17 Pretty Prom Makeup Ideas Straight from Your Fave Celebs
1/18There’s no better time to get glammed up, buy a few new products, and try out a daring new look than prom night. Even if no-makeup makeup reigns supreme in your day to day, prom is the time to turn things up. But with literally limitless options for colors, tools, and techniques, where do you begin?
To help you figure out just that, we’ve pulled all the best looks from the red carpet — from flawless bronzed skin to bold dark lips — to help you stand out this year. Pick a few to test out this weekend, choose your fave, and save the rest for your next night out.
Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage2/18Classic Cool
If you’re more of a Breakfast at Tiffany’s-watching, ballet-dancing kind of girl, take Taylor Swift’s look for a spin. For the 2016 Grammy Awards, the superstar sported matte orange-red lipstick, rosy cheeks, black liquid liner, and tons of mascara — Old Hollywood makeup at its best.
Photo: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic3/18Cat’s Meow
The cat eye will always be cool, but Kristen Stewart’s exaggerated version is a fresh take perfect for prom. Get the look with NYX Cosmetics Gel Eye Liner in Betty across your entire lid in a dramatic wing and smudge on the lower lash line for a softer touch. Pull hair back in a messy low bun and finish off with subtle bronzer.
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images4/18Up In Smoke
Who doesn’t love a good smoky eye? For a look like Kendall Jenner’s, apply black eyeshadow in the creases and outer corners of your eye, smudge black liner under the bottom lashes, and finish things off with a clean coat of black mascara. Keep the face super simple with a clean wash of concealer, a little bronzer, and a pinky-nude lip. Pair with a collar for extra Kendall-approved edge.
Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage5/18Bold in Blue
Lupita Nyong’o’s shimmering lipstick was all anyone could talk about after the Star Wars: The Force Awakens London premiere. Take a page from her book with MAC Lipmix in Blue and stick to classic black liner and subtly rosy cheeks to let your pretty pout shine.
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images.6/18Bronze Medal
If your dress shimmers, consider going full flapper glam. Lily Collins’s brown lip gives her look an old-school vibe, while her smoky eye and messy brows keep things super modern and cool.
Photo: Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images7/18All That Glitters
If you’re into bold beauty, this is your look. Capture the rock ’n' roll spirit à la Elle Fanning with black MAC glitter smudged onto lids and undereyes, paint lips pink with a grungey stain, and, finally, polish things off with a sleek blowout.
Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic.8/18Bond Girl Bombshell
Leave it to Selena Gomez to put a super-modern spin on one of the most iconic retro looks of all. Mimic Bond girls and ‘60s icons like Brigitte Bardot with a black and grey smoky eye, then seal the deal with a creamy lipstick close to the color of your skin.
Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage.9/18Red Hot
Amandla Stenberg’s matte red lip is perfect for prom: It’s simple, it’s chic, and, best of all, it’s not sticky, so you can avoid the old hair-stuck-to-your-lips look. Apply a longwear formula like Nudestix Intense Matte Lip + Cheek Pencil and dance the night away!
Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage10/18Lash Out
False eyelashes are the epitome of over-the-top glam. Pick a full pair like these from Sephora for an Ariana Grande effect and use black lash glue for a more natural look.
Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage.11/18Earth Angel
It’s always fun to play with big lashes at prom, but if you really want to stand out, consider paring down. With mascara on top lashes only, white eyeliner in her lower water line, brown lipstick, and glowing skin, Gigi Hadid shows us exactly how it’s done.
Photo: Gary Gershoff/WireImage12/18Bright Eyes
Contrast is key for making a beauty scene — as Justine Skye proves in this powdery light blue shadow. For lighter shadows, apply them to your entire lid as well as in the inner corners to make your eyes look bigger and brighter. Finish things off with a glossy nude lip and you’re good to go.
Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images.13/18Golden Girl
You can never go wrong with a smoky eye and nude lip. Ashley Benson puts a SoCal spin on the classic with a bronze eyeshadow that complements her ombre hair, and tons of black mascara to define her eyes.
Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage.14/18Berry Cool
Whoever said you couldn’t do a bold eye and lip at the same time has obviously never met Lucy Hale. The key to making this combo cohesive is keeping brows groomed, lashes fanned out (comb through them with a clean mascara brush to eliminate clumps), and a highlighter on cheeks to brighten things up. Oh, and a winning smile definitely doesn’t hurt.
Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images.15/18Red Carpet Ready
Be ready for professional photographers and selfie cams alike with lightly contoured cheeks, penciled in brows, and long lashes like Shay Mitchell’s! This is the ultimate movie star look — but don’t forget to practice, it’s harder than it looks.
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Glamour16/18Nice and Easy
If you never wear makeup, don’t feel pressured. A little blush and a simple swipe of eyeliner (like Rowan Blanchard sports here) can help you feel festive enough. Practice at home until you figure out what you feel most comfortable with. Come prom night, you’ll be an old pro!
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images17/18Color Club
Trust us on this one, purple lipstick is way easier to wear than it looks. It flatters every skintone and always turns heads. Copy Keke Palmer’s pretty pout with Maybelline Color Sensational Vivid Matte Liquid Lipcolor — and thank us later for the tip.
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