Beauty pageants are all about showing off your confidence, talent and personality — but the right makeup can elevate your stage presence. Whether you are an experienced pageant competitor or are just getting ready for your first pageant competition, developing the perfect pageant makeup look is essential. This guide shows you how to achieve a flawless, long-wearing makeup look that accentuates your features, doesn’t budge under the harsh stage lights, and guarantees you glow in a sea of faces.
Start with Skincare
The best skincare is the one that you follow even before picking up your makeup brush. Well-hydrated, smooth skin is the ideal canvas for makeup. Start your daily regimen by cleaning and hydrating your face so that your skin is healthy and ready for make-up. Try a primer with mattifying properties to offset oil and leave your foundation in even better shape. Remember skincare for the lead up to the event, good skin will always give a beautiful glowy base.
Choose the Right Foundation
Your stage makeup foundation should be full coverage, which you would need for beauty pageants because it needs to hold under the stage lights and in photos. A long-wearing foundation with a matte or satin finish will ensure a flawless complexion that doesn’t shine too much under bright lights. Just be sure to match your foundation to your neck and chest so there are no obvious lines. For longer wear, dust your foundation with a translucent powder.
Perfect Your Eyes
With the exception of highlighting lipstick, everything focuses deeply in the field of eyes if you are looking into pageant makeup. Neon bold eyeshadow, defined brows and dramatic lashes can help your peepers pop from across the stage.
Eyeshadow: Stay neutral — soft browns, taupes and warm golds for the crease. You can put a little shimmer on the lid for depth and drama. Be sure to blend well to avoid harsh lines.
Eyebrows: A pageant look requires well-groomed brows. Get a nice arch, taper to the end, and fill with brow pencil or powder for fullness and definition.
Eyeliner & Mascara: A winged liner gives your eyes an uplifted appearance and volumizing mascara will make your lashes pop. To really make an impact, use false lashes to create length and volume.
Add Contour and Highlight
Pageant makeup relies heavily on contouring and highlighting to accentuate facial features to be properly showcased on stage under powerful lights.
Contour: Apply a matte contour powder or cream to add definition to the hollows of your cheeks, temples and jawline. This creates the illusion of a sculpted face.
Highlighting: Use a light highlighter on the highest points of your face (the tops of your cheekbones, the bridge of your nose and the cupid’s bow) for a lit-from-within look.
Blush for a Healthy Glow
Blush gives your makeup a youthful, fresh appearance. Pick one that works well with your complexion, and dab it on your cheeks’ apples for a natural-looking flush. But don’t go too far — just a little bit goes a long way for pageant makeup.
Set Your Makeup for Longevity
Beauty pageants take a long time to prepare for, from rehearsals to the actual competition. Using a setting spray or powder will help your look last through the event. Using a setting spray will also help to lock it all in, so you look fresh and dewy all day long.
Choosing the Right Lip Color
The choice of lip color has to be such that it complements your overall look and yet looks natural for pageants. Nudes or pinks work well for that sophisticated, polished look. If you love a bold lip, a classic red or deep berry can make a formidable statement, but market yourself to apply it neatly and evenly to prevent smudging.
Practice Makes Perfect
Practice makes perfect, and this rings true especially with pageant makeup. Also mind how you apply your look ahead of time, whether you’re blending, contouring, or wearing false lashes. Do a test run with your makeup artist or at home a few times.
Beauty pageant makeup focuses on enhancing your natural beauty and will give you a clean finish highlighting your features but still stand out under limelight. If you’ve got the right eye makeup and contouring techniques, you’ll feel confident and ready to hit the spotlight. And the best makeup is the kind you don’t really notice, except to the extent that it brings out the best version of you!
Good luck with your pageant, and remember to let your inner beauty shine through!
If you follow these tips and practice your technique, you’ll not only master pageant makeup, but also feel more confident when striding out onto that stage.