Try This Full Glam Makeup Tutorial On Your Next Night Out

While we love minimalist makeup for laid-back days, there’s a certain thrill in going all out with full glam makeup for special occasions. After all, it’s hard not to feel like a star when you’re rocking flawless skin, bold lips, and smoldering, shimmery lids. 

While perfecting a red carpet-worthy look may seem challenging, it’s totally doable, though it’ll likely take a bit longer than your standard everyday routine. Trust us: The extra effort is well worth it. Ahead, we’ll explain exactly how to perfect your glam makeup look and introduce you to some of our favorite products for a flawless, photo-ready finish that lasts. 

What Is a Glam Makeup Look?

Glam (or glamorous) makeup is a polished, put-together style that enhances your features with coordinated elements across the entire face, from a smooth, flawless base to defined eyes and lips. It’s about creating a refined, camera-ready finish that feels intentional and elevated, whether you’re getting ready for a night out or a special occasion. Within the glam category, there are endless ways to interpret the look, from subtle soft glam to dramatic full glam. 

What Does Full Glam Makeup Include?

Full glam makeup is the most dramatic version of glam. It typically starts with a full-coverage foundation to create a flawless, even base, followed by contouring and highlighting to sculpt and define the face. Eyes are often enhanced with rich, smoky shadows or bold color, paired with thick lashes or falsies for extra dimension. Most full glam makeup looks also feature a statement lip, either in a bold shade like crimson or a softer (but still impactful) glossy nude. The result is makeup that appears seamless, dimensional, and striking from every angle.

Because of its polished, high-impact finish, full glam is ideal for special occasions where you want to look completely photo-ready—think weddings, formal events, or nights when you know you’ll be in front of the camera. It gives that airbrushed, flawless effect that translates beautifully both in person and in photos, ensuring your features stand out and your makeup lasts throughout the event.

What You’ll Need: Products and Tools

Before you start, you’ll want to make sure you have all of the right products and tools on hand for your glamorous makeup look. Here’s what we recommend having at the ready: 

• Face products: Makeup primer, a full-coverage foundation and concealer, contour, blush, and highlighter. 
• Eye and brow products: A brow pen, brow gel, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, and optional false lashes.
• Lips: Lip liner, lipstick and/or gloss.
• Tools: Makeup brushes, a beauty sponge, an eyelash curler, and setting spray.

How To Do Glam Makeup

Full glam makeup may require a few more steps and products than your daily routine, but it’s still achievable, even for beginners. Ahead, we’re breaking down exactly how to get a full glam makeup look perfect for a special occasion. 

Step 1: Start with clean, moisturized skin

When wearing any makeup look, we always recommend starting with clean, hydrated skin so your products apply smoothly and evenly. Start by washing your face with a gentle cleanser, such as the L’Oréal Paris RevitaLift Radiant Smoothing Cream Cleanser, to remove dirt, debris, and excess oil. After lathering up, replenish your skin with a lightweight moisturizer. We love the L'Oréal Paris RevitaLift Triple Power Moisturizer with SPF 30—it contains broad-spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen and layers beautifully under makeup without leaving behind a white cast or residue. 

Step 2: Prime your face

After allowing your moisturizer plenty of time to sink in, layer on a makeup primer to help smooth your skin and create an even canvas for your full glam makeup look. There are plenty of different makeup primers on the market, so choose one that aligns with your needs. If you have oily skin and large pores, for example, the L’Oréal Paris Prime Lab Up to 24H Pore Minimizer is a great pick—it helps reduce unwanted shine and visibly minimizes the appearance of pores. For mature skin, we love the L'Oréal Paris Age Perfect Makeup Blurring Face Primer Infused with Serum, which hydrates and helps smooth the appearance of fine lines and uneven skin texture. 

Step 3: Even out your base

Full glam makeup calls for smooth, flawless-looking skin—and to achieve that, you’ll need a quality foundation. We recommend using the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Skin Ink Up to 48H Longwear 2-in-1 Foundation Concealer for your base. The buildable formula covers like a concealer and evens like a foundation, all while providing up to 48 hours of waterproof, transferproof, crease-free wear. Plus, the light-as-air formula feels undetectable on the skin, so you won’t have to worry about a cakey or dry feel. 

To apply it, find your shade match, then shake the bottle for 10 seconds. Working in sections, dot the lightweight formula onto primed skin, blending it out with a makeup brush as you go. If you find there are areas where you’d like additional coverage, add another (thin) layer until your skin looks smooth and even. 

Step 4: Add blush and highlighter

A pop of color on the cheeks breathes life into your full glam makeup look. Use the doe foot applicator included with the L’Oréal Paris Lumi Le Liquid Blush to dot blush onto your cheeks, then blend the pigment upward and outward for a slight lifted effect. We suggest starting with one dot per cheek, but you can add additional color as you go to build a more vivid flush, if desired. 

Once you’re satisfied with your blush, illuminate the high points of your face (including the tops of your cheekbones, your brow bones, the bridge of your nose, and your Cupid’s bow) with highlighter. For this step, we love the L'Oréal Paris Lumi Le Glass Highlighter Stick. It comes in six shades—three glassy and three glowy—and blends easily for a stunning, lit-from-within look. 

Step 5: Sculpt your features

Next, you’ll want to add depth and dimension back into your features with contour and highlighter. Start by dotting a cream contour or concealer, such as the L’Oréal Paris True Match Radiant Serum Concealer, beneath your cheekbones, along the jawline, and at the temples to define your features. Then, blend out the pigment well so there are no harsh lines or edges. To create the illusion of shadows, we suggest opting for a cool-toned hue only one or two shades darker than your natural skin tone. Anything too dark—or warm—could result in an unnatural look. Check out our article Contour Do’s and Don’ts: 9 Common Mistakes (and How To Fix Them) for more tips on getting your contour makeup just right.

Step 6: Create a dramatic smoky eye

Once your base makeup is done, you can move on to your eyes. For a showstopping full glam look, we suggest opting for a smoky eye (with plenty of shimmer, of course). 

To create yours, start by swiping a mid-toned eyeshadow, like the L’Oréal Paris Paradise Le Shadow Stick in Celestial Taupe, onto your lids. Then, darken your crease and outer corner with a slightly darker hue (the L’Oréal Paris Paradise Le Shadow Stick in All Night Black is an excellent pick for this). Blend the shadows well to create a soft, seamless gradient, then highlight your inner corners for a bit of brightness. 

Next, line your upper lash line with a precise liquid eyeliner, such as the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Grip Precision Felt Waterproof Eyeliner. Once you reach your outer corner, extend the line upward and outward to create a crisp, clean wing. 

Step 7: Swipe on a volumizing mascara

As far as we’re concerned, no glamorous makeup look is complete without long, voluminous lashes. To make yours stand out, curl your lashes with an eyelash curler, then swipe the L'Oréal Paris Extensionist Waterproof Mascara on from root to tip. The unique formula comes with a curved comb that allows you to coat each lash for maximum separation. Plus, the mascara wears for up to 24 hours and helps your lashes hold a curl.

If you want ultra-dramatic lashes, pop on a false lash strip or apply individual lashes to your outer corners for a subtle cat-eye effect. 

Step 8: Define your brows

Full glam makeup is all about looking flawless, so you’ll want to make sure your brows don’t detract from your look. Keep them looking their best by brushing them up with a clean spoolie brush, then using the L'Oréal Paris Faux Brow Hair‑Like Brow Filling Pen to fill in any sparse areas. It’s designed with a unique dual brush tip applicator for creating ultra-fine, hair-like strokes that look completely natural. 

Then, brush your brows into shape and lock them in place with a clear brow gel, such as the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Up To 24HR Brow Lamination. It provides up to 24 hours of wear without any flaking, crunchiness, or visible residue. 

Step 9: Paint your pout

Full glam means full glam—so lipstick is a must. To achieve a crisp, defined lip look, start by lining your lips with a creamy lip liner pencil, such as the L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche Lip Liner. We suggest using one that closely matches the lipstick you intend to wear, though you can also opt for a liner a shade darker for a more sculpted lip look. 

After lining your lips, swipe on your lipstick. The L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche Satin Lipstick is ideal if you’re after a classic lip look, and it comes in 52 shades to flatter any complexion. If you prefer a matte lip, try the L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Intense Volume Matte Lipstick. 

Step 10: Set your look

At long last, your full glam makeup look is complete. After all that hard work, we’re willing to bet you want to make sure it lasts. To lock your makeup into place, mist your face with the L’Oréal Paris Infallible 3‑Second Setting Mist in an X, then a T pattern for even coverage, keeping the bottle six to eight inches away. The long-lasting formula will help keep your makeup looking fresh for up to 24 hours, so you can spend less time worrying about touch-ups and more time enjoying your day (or night).

Next Up: 11 Grunge Makeup Looks for an Updated '90s-Inspired Style

Photo courtesy of L’Oréal Paris