Having the perfect date night look is essential and if you’re heading to it straight from the office, your makeup might not be ready to go—even if you are. But we’ve got the fix! (And no, you don’t have to do a complete overhaul.) "Focusing on a few key areas is all you need to turn your makeup evening-ready," says Avon’s celebrity makeup artist Lauren Andersen. These five steps will take your makeup from work to play—right at your desk.

 

No matter how fresh and flawless your foundation looks when you leave the house in the morning, it’s likely taken a beating during the day. Hours of wear, your skin’s natural oil production, and desert-like office air can all take their toll. “Your skin gets dry, dehydrated, and flaky during the day, which can make your foundation look cake-y,” says Andersen. The good news is that you don’t have to completely reapply it from scratch. Instead, smooth any obvious flakes by rubbing those areas with a tiny dab of moisturizer. Then, spritz a light mist of water all over your face, and gently pat it into any areas where your foundation has started to rub off. “This reactivates your makeup and gives it slip again,” says Andersen. And of course, always start with a great, long-wearing base, like Avon True Color Flawless Liquid Foundation, to ensure the highest possible staying power.

 

Long, dark lashes are an evening-makeup essential, but often they look less-than-stellar by the end of the day. To revive them, don’t even think of swiping on a new layer of mascara over the old one. “Mascara will rarely reapply well and will usually just get clumpy and flaky,” says Andersen. Instead, she suggests giving lashes a quick crimp with an eyelash curler. “It gives eyes a quick boost by instantly making your lashes look longer and your eyes more open,” she says. Try Avon Eyelash Curler with Avon True Color SuperExtend Nourishing Mascara.

 

A pop of color on the cheeks is the quickest, easiest way to brighten your face and reinvigorate your entire makeup look, says Andersen. Problem is, that cheek color you painstakingly applied in the morning has probably hightailed it out of there by the evening hours. Take it into overtime by swiping a bright shade on the apples of your cheeks (smile to find them), then blending well. Look for a formula with a radiant finish, like Avon True Color Luminous Blush, and you’ll add a little bit of sexy, perfect-for-evening glow along with the hit of color.

 

Even if you tend to keep your makeup neutral during the day, nighttime is the perfect excuse to kick things up a notch. The secret to not looking overdone? Play up just one feature. “I like to add a little more drama to the eyes or do a bold lip. Both options take you beautifully into the night,” says Andersen. For eyes, try adding a darker shade of shadow along the lashlines, in the creases, or smudging the color under your eyes for a smoky look. A shimmery eyeliner, like Avon True Color Glimmersticks Diamond Eye Liner, is another fun way to quickly elevate your office look to party status. If you prefer to focus on lips, try a deep berry shade (a huge trend for the season!) like Avon Perfectly Matte Lipstick in Superb Wine. Or, you can’t go wrong with a classic red, of course. We love Avon True Color Lipstick in Perfect Red.

 

Shimmery cheekbones aren’t necessarily work appropriate, but they’re ideal once the sun goes down. “A little glow on your skin suggests a lit from within look and is so gorgeous for evening,” says Andersen. For a pretty, luminous effect, try applying a highlighter along your cheekbones, browbones, and down the bridge of your nose before heading out for the night. We like Avon True Color Bronzing Pearls, it not only gives you a bronzed glow but illuminates the skin as well! “This little bit of shine brightens your face, adds extra oomph to your makeup, and will catch the light beautifully,” she says.