Written by Mimi Nikolova, a professional makeup artist and beauty educator based in Buffalo, NY.
For a lot of girls prom is the first time they have their makeup done professionally, and the first message I get about it usually comes from her mom. That makes a lot of sense to me, because you are the one thinking about the timing and the budget and whether it will all still look good by the last dance, and she is the one thinking about the dress! I hope this answers most of the questions I hear every spring, for both of you.
Proms around Buffalo and Western New York land on just a few spring Saturdays, which means a lot of students need their makeup done on the very same afternoon. Prom season is one of my two busiest times of the year, together with the December holiday parties, and those Saturdays fill up quickly. As soon as the school announces the date, send me a note with the date and your town and I will let you know what I have available, and a few months ahead is not too early at all. I wrote more about planning makeup for a special occasion if you would like the longer version.
This is the worry I hear most from parents, and it is a fair one. A seventeen year old has beautiful young skin, and the last thing I want is to cover it up and make her look ten years older in the photographs. My focus is on fresh, even skin and eyes that show up in pictures and a lip color that suits the dress, and I always talk the look through with her before I start so that it feels like her on her very best day. If she has a look in mind from Instagram or Pinterest, bring it! We can use it as a starting point and adjust it to her face and her features.
The dress really does decide a lot. A soft pastel or a blush pink usually looks lovely with warm, glowing skin and a rosy lip, and a deep jewel tone or a classic black can carry a stronger eye or a richer lip color beautifully. I like to pick one feature to bring forward, either the eyes or the lips, and keep everything around it soft, because that balance keeps a young face looking polished and fresh.
If the dress is covered in sequins or has a lot of sparkle, I keep the shimmer on her face gentle so the two are not competing with each other in the photos. And the neckline matters too, since a strapless or off the shoulder dress shows more skin, so I make sure the tone of her face and her neck and shoulders match and nothing looks like it stops at the jawline.
Prom is photographed from the moment she comes down the stairs at home, and nearly all of those photos are taken with a flash, whether it is a phone in the living room or a photographer at the venue. I use HD products that are designed for photography and film, so the makeup looks smooth and natural in person and in every picture.
Please skip sunscreen on her face that day, because the ingredients that block UV bounce the flash straight back at the camera and can leave a pale, ghostly cast in the photos, which is so disappointing to discover afterwards. If she is a senior, the same advice applies to her senior photo makeup as well.
Prom is a long evening of photos and dancing, so I build the makeup to last and I set it properly so it holds up through all of it. If she would like lashes I apply Ardell lashes too, which give her eyes a little extra definition in the photos without looking heavy. A lipstick or gloss in her purse for after dinner is really all she needs to carry.
It happens to almost everybody at that age, and very often the week of prom, when she is excited and a little stressed and not sleeping enough. Please ask her not to pick at anything, because once a blemish has been squeezed it turns red and broken and is so much harder to hide. I can cover redness and breakouts so they do not show in person or in the photos, and she will feel so much better about the whole evening. I wrote a longer post about covering acne with skincare and makeup if she is dealing with it more generally.
I travel to my clients in Buffalo and the surrounding areas, and anywhere throughout New York state as long as mileage and travel expenses are covered, so she can get ready in her own room instead of rushing across town in her dress. It also means you can take all the photos you want before she leaves, and you will be relieved how calm the afternoon feels.
The easiest way to plan the afternoon is to start from the time the photos begin, whether that is at your house or with her friends somewhere else, and work backwards from there with a little breathing room built in. When you book, tell me what time she needs to be ready and I will plan my arrival around it.
If she is having her hair done as well, let me know the time of that appointment so we can fit the two together without any rushing. If she is getting a spray tan, have it done a day or two before prom so the color has settled, and then I can match her makeup to her skin as it will look on the night. Nails are best done the day before too. And please make sure she eats something before I arrive, because it is a long evening and dinner is often later than anybody expects!
Keep her skincare simple and familiar, and please do not try a new product or a facial that week, because young skin can react and there is no time for it to settle before the big day. If she likes to exfoliate, two days before is perfect.
Have her start with a clean, bare face, not even moisturizer or sunscreen, and I will prep her skin myself so everything sits beautifully. She should wear a top that buttons or zips in the front so it comes off easily over the finished makeup, and it helps to have the dress nearby, or a photo of it, so I can see the color.
This is your night, so please tell me what you love and what you really do not want, even if it feels like a small thing. If you never wear winged liner, or you have always wanted to try a bold lip just once, I want to know before I start. My goal is that you look in the mirror and feel beautiful and still completely like yourself, and that you walk out the door feeling like the most special person in the world.
As soon as you know the prom date. Spring Saturdays book up quickly, and a few months ahead is not too early.
I do! I serve my clients on site in Buffalo and the surrounding areas, and I will travel anywhere throughout New York state as long as mileage and travel expenses are covered.
No, I keep it fresh and age appropriate, and we talk the look through together before I start so she is happy with it.
Of course, I apply Ardell lashes, and the lashes are included in the lash application on my menu.
Leave it alone and let me take care of it. Redness and blemishes cover well when they have not been picked at, and they will not show in the photos.
All of my current rates are on the menu on my services page, where I keep them up to date. Send me the date and your town and I will come back to you with everything it would involve.
If there is a prom coming up in your family, send me the date and your town and I will get back to you with availability. You can also see everything I do for proms, parties and other celebrations on my prom and special occasion makeup page.