Now that you’ve chosen your dress and picked the hairstyle that suits your hair type and compliments your dress, it’s time to paint your face!

It’s important to start with a clean, blank canvas when you’re getting ready for any occasion. To begin, skincare is major key and so we’ve put together a list of products that are essential for your pre-makeup face.

Skincare

Face mask; we like to use masks the day before a big event as they cleanse deep into pores. One of our favourite face masks is the L’oreal Pure Clay Bright Mask. This mask is known to absorb impurities, oil and dead skin cells, leaving you with clear, bright skin! We also love the non-abrasive L’oreal Smooth Sugars Scrub that features 3 fine sugars and kiwi seeds that help to lift blackheads and purify your skin.

Cleanse; Once you’ve followed the instructions for your face mask and washed it off, it’s time to get your cleanse on! Our top pick of cleansers is the T-Zone Anti-Bacterial Cleanser that is perfect for all skin types. It removes grease, oil and bacteria causing spots. Perfect to use before a big event!

Toner; Once you’ve patted your skin dry, it’s time to tone the face as it removes any of the bacteria left behind that the cleanser couldn’t get to and also brightens your skin as it goes. A great product we found is the Pixi Glow Tonic, which comes in a set of 3.

Moisturise; this step is very important for those with dry skin. To ensure your skin doesn’t dry out and your makeup will stay put, a hydrating moisturiser is necessary. A great moisturiser is the L’oreal Hydra Genius Moisturiser range that can be bought for any skin type.

Once your skincare is done and dusted, it’s time to get in the zone. Lets paint the face!

Make-up

Primer; to ensure that your makeup is in place throughout the day, we recommend priming your skin before application of any beauty product. The Barry M Unicorn Primer Drops are great to prep your skin as the oil-free elixir is packed with superfruits such as watermelon and tamarind that will revitalise and soothe your skin through the day.

Foundation; dependent on your skin type, we’ve found that the best drugstore foundations are;

– Dry skin; For hydrated skin all day, we recommend Rimmel Insta Flawless Skin Tin that adds glow to your skin and extends the wear of makeup.

-Oily skin; Maybelline Fit Me Matte & Poreless Foundation is great for those looking for medium-full coverage that targets shine and visibly erases the look of pores with blotting micro powders and stays in place all day.

-Combination skin; The L’oreal True Match Foundation is super blendable and matches skin colour and texture whilst featuring 24-hr technology that lasts all day.

Eyeshadow; make sure to prime your eyelids first and foremost, we love the Pixi Eye Bright Primer that ensures long-lasting, crease-proof priming that will keep your eyeshadow in place. Dependent on your outfit, the most versatile, super blendable, inexpensive eyeshadow palettes are the Maybelline Burgundy Bar Eye Palette, Cherry My Cheri by L’oreal and Shipwrecked by Barry M.

Eyelashes; The entire range by Eylure is effortless and with the lash glue that they come with, the eyelashes literally stay put all day! Our fave is the Eylure Volume Lash 100 that adds just a little volume whilst complimenting your eyeshadow.

Eyebrows; Eylure Brow Palette is our favourite drugstore brow products that allow you to create or retain your brow shape whilst keeping them in place all day.

Contouring (bronze & highlight); one of the most versatile and resourceful products for contouring is the Barry M Contour Palette & Strobe Cream Bundle. This kit is perfect for sculpting chiselled cheekbones and defining the face and nose.

Lips; last but not least! To get your lips popping, there’s a lot of products out there that we think are great and many of them have lots of shades that you can pick and choose from. We love satin and matte textures and so our picks are; L’oreal Paris Colour Riche Satin Lipstick as it is highly pigmented and lasts hours on end. Another great lip kit is the Barry M Matte Me Up Lip Kit that comes with an exfoliating lip scrub, a lip paint and a lip liner to pop into your bag whenever you need to top up!