December is officially upon us, and with it comes the start of the holiday season. Whether it’s for upcoming holiday parties, dinners or if you’re just feeling particularly festive on a regular day, the holiday season provides the perfect opportunity to experiment with makeup and get creative. If you’re unsure of what looks to wear this upcoming holiday season, look no further. Here are a few looks Pipe Dream has put together to help you look your best for the holidays.
Gilded
This look is perfect for those who are just starting out with makeup or want to wear something simple to do, yet still exciting.
As always, start off with moisturizing your face. In the harsher winter months, skin tends to dry out for many people. A moisturized, plump base is essential for any makeup look.
Use a lightweight foundation all over your face to even out your skin tone. For beginners, using your fingers to spread out and blend in a light-coverage foundation or BB cream is a great option. If your foundation is more medium to full coverage, a blending sponge such as the Real Techniques Miracle Complexions Sponge or Beautyblender works well at achieving an even finish.
Use a bright pink blush and apply it to the apples of your cheeks. Pink blush is perfect for the holidays and gives a flushed, innocent look. Start off lightly and build up product to your liking so you can avoid the dreaded clown cheeks.
Use your fingers or a brush to dab on a metallic gold shadow, starting at the inner corner of your eye and spreading it out to the center of your lid. With a new brush or a different finger, take a darker, more bronze-toned metallic shade and dab onto the remainder of your lid. Start at the center and blend out toward the outer corner of your eye. Once you’ve reached the desired level of pigmentation, take a clean brush and blend out the area where the two colors meet.
Lightly apply mascara to your eyelashes until they are lengthened and curled. Be careful not to apply too many layers in order to avoid clumping.
Finish off the look with a swipe of lip balm for fruity, moisturized lips. This will keep the attention on your eyes.
Monochromatic Red
This look is perfect for those who want their makeup to scream, “it’s Christmas!” Bonus points if you wear a matching red dress.
Fluff a brown matte eyeshadow into the crease of your eyelid. Use a fluffy eyeshadow brush and work lightly so pigment doesn’t stick too much in one place. You can build up the color and intensity if you would like.
Use a red matte eyeshadow all over your eyelid. If you really want your eyes to pop, bring the red shade down to your lower lash line and blend it out.
Draw on a sharp cat eye with black liquid eyeliner. This can be time-consuming and may require multiple attempts, so it’s best to do this step early on with little risk of ruining the rest of your makeup. If you struggle with liquid eyeliner, lining up the edge of a business card with where you want your wing to be can be helpful.
Lightly fluff a red blush onto the apples of your cheeks. Red blush can sometimes be highly pigmented and harsh, so be sure to work lightly.
Swipe on some matte red lipstick. If you can, try to match it with the shade of red on your eyes. This will create a nice monochromatic look.
If you’d like your lipstick to last longer without feathering out, you could line your lips with lip liner. This will help keep the color retained. You can use one that matches the shade of your lipstick or a universal lip liner.
Winter Goth
While it is the most wonderful time of the year, we’ve also hit the time when the sun starts setting at 4 p.m. each day. This look reflects winter’s darkness and is perfect if you want something bold, dark and romantic.
Start off by priming your eyes. This will make dark colors stand out more on any skin tone. If you don’t have eye primer, you can easily use a concealer, blend it out over your eyelids and up to your brow bone and set it with either translucent powder or one that is close to your skin tone.
Take a dark brown or, if you’re feeling particularly bold, a black shade and lightly fluff it into your crease. As always, use a light hand and gradually build up to the desired level of pigmentation. Bring the eyeshadow down to your outer corner, creating a V-shape on your eyelid.
Take a dark, bold eyeshadow shade of your liking (dark purples and blues are great choices) and pack it onto your lid. Use a clean blending brush to blend out the edges of the eyeshadow and where the two colors meet. Use a pencil brush to tap on a shimmery white shade into your inner corner to open up and brighten your eyes.
Use a black pencil eyeliner on your top and bottom lid. Feel free to smudge it out for an even more dramatic look. Make sure to pack a thick layer of mascara on both your upper and lower lashes.
Top off the look with a cool-toned, frosty highlight on your cheekbones.