As you can imagine make up for skating competitions needs to be age appropriate. A bright red lip may look seductive and provocative on a 17 year old, but just plain wrong on an 8 year old. Just use your common sense and go with something both parent and skater are happy with. If you're reading this for yourself, then what you wear for competition will probably depend on how at ease you are with make-up, and what your daily habits are. What's so fun about competitive make-up is that you can go with something you would never otherwise wear, so I always try to have fun with it!

Wacky eye colours, bold lips, and lots of eyelash extensions are great fun and can look just superb on the ice. Be careful not to turn your free programme into a gala piece though, as many old-fashioned judges won't appreciate a mardi-gras approach to competitive appearance.

Your make-up should reflect who you are, but also who you are trying to portray. If you are skating (and therefore acting!) to Bizet's Carmen music, then you should probably go with something as passionate and dramatic as the music itself (and hopefully, your skating!). If you are skating to swan lake, red lips, pink eyeshadow, and lashings of blusher aren't going to look right. This combo sounds about right for an exhibition piece to "Barbie Girl" though! Think it out and have fun with it!

Go online for help! Youtube has some amazing and very dedicated users who show you how to create stunning looks (albeit they don't have figure skating competitions in mind, they are often "going out" looks). Michelle Phan has become a well known YouTube "artist" and I have embedded a few of her videos below to whet your appetite!

The last point I want to make today is that the expense of the make up you use is unimportant. Obviously with more expensive products you're going to get better quality and long life out of your pots and potions, and what you use in your every day life will most likely have a huge influence on what you decide to purchase for your skating life. I for one feel the financial effects of skating and I'm sure I'm not alone, and therefore I do go for cheaper products when buying colours I know I'm not likely to wear on a day-to-day basis. So just buy whatever you feel comfortable with, your creation is going to be seen from afar anyway, so go for hi-impact! Bold colours strong shading and pretty lips are more important than the difference between a high quality shimmer and a lesser quality matt shade. And most importantly of all, remember: Have fun!

If you're doing your homework on how to prep for skating competitions, you might enjoy these related posts:
How to dress your hair for figure skating competitions
How to sign up for figure skating competitions
Competition Checklist: 10 things you shouldn't leave home without on C-day!

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Until next time, happy skating! XOXO