Ready for the red carpet: secrets of award-ceremony glamour

1/3
10 April 2012

When Mathew Alexander, Lancôme's Bafta make-up artist, got to work, I finally stopped feeling like an impostor.

Someone glossier, younger and happier was grinning back at me in the mirror; someone absolutely ready for a red-carpet appearance.
There are few things that are more head-turning than having lots of people making a huge fuss of you; there's no way I can pretend that this assignment - to experience the extent of primping and preening which awaits the nominees for next Sunday's Orange British Academy Film Awards (as the Baftas are now called) - is anything other than the most colossal fun.

In adjoining suites at the Savoy is everything needed to create an instant princess: beautiful dresses, diamonds, and the finest craftsmen of red-carpet hair and make-up, namely Charles Worthington and Mathew Alexander.

Last year, the Lancôme Bafta team made over stars including Carey Mulligan, Kate Winslet and Kristen Stewart. A-listers may be used to all this attention, but for a civilian, particularly
for one of an age where looking un-groomed is simply not an option, it's sheer heaven. Charles had set up what you might call his batterie de cheveux in a bathroom. We swapped news and discussed the benefits of feeding our respective dogs raw-food diets - well, you have to try to keep things real - while he teased my hair into a shiny, side-slung bun. The Escada team sized me up and proffered a dress of such beauty and sheer luxe - duck-egg blue satin-backed chiffon - that I hardly dared breathe in it.

Then Mathew went to work with his make-up brushes, creating a flawless, glowing look that I long to be able to replicate. With those brushes, he blends and blends. Foundation is smoothed over primer; powder is tamped over foundation. Smoky grey-green shadow is swirled around my eyes, lipstick is dabbed neatly on and my glamorous alter ego emerges. It's little short of alchemy. Finally I teetered into Asprey's suite for £100,000-worth of sublime diamonds then, followed discreetly but very closely by Adam, the diamonds' bodyguard, processed to the Royal Suite for photographs.

Then - pouf! Like the strike of midnight, Cinderella-style, it was all over, the dress and diamonds swiftly reclaimed, my hair let down, leaving me to climb back into my civvies and cycle to my book club, where they didn't like my look one bit, but I think they were just jealous.

FIVE STEPS TO BAFTA BEAUTY
A flawless complexion

Start with a good moisturiser, then choose a light foundation. You want one that will reflect light well so that skin looks clear, youthful and impossibly fresh.

Add powder
It's a must, to remove excess oil and keep make-up in place. Get a clean disc of cotton wool, dust off any excess powder, then press it gently all around the eyes, so the area is crease-free. Then go over the area again, with a soft blending brush, to make sure it's all smooth.

Gentle sculpting
Using bronzer, shade under the cheekbones and under the jawline, and along the hairline, to bring out the bone structure. Use a tiny bit of highlighter on the tops of cheeks, and above the cupid's bow of the lips. Add a pop of colour on the apples of the cheeks and blend well, to give skin a natural-looking glow.

Strong eyes
For events, you need a more dramatic eye than usual. Frame the iris by working rich mascara right into the roots of your eyelashes; one full coat, then one from the outside corner of the eye to its middle, and a final one on the very outer third of the lashes, all combed through with a mascara brush, to elongate the eyes. I love a smoky eye but not necessarily with black. Greeny-grey is my favourite.

Lastly, lips
Nude lips look great with a sooty eye, but avoid beige. Lips need a bit of colour in order to look expressive on the red carpet and if there is colour in your lips, your teeth look better, too.

AND DON'T TAKE YOUR SEAT WITHOUT...
Teint Miracle Perfecting Concealer Pen, £25. A real unsung hero. It's brilliant for under the eyes and for highlighting the top of the cheekbones.

Ombre Absolu Duo eyeshadow, in Night & Day, £23. Looks beautiful on everyone, and easy to wear.
Hypnôse mascara, £20. Hard to beat.

Bafta Swarovski Palette, £50. When Kate Winslet asked her make-up artist for a sparkly compact for her evening bag, Lancôme got cracking. This limited-edition palette is the result, only at Selfridges.

Absolu Nu Lipsticks, £19.50: these give a gorgeous sheer veil of colour. The easiest way to wear red just now, so it doesn't look like it's wearing you.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in