Christening makeup

Orthodox church interiors are dark. The light comes from candles and from high windows, which means it is warm, uneven and mostly from above — the least flattering direction there is, because it drops shadow into the eye sockets and under the cheekbones.

In that light a bare face disappears and a heavily contoured face looks harsh, since the light is already doing the contouring for you. What works is the opposite of the instinct: lighter contour than usual, and more attention to the eye, which is the part the light is hiding.

Candlelight is also very warm. Cool-toned makeup — a blue-pink blush, a berry lip — turns muddy under it. Warm tones hold their colour.

A christening is a religious service, and for godparents standing at the font there is a real expectation of modesty in how you present yourself. That is not a rule anyone will state to your face, but it is felt.

In practice this means: a natural base rather than a heavy one, a defined but not dramatic eye, no strong shimmer, and a lip closer to your own colour than to a statement. It should look like a very good version of your own face, not like an evening look worn in the morning.

This is the one occasion where the brief is genuinely to do less. It is also the occasion where doing less well is harder than doing more.

People cry at christenings — the mother, the grandmother, the godmother, frequently all three. Planning for it is not pessimism, it is the job.

That means waterproof mascara without exception, a waterproof or long-wear liner if any liner is worn at all, and no powder shadow under the lower lash line, because powder plus moisture equals a grey line under the eye within seconds.

It also means the under-eye is set very lightly. A heavily powdered under-eye that gets wet and then gets dabbed is the specific combination that leaves visible patches, and it is the most common problem of the day.

• Waterproof mascara — not negotiable
• No powder shadow under the lower lashes
• Minimal setting powder under the eye
• Long-wear lip, because a baby will be held against your face

Godparents hold the child for much of the service, and afterwards everyone does. Transfer is a genuine consideration and it is usually overlooked entirely.

Long-wear formulas that set and do not move are the answer — for the base and especially for the lip. A cream lipstick will be on the child's forehead within twenty minutes.

It is also worth knowing that a well-set base does not transfer meaningfully once it has had ten minutes to settle. Finishing the makeup rather than rushing out immediately afterwards is a real part of why professional makeup survives the day.

Christenings are usually held in the morning, which means an early appointment — often seven or eight o'clock. The artist travels to you, which at that hour is the only workable arrangement.

Allow an hour of working time and finish half an hour before you leave for the church. Georgian christenings rarely start late and arriving mid-service is the one thing nobody wants.

Makeup starts at 150 GEL, with travel quoted separately by distance and confirmed before you book. If the mother and godmother both want makeup, that is two hours in total — say so when booking rather than on the morning.