My Grad Ball Outfit and Makeup

This is a very belated post, as my Grad Ball was in June, but I was looking through photos and you know what, I think it's worth sharing. I really loved my ball dress! It was definitely a struggle to find (more on that later) but I felt so me. I was also a fan of my makeup - you guys know me, I'm not super adventurous, but I felt really pretty and it lasted so well. So here's a look at my outfit, and my makeup. Apologies that I don't have many great photos, it was one of those nights...

Now, finding the dress took a while. I started looking months before the date, knowing that I'd not find one straight away. I'm not much of a dressy person. I love dressing up and feeling like a princess, but I also don't feel totally myself in some dresses as I'm a casual girl at heart. It's why I've been loving jumpsuits so much recently, because I feel like they provide that casual edge which always makes me feel 100% more comfortable. After many shopping trips and many, many ASOS parcels, I landed on this blue number. I knew the scuba fabric would be comfortable and hold its shape, and the bright blue just screams summer. Finding a strapless bra to fit me and actually give support was a whole other struggle in itself, but ma, I did it.

So once the dress/bra combo was sorted, it was time to find my accessories. I had the idea of wearing red shoes to match my Pop & Suki Red Bigger Camera Bag, but I swear they did just not exist. I'm a fan of a platform heel, but they're lacking on the high street this year! However, again on ASOS, I finally managed to find this pair (which are now out of stock, sorry!) a week before the ball. I really love how the whole outfit looks actually, the colour clashing is very me and I felt like a cross between Cinderella and Dorothy. For jewellery I kept things very simple with a dainty necklace (don't know where from, it was a gift), a new Joma Jewellery bracelet which was a graduation gift, and my usual Goldsmiths ring and earrings (also gifted).

When it comes to the makeup, I didn't stray too much from my usual look. I've linked all the usual suspects below so you can see what I used, but for the purposes of this post I'm going to stick to talking about the standout products. I needed it to last because the ball went from 6pm to 6am - and yes, I somehow managed to last the whole time. I made sure to use a glowing primer, the Becca First Light Priming Filter, and one that would hold product onto my skin, the YSL Touche Eclat Blur Primer. My foundation was the YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat Foundation, and bronzer, highlight, and blush came from the Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look in a Palette in Beauty Glow.

My eyeshadow was new to me, from the Charlotte Tilbury Vintage Vamp Luxury Eyeshadow palette. I used the pearly shade all over the lid and in the inner corner, with the gold glitter pressed over top. I used the matte brown shade from the previous Charlotte Tilbury palette in the crease and under the eye, and with a tiny bit of liquid liner on the lashline, the eyes were done! I also added false eyelashes (hence the liner), which is a step I don't often bother with, but I felt like the occasion called for it. The Fleur de Force x Eyelure Fleur Loves lashes are such a dream to wear because they are 3/4 length and super lightweight, so I can never feel them on. For lipstick I went with the MAC Patisserie, one of my favourite nudes. It's a pretty pinky-nude which is quite similar to my lip colour so fades nicely, and it's easy to reapply. Part of me thought of wearing a red lip to match my bag and shoes, but that's a bit too matchy-matchy for me! As always I sprayed the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray to keep things in place - and it really did. I had to touch up my lipstick a couple times, but apart from looking a bit more glowy by the time the night ended, all was good.

I'm really pleased with how the whole look turned out. I did have my doubts about the strapless dress on the lead up to the night, wondering if I should have added straps, but I have no regrets now. I liked that I had a bit of a casual edge, and stuck to what I feel good in!