How to Nail Post-Work Party Makeup in Less Than Five Minutes

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So you've got a party after work. Hooray! But now you have the tricky problem of post-work-party makeup. Walking into the office with a smokey eye or a bold lip isn't really an option, and spending 30 minutes in the bathroom with a full makeup bag and an eyelash curler doesn't sound so appealing. We stopped by Bloomingdales last week to check out the brand new Laura Mercier makeup counter, and asked Michelle Draper, a global makeup artist for the brand, how to crush the work-to-evening beauty transition.

For a quick day-to-night fix, Michelle suggests a day-time base of primer and either foundation or tinted moisturize. Add a "tight line" of eyeliner right into the root of the lashes to define your eyes. "For the evening, you could just do one thing: Add a pop of color on your lips," she advises. "If you don't like a lot of color on your lips, and want to leave the focus on your eyes, we have caviar eye sticks that are waterproof. You literally draw it on. It's waterproof, it stays on, and it's amazing."

As for that pop of color on the lips? Red rules during the holidays, but it can be intimidating. Michelle has a few pointers to make the shade more approachable. First, pick your poison. Choose a sheer red gloss or an impact red lip, but don't combine the two. (Unless you want to look like a Robert Palmer girl. In which case, you do you.)

If you opt for the impact red, liner is your friend when used properly. "The first thing a lot of women do is...press really hard and outline their lips, creating the hard red line around the mouth. When their lipstick wears off, they still have that hard red line," Michelle warns. "The trick is light feather strokes that draw in the pencil on the lips; then add the lipstick. A good matte red or a satin matte red is perfect because it will stay."

Eyes and/or lips in under five minutes? That's a quick face that anyone can master.

· Laura Mercier [Official Site]
· All-Natural, Sparkly Makeup? It Exists! [Racked]