As one of Couturing’s Fashion Editor’s Gemma Watts stays ahead of all the latest trends. To help get you party ready and inspired for the festive season, Gemma shares with us some of her top tips.
Gemma wears Talulah Everything in Between Dress from Jaz and Alex Boutique
How do you prep before a night out?
I get distracted very easily and tend to multi-task a lot throughout my getting ready process. But I’m very fussy about my skin so I always make sure that I moisturise really thoroughly so that my makeup looks fresh. I also feel that good primer is a must – I use Hourglass Veil Primer.
What is your go to hairstyle/makeup look for a night out?
My go to look is very dewy skin with a bronzed eye and creamy nude lips. I’m pretty lazy with my hair so I just have it out and wavy or throw it up in a pony. I’m surprisingly low maintenance.
When you’re going out, what are your must have items in your bag?
The obvious ones are my phone, wallet and I always take a good lip pencil for touch ups. But I feel that if you’ve primed well then you don’t need to do touch ups.
Do you have any tips for looking fresh all night long?
Just pacing yourself and knowing your limits, so that you can recognise when it’s time to sit down and drink some water.
Your biggest fashion faux pas?
There’s nothing worse than wearing the wrong undergarments, like visible panty line, or bra straps showing where they shouldn’t be. I think it can make or break an outfit. Back in early high school, I used to wear bright spaghetti strap tank tops with a contrasting coloured bra strap – it was a very Mischa Barton sort of look from the O.C.
What designers are you currently loving and why?
I am obsessed with Ellery because I love to play with shapes, silhouettes and different volumes – I love that Kym’s pieces are super versatile so you can pair dressier pieces with a great cotton piece from Bassike for example. My style is very much about mixing and matching versatile pieces and working them back – so designers like Ellery, Bassike, Josh Goot and Maticevski cater to that.
Favourite places to shop:
I love the Emporium and the Strand Arcade; I feel that they’ve catered to the intimate shopping experience that GPO used to cater to. I also enjoy Chapel Street because you can go shopping then have coffee or lunch and go for a stroll – I’m not really a shopping centre kind of girl because I like being able to step outside for air between stores.
Where do you look for style inspiration?
I love Christine Centenera, I love everything that she wears and I like to emulate the way she puts an outfit together – she’s just a guru, she’s amazing. I also like Sara Donaldson from Harper and Harley because she has an eye for reworking pieces for different occasions.
GEMMA’S PARTY PLAYLIST
GEMMA’S PARTY BEAUTY ESSENTIALS
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder
L’Oreal Infallible 2-Step Lip Colour
Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation
Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara
Photography by Rosanna Faraci, post production by Damian Davitt. Image shot in Studio Bastille.