Pre-Party Skin Prep Before Makeup: How To Prep Your Skin for Flawless Makeup

Discover how to prep skin for makeup to get the smoothest, most magical makeup application with my pre-party skin prep before makeup tips and tricks.

Darlings, before you create a magical makeup look, it’s important to prep your skin with supercharged skincare products. Skin prep before makeup is the secret to creating a smoother-looking, glowing canvas for your makeup to glide onto. After applying your hydrating skincare routine, your makeup will always look better! Whether you’re celebrating something special or are in the throws of party season, discover how to prep skin for makeup to unlock silky-smooth, party-ready skin!

How To Skin Prep Before Makeup

What is Skin Prep Before Makeup?

When makeup artists talk about skin prep for makeup, they are referring to the skincare steps they perform before applying makeup. Skin prep is similar to your day-to-day skincare routine, however it’s done with the intention of readying skin for a flawless makeup application. Preparing skin for makeup focuses on using skincare to help it look smoother, plumper and more radiant – if you want your makeup to look seamless and glowing, skin prep is non-negotiable, darlings!

Why Should You Use Skincare Before Makeup?

Skincare and makeup work hand-in-hand when creating a magical makeup look. Think of your makeup like a gorgeous painting, darlings. When an artist is creating their next masterpiece, they reach for a smooth canvas that will help lines to look sharper, strokes to look smoother, and colours to pop! Your skin is your natural canvas, and the best way to help it look smoother, plumper and ready for makeup is to perform a supercharged skin prep routine. Serums, moisturisers and face masks can help to hydrate your skin, smooth out the appearance of skin texture, and leave your face feeling silky and supple. Once you’ve prepped your skin with skincare, makeup can apply and blend more seamlessly and look even more flawless.

What Should I Use for Skin Prep Before Makeup?

Prep your skin with hydrating skincare products, starting with a gentle face cleanser and finishing with a magical moisturiser like Charlotte’s Magic Cream. Reach for products that are infused with powerhouse ingredients like vitamin C, polyglutamic acid and hyaluronic acid that will help to add moisture to skin and give it a lit-from-within glow that looks gorgeous underneath makeup. It’s important to consider your skin type and skin concerns when building your skincare routine; choose products that work with your skin and layer beautifully with one another without pilling or bunching up.

Skin Prep for Makeup still life

Skin Prep Before Makeup: How To Prep Your Skin Step by Step

  1. Charlotte's Magic Hydration Revival Cleanser 3-in-1 foaming cleanser

    Step 1: Wash with a gentle cleanser

    The first step to preparing skin for makeup application is using a gentle cleanser that washes away impurities and leaves skin feeling baby-soft and freshly cleansed. Charlotte's Magic Hydration Revival Cleanser – my 3-in-1 foaming cleanser – is designed to melt makeup and cleanse skin to leave a clean, fresh-from-the-facialist finish. The expert formula is powered by hyaluronic acid to hydrate while cleansing and powerful peptides that help to reduce the appearance of pores. On contact with water, it creates a rich lather that transforms from cream to foam to milk as it cleanses, hydrates, and primes your complexion. Give your face a deep, delicate cleanse pre party to make sure your skin looks fresher and free from impurities that could disrupt your party makeup.

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  2. Charlotte's Magic Hydrator Mist radiant skin rescue essence with lid off

    Step 2: Boost moisture with face mist

    Once your skin has been beautifully cleansed, reach for a face mist to give your complexion an instant moisture boost. Spritzing Charlotte’s Magic Hydrator Mist over your skin delivers an uplifting, refreshing mist that oxygenates and hydrates skin - the hyaluronic-powered formula helps skin to feel instantly refreshed and revived! Not only does this magical mist bring vital hydration back to the skin; it also helps to supercharge the skincare steps that follow it. Skincare absorbs best into slightly damp skin, darlings, and this gentle face mist is my essential skin prep beauty booster.

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  3. A dry sheet mask in textured fabric along with its golden-coloured foil packaging behind it.

    Step 3: 15-minute Magic facial

    Before you get into the party spirit, it’s essential that you feel perfectly pampered. A sheet mask is a quick and easy way to give your skin some rejuvenation ahead of a late night, and my Instant Magic Facial Dry Sheet Mask is a perfect pre-party pick-me-up. The mess-free dry sheet mask gives skin a surge of moisture to produce hydrated, plumper-looking, red carpet-worthy results. Place the mask pink-side down and massage to activate its brightening-effect niacinamide and plump-effect peptide complex. Line the sheet up with your eyes and mouth for a comfortable, secure fit, and wear for 15 minutes to reveal Magic Skin in minutes!

    Tilbury Tip: Instant Magic Facial Dry Sheet Mask can be used up to 3 times, so after use, place the magical mask back into its packaging to be used again.

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  4. A closed, exfoliating, wash-off, chemical mask in a white-coloured tube with gold-coloured text on it.

    Step 4: Exfoliate for smoother-looking skin texture

    Exfoliating is an essential step for helping skin to look smoother, healthier, and retexturised. Applying a facial exfoliator will help to remove dead skin cells from the surface of your face and reveal new, healthy-looking skin with a radiant, natural glow. Adding acids into your skin prep routine like AHAs, BHAs, and PHAs can change the game for your skin's appearance; I created Super Radiance Resurfacing Facial to harness the powers of skincare acids and create an effective exfoliant that makes skin look reborn! Coat your face with my radiance-boosting exfoliator and leave on for up to 20 minutes (if you are new to acids in skincare, try starting with 2 minutes and building your way up), then wipe away to unlock smoother-looking skin with a red-carpet glow.

    Tilbury Tip: As an alternative to exfoliator, you can use Glow Toner to help brighten and balance the look of your complexion. After applying Glow Toner, skin feels gently resurfaced and pores appear reduced thanks to the refining properties of niacinamide. I recommend exfoliating 2-3 times a week, and reaching for toner on the remaining days.

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  5. Immediate Eye Revival Patches hydrating hydrogel eye masks 30 pairs

    Step 5: 10-minute eye revival with eye patches

    Tired-looking eyes aren't on the invite list tonight, darlings! The secret to immediate eye revival is taking the time to wear a pair of hydrogel eye patches that help to hydrate, smooth, and plump the look of the eye area. I created my Immediate Eye Revival Patches as magic masks that make your under eyes appear brighter in 10 minutes - they're immediate-action eye secrets with red-carpet results! You can use my eye patches to target puffiness and dark circles or fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes. The non-slip, non-drip, crescent moon designs secure effortlessly into the contours of your eye area and provide superpowered eye serum. After your immediate eye revival, concealer and powder have the perfect canvas to glide onto.

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  6. A luminous, ivory-coloured facial serum in a glass bottle with a white and gold-coloured dropper lid,

    Step 6: Hydrate + target with face serum

    A supercharged serum has the power to help target skin concerns like dehydration, uneven tone, and fine lines. Reach for Charlotte’s Magic Serum Crystal Elixir for a superpowered helping of hydration courtesy of polyglutamic acid – a humectant that’s 4x more hydrating than hyaluronic acid. This supercharged face serum delivers magical moisture that leaves skin feeling intensely hydrated, as well as the youth-boosting effects of REPLEXIUM™ and the brightening effects of Golden™ Vitamin C. It’s an essential step for unlocking Magic Skin ahead of a night of celebration!

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  7. A lip oil in a white coloured tube with reflective geometric patterns on it in silver colour and a rose-gold-coloured lid.

    Step 7: Condition lips with lip oil

    Ahead of greetings on the dancefloor and under the mistletoe, condition your lips with a comforting lip oil. Lip oils are perfect for keeping your lips feeling magically moisturised and Charlotte’s Magic Lip Oil Crystal Elixir is the secret to healthy-looking, high-shine lips! Combining the power of a serum, the glassy glow of a lip gloss, and the comfort of an oil, this rollerball lip oil glides onto lips to create the plushest, party-ready pout! Swipe on to prepare your lips for this evening's lip combo, and keep in your clutch bag to hydrate your party pout!

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  8. Thick and luscious pearly-white moisturiser in an open glass jar with its gold-coloured lid placed behind it.

    Step 8: Immediate skin revival moisturiser

    Charlotte’s Magic Cream is my number one tip for skin prep before makeup – I never do makeup without it! My award-winning moisturiser is globally loved by celebrities, stars, dermatologists, and facialists and is a must-have in beauty bags around the globe! The born-backstage formula is powered by Cushion + Lift Technology to lift the look of your complexion while creating a cushioning layer for makeup, as well as skincare heroes like hydrating hyaluronic acid and plump-effect peptides to help skin appear smoother, plumper, glowing, and ready for makeup. Charlotte's Magic Cream is THE essential pre-party skin ritual for hydrated, healthy-looking skin: 93% agree makeup looks better and 94% agree foundation lasts longer!*

    Tilbury Tip: For a bronzed party look, try mixing my Beautiful Skin Island Glow Tanning Drops with your Magic Cream to create a sun-kissed island glow!

    Darlings, if your skin is feeling extra dehydrated, try Charlotte’s Magic Water Cream – my fragrance-free gel moisturiser with a bouncy, cloud-like texture that drenches skin with 100 hours of hydration!**

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  9. Light-gold-coloured facial oil in an open glass bottle with a gold and white-coloured dropper lid.

    Step 9: Glow facial with essential oils

    Darlings, did you know that you can use facial oil to give yourself an at-home glow facial? I created Collagen Superfusion Facial Oil as my spa-in-a-jar formula enriched with a potent collagen matrix that gives skin a firming and plumping effect, as well as glow-boosting essential oils that make you feel fresh from a relaxing retreat. Massage this high-performance face oil into moisturised skin before you create your party makeup look and you are ready to glow!

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  10. A primer in a white-coloured tube with a white-coloured lid with text on it that reads, 'invisible UV Flawless poreless primer SPF 50 PA++++'.

    Step 10: Smooth + blur with face primer

    Darlings, before you apply your party makeup look, it's important to prime with a hydrating, smoothing and blurring-effect face primer. Priming your face creates a beautifying barrier between your skin and your makeup; it acts as a flawless-looking medium that can help you to get a smoother makeup application with a more seamless blend. Discover Invisible UV Flawless Poreless Primer - my broad-spectrum SPF primer for flawless, poreless-looking skin! This skincare-charged formula helps to hydrate and perfect the look of skin and creates a gorgeous, party-ready canvas for makeup to glide onto.

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  11. Charlotte's Magic Body Cream hydrates, lifts, smooths, firms and tones the look and feel of skin

    Step 11: Moisturise + glow with body cream

    Now that you have prepped your skin for makeup, it's time to apply a hydrating body cream to give your arms, legs, shoulders and décolletage a nourished body glow from head to toe! Charlotte’s Magic Body Cream is inspired by the immediate skin revival properties of Charlotte’s Magic Cream; people had asked me for years for a body moisturiser with the same instant-turnaround effects of my award-winning face cream, and so I had to create this hydrating formula to make bodies everywhere glow! Designed to lift and firm the look of skin and define the appearance of body contours, Charlotte’s Magic Body Cream is a party-prep step not to be missed.

    Tilbury Tip: To give your body a runway-inspired, supermodel glow, apply Supermodel Body body shimmer.

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