The holidays have arrived, and you’ve done all your prep to the letter. You found and wrapped the perfect gifts. You arranged all your parties and plans. You decorated your home into a winter wonderland. But now there’s one last piece of the puzzle – your look.
To give your holiday outfits the perfect finishing touch, check out these festive makeup tips.
Festive Makeup Tips for the Holidays
Our beauty experts know holiday makeup means more than using red and green shades. Here are some pro tips to make you look glamorous, not cartoonish, for the holidays:
#1: Start with a Tinted Moisturizer
We’ve all experienced the pain (literally) of dry skin in the winter. Unfortunately, makeup can make it even worse. So here’s our #1 tip: tinted moisturizer.
Any facial moisturizer will help with dry skin. But tinted moisturizer has a little extra advantage it contains a dab of color to start evening out your complexion. It can’t quite replace foundation unless you have great skin already. But it provides a great base for your foundation and the rest of your makeup.
To avoid unwanted shininess, look for a tinted moisturizer with a matte finish. In some brands, this offers a pore minimizing effect, too. To lock in moisture, apply it after you shower or wash your face.
#2: Get Glowing Cheekbones with Highlighter
Highlighter is one of the staples of facial contouring. But even if you’re not going for a fully contoured look, highlighter is a great tool.
This fun product can come in many forms, like a powder or a pencil. You know the beautiful glint of sunlight off someone’s face in a perfectly lighted photo? That’s what highlighting is meant to simulate.
You can use highlighter in several ways depending on your skin’s natural glow and shine. To brighten your cheeks, apply a diagonal line of highlighter along the top of your cheekbones. It can also be used across the top of the forehead and down the bridge of the nose. No matter where you apply, be sure to blend it well.
#3: Plump Lips
Everyone wants a nice, full pout, and we know how to get it. But let’s be real – lip injections hurt your nerves AND your wallet.
Fortunately, there are products that imitate the effect without the expense.
Our favorite is Lipojen Lip Plumper. It’s a simple gloss that uses special ingredients to hydrate and plump your lips. Plus, the shiny finish gives your lips a refreshed, youthful glow.
#4: Bold Brows
Darker, thicker (but manicured) eyebrows are in. During the warmer months, a dark brow can look too harsh. Winter, on the other hand, is much more compatible with darker makeup looks.
To add a great brow to your festive makeup, choose your brow pencil wisely. It should be a shade or two darker than your natural color. Going too dark will look unnatural.
Use the brow pencil in light strokes to fill in the skin under your brows. You can go slightly beyond your brow to make it larger, but a little bit goes a long way.
#5: Black and Gold Smoky Eye
Black and gold are the universal colors of classiness, so they’re perfect in your festive makeup.
For your more glamorous nighttime holiday parties, try a smoky eye with a gold twist. You’ll use black eyeliner the same, but use a shimmery gold shadow to cover your eyelid. Add a black shadow to the outer corner and blend it in, and you’re ready to hit the party.
This sounds simple, but there are so many variations. Check out these gold smoky eye tutorials for some great tips on several options.
#6: Rosy Cheeks
A certain red-suited chimney-hopper doesn’t have a monopoly on rosy cheeks. They’re a great addition to any makeup look.
Tossing a little blush onto your cheeks gives you that “I’ve just come in from the cold” coziness. And if you need a lot of foundation and concealer to even your complexion, it adds a natural touch.
Blush should be applied along the bottom of the cheekbones. If you took our second tip and used highlighter, the blush will be just below it. Be careful not to use too dark of a blush or to apply too much. Just a light pinkness is all you need.
#7: Bold Holly Lip
Bright reds are everywhere during the holidays, and your lips should be no exception. Winter is the perfect time to be adventurous with darker, bolder lip colors.
To give your festive makeup a stand-out feature, bright red lipstick is a perfect accessory. Matte lip color is in fashion right now, but a glossy sheen is never a bad way to go either.
To really make your lips pop, pair a bright red color with the lip plumper from tip #3. As an added bonus, it’ll make your pearly whites look whiter for those family photos.
#8: Defined Eyes
Unless you’ve escaped the winter with a beach vacation, we’re all looking sadly untanned this time of year. Your eyes can get lost in a lighter complexion, giving you a more bland look.
To combat your face’s winter blues, embrace the power of eyeliner. A strong black eyeliner does wonders on the upper and lower lids. For an extra zing, master the perfect wing from the outside corners.
Mascara is another way to really make your eyes stand out. If you’re going all-out, false lashes add a beautiful finish.
#9: Shimmery Eyeshadow
Don’t let your holiday fashion have all the glitzy fun. While we mentioned a gold smoky eye above, that’s a nighttime look. For daytime parties (or if you like a lighter eye), shimmer can add the perfect festive touch.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can play with fun colors. But if you’re just starting, you can’t go wrong with a shimmery copper. It looks great with any skin tone.
#10: Glittery Eyeliner
Here’s where we bring the festive makeup to a head: glitter eyeliner. For someone with bolder tastes, it’s a fast way to step up your makeup game. If you want to really bring in the holidays, use green, red, gold, or silver glitter.
A word to the wise, though: check reviews before you buy. Glitter has a way of coming loose, and you don’t want tiny loose pieces of anything near your eye. Some brands hold up better than others, so customer reviews are key.
Happy Glamming!
Now that you have some great festive makeup tips, we wish you all a happy holiday season! For more ways to kick up your look, keep up with Estilo Tendances and our new articles all year round.
