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Get glam for New Year's Eve

BY ANNE BRATSKEIR | Special to Newsday

December 31, 2008

We're of the mind that you should put your best face forward on New Year's Eve, no matter what your plans. But, oops, it's so last minute, what's a wannabe glam girl to do?

Most large department store cosmestic counters we contacted say they can make you up for tonight but recommend calling this morning for an appointment. And there's generally no purchase necessary, although the pressure to buy something may be hanging over the session.

We asked three women, each a decade apart, to sit for transformations with skilled artists at the following three counters. The results? Traffic-stopping, Champagne-popping, all-out razzle-dazzle.

VICTORIA DOMINGO, 36

Human resources manager, Baldwin

THE MISSION Domingo, who generally wears no makeup, says, "I want to look different, something more exotic, something a little crazy."

THE MAKEUP Armani, Saks Fifth Avenue at the Walt Whitman Mall. For an appointment call 631-350-1230; walk-ins welcome. Tracy Shapiro applied Armani's metallic holiday palette with sable brushes. Domingo's eyes are done in copper and plum and her lipstick is copper with sultry gold flecks.

TRICKS OF THE TRADE Three layers of Armani's mascara - primer base (it's white), Maestro high-volume black and crystal-speckled topcoat- for ultra-lush holiday lashes

THE REACTION "I feel like a movie star, and it doesn't feel heavy or like I'm wearing a lot of makeup."

REGINA MENDOZA, 46

Massage therapist, Flushing

THE MISSION "I want to look hot but I don't want to look trashy ... sophisticated yet seductive, with a focus on my eyes and my cheekbones," Mendoza says. "I'd never wear a loud lip."

THE MAKEUP Bobbi Brown, Lord & Taylor, Manhasset. For an appointment, call 516-627-3000, ext. 246; walk-ins welcome. Gregg Hubbard did smoky, dramatic eyes in dark orchid, coral rose cheeks and soft pink lip gloss. "I chose colors that were natural to her skin and organic."

TRICKS OF THE TRADE "Bobbi Brown's creamy concealer kit is the secret of the universe," says Hubbard, who calls New Year's Eve "one big photo op." Concealer usually comes first, but when doing dramatic shadows and liners, Hubbard suggests applying it last.

THE REACTION Initially, Mendoza's New Year's Eve plans were dinner at a chichi, candlelit restaurant. Upon seeing her makeup, she said, "If I'm going to look this good, I don't want it to be dark. I want to be seen."

KRISTEN RYAN, 26

Public relations executive, Port Washington

THE MISSION "To look fun and flirty. When I walk into a club, I want heads to turn, and I want my eyes to hypnotize."

THE MAKEUP MAC, Macy's Roosevelt Field. For an appointment call 516-747-3402; appointments recommended. Codi Barnes went for "nighttime glam," with the company's holiday palette, which includes shimmery silver, gray, pinkish-beige and dark carbon shadow for eyes. The pièce de résistance? Fake eyelashes that rocketed Ryan's already stunning blue eyes out of this world.

TRICKS OF THE TRADE MAC's face spray, Fix Plus, which contains green tea extract and caffeine. It both wakes up the skin and helps set the makeup.

THE REACTION Heading off to NYC clubs for the night, Ryan says, "I think I look beautiful. All the friends I go out with on New Year's are beautiful, too, but I'll probably stand out the most. I feel famous, like I need to wear sunglasses, but then, I don't want to hide my eyes."

MAKEUP MAGIC

All our makeup magicians chose different colors and techniques. But one philosophy was consistent: skin prep.

"Your makeup will look only as good as your skin does," says Bobbi Brown's Gregg Hubbard. To that end, all the makeup artists recommend primer, moisturizer (sometimes tinted), concealer and some form of foundation. Armani's Tracy Shapiro, who added a luminescent fluid for a highlighting glow, says, "Everything lays on the surface of the skin much better when it's properly moisturized and prepared." Adds Hubbard, "Look at it this way. You could wear the hottest dress, but if you don't wear the right undergarments it undermines the whole look."

-Anne Bratskeir