Anyone looking to do their makeup for Carnival usually wants something more striking than their everyday look, but not children's face paint or painted-on areas of color. Highlighter and Liquid Blush are just the thing because they work with shine and color that can be intensified in just a few steps, without looking like a mask. Which of the following three looks works best depends mainly on the color of your costume: a light pearly shimmer for shimmery or light costumes, a warm pink-orange for colorful costumes, or a warm copper tone for gold and earthy colors.
- Light, white or silver costume: The cool pearly shimmer of Highlighter Pearl creates contrast rather than competing with the color.
- Colorful costume with lots of pink or orange: Liquid Blush Coral enhances those colors without turning reddish.
- Gold, bronze or earthy-toned costume: Highlighter Copper complements the warm undertone and adds extra warmth to your face.
Before you choose a look: what matters on a long Carnival day
Carnival celebrations in Germany often last several days: from Women's Carnival Day through Rose Monday to Shrove Tuesday, and end only at midnight on Ash Wednesday (source: Carnival – Wikipedia). Even if you're celebrating on just one day or evening, you often wear your makeup for many hours, between the parade, the party and dancing. That's exactly why it's worth planning your look for staying power from the start, rather than just for the first impression in the mirror.
A smooth, well-moisturized base or one prepared with foundation helps shimmery products like highlighter look more even because they don't settle into dry patches or fine lines. This applies whichever of the three looks you ultimately choose, and it's the easiest step to make application easier later, rather than having to touch up halfway through.
The easiest approach is to finish applying foundation and concealer first, use powder only where it's really needed, and apply highlighter or Liquid Blush afterward. Too much powder on the cheekbones mattifies the skin and takes the shine away from exactly the area where it's meant to show.
Look 1 – Glam: light pearly shimmer for shimmery or light costumes
Highlighter Pearl is a light pearly white with white reflections, which, according to the product description, stands out especially well on light to medium skin. Apply it with a brush to the cheekbones, brow bone, nose and Cupid's bow—that is, exactly where light naturally falls and highlighter has the strongest effect.
Which costume colors Pearl works with
The cool, light pearly shimmer works with costumes in white, silver or other light shades because it creates visible contrast rather than competing with warm colors. With a gold or copper-colored costume, the same shimmer would look rather pale and out of place, so the next two looks are better suited to those colors.
How to control the intensity
For a more subtle daytime look, such as for an afternoon parade, one thin layer applied with a brush is enough. If you want to boost the shimmer for an evening party or photos, build it up with several thin layers instead of applying one thick layer straight away, which is harder to blend afterward. A small, slightly rounded brush lets you apply it more precisely to the cheekbones than a large powder brush, which can make the shimmer look too spread out.
Look 2 – Pop Pink: a warm pink-orange accent for colorful costumes
According to the product description, Liquid Blush Coral brings a warm mix of pink and orange that remains clearly visible on tanned to medium skin without turning reddish. Apply the water-based formula to the cheeks with the included sponge, and according to the manufacturer, it leaves a natural finish without a mask-like effect.
Why it's important to blend this formula quickly
Because the formula is water-based, it dries on the skin relatively quickly. That's why it's worth blending the dots promptly with your fingers or a brush, rather than finishing the rest of your makeup first and coming back to them afterward. The natural finish also means you can build up the amount in layers, which is useful when a costume combines several bold colors at once.
Look 3 – Copper: a warm bronze glow for gold or earthy costumes
According to the product description, Highlighter Copper offers a warm copper shade that shows up on medium or tanned skin and adds extra warmth to your face. According to the manufacturer's information, the texture blends easily over foundation, and, like the other two shades, it's applied with a brush to the cheekbones, brow bone, nose and Cupid's bow. Unlike the cool pearly shimmer of Highlighter Pearl, Highlighter Copper has a warm undertone that looks rather out of place with light or entirely cool costume colors; for a silver or icy blue costume, Highlighter Pearl is therefore the more obvious choice.
Subtle for daytime, more intense for the evening
For an afternoon Carnival parade, one thin layer on the cheekbones is usually enough. For an evening party or costume party with flash photography, you can apply the copper shade more intensely and extend it to your collarbones or shoulders, too, if those areas of skin are visible with your costume.
Keep your look fresh all evening
Instead of reapplying your entire look, on a long Carnival day it's usually enough to touch up only the areas where dancing or sweating has smudged the highlighter or blush. A quick glance in the mirror will usually show you exactly where that's needed.
A small mirror and a few cotton swabs in your costume bag or purse help you fix small smudges right away, without having to look for a restroom with a large mirror. If there's no time for a full touch-up, check the area under your eyes and your cheekbones first, because movement and sweat are most likely to leave visible traces there; your forehead and nose need correcting less often.
If you share sponges or applicators with others, for example when getting ready for Carnival with friends, wipe them down or clean them between uses because they come into direct contact with the skin.
Which look goes with which costume
In the end, the costume color is the main factor in deciding which of the three looks works best: a light and shimmery costume points to Highlighter Pearl, a colorful costume with lots of pink or orange to Liquid Blush Coral, and gold, bronze or earthy tones to Highlighter Copper. All three products can also be combined, for example, Liquid Blush Coral on the cheeks with Highlighter Copper applied just to the cheekbones for more depth.
If a costume combines several colors at once, for example gold with bold pink, it helps to go by the color that covers the largest area or the one that's most visible near your face, such as on a collar or headdress.
If you're also thinking about occasions beyond Carnival, you'll find similar shimmery combinations in more glow and shimmer looks for New Year's Eve, while tips on how makeup looks in photos and flash photography are useful because lots of photos are taken at Carnival. If you want to know exactly what the “vegan” label means for the formulas used here, you'll find the explanation in the guide to vegan makeup. For a quicker application before the festivities begin, try a 5-minute routine with just a few products, and if you're putting your kit together before the season starts, you'll find an overview in the five basics for a makeup kit.