliners that are thicker like creams and gels, which have more of a variety that include waterproof and colors. Another trick is to take the waterproof mascara you already have and a small brush and use the mascara as eyeliner to line your eyes with.

7. Setting Powder. If normally you find that your foundation or concealer has gathered in any fine lines you may have, and you find yourself looking like the one Snapchat edit — you already know which one I’m talking about — setting powder will be your lifeline. After putting on some type of cream product, use setting powder over to give your face a smooth ¨dry¨ feel. Basically, the science behind this is that it helps set or basically dry the cream so it can’t travel around your face as you move. You can use a loose powder that matches your skin tone as another dupe.

Baking, and, no, I’m not talking about the extracurricular cooking activity. Baking for your face. With this you take a translucent powder (any loose powder will work, though) and a makeup sponge to pack the powder underneath your eyes in a triangle-type shape, down your nose, center of the forehead and center of the chin. This is best for people with oilier skin, but it works for anyone. The purpose of this is to let the heat from your face further set your makeup so you have a flawless finish. This does take a little time, though. The powder needs to sit on the face at least 10 minutes, longer if possible, to get the full affect.

Know your orders! The biggest mistake is when people put liquid-based products (liquid/cream foundations, concealers, cream contours, cream blush, cream anything!) over a powder. Doing that will only wipe everything you did before.

So if you are more of a powder foundation kind of person, get used to putting any creams you use on before or think about investing in powder options. This goes the same for eyeshadows. Cream > Powder, but this does not apply to eyeliners. The order in which you do eyeshadow to eyeliner doesn’t really matter, and everyone has his or her own preference.