Holiday Beauty

 Chilly winds gust through the streets, leaves desperately cling to the last signs of summer and with every passing day it becomes as clear and crisp as the fall air that winter is not far away. And although with winter comes the inevitable stashing of strappy sandals  and putting fall frocks  to rest, it does offer new opportunities for wearing incredible holiday colors! Put away the browns  and retire your soft summer hues and get ready for a stunning arsenal of makeup for a winter look that will be so hot that it will melt snowflakes in their tracks.
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The Trends

The holidays are the ideal time to whip out your more adventurous makeup, including ethereal shimmers,  bold jewel tones and metallic glitters.  With plenty of parties and an array of festive get-togethers to attend, you'll no doubt want to exude the joy and happiness of the holidays on your face. Dark winter nights are also the perfect time to break out your sparkly makeup and sport glamorous looks that are too heavy for warmer months. Embrace the smoky eye to its fullest extent and use the snowy backdrop of winter to play with white.

The Looks

Below you'll find suggestions for how to wear your makeup this holiday season as well as product recommendations for new items that may or may not be available at ShopWiki. If you can't find them here, check the manufacturer's Web sites. Go to the External Links section for quick links.

Delicate

Soft plums and pinks dusted over the eyes and cheeks should give your face the look of being out and about in the chilly winter air. Pair light eyes and warm cheeks with tame gloss or sheer lip stains for an innocent, chill-kissed look.

Fierce

Icy blues, silvers and whites dabbed around the eyes paired with bare but glossed lips and shimmery cheeks will create a crystalline snowflake look: perfect for enhancing cool-tones, grays and basic black.

Bold

Embrace colors that have been spiced up a notch like a spiked egg nog to make eyes pop and lips scream, "I'm gorgeous!" A colorful face brightens up the perfect little black dress for all your holiday affairs.

Festive

Glitzy golds, ambers and coppers can jazz up basic browns for a totally you but totally electrified holiday look. When using gilded looks, keep them monochromatic except for some berry lips when you want to dress it up. To enhance the eyes, play up the creases with deep chocolate.

Sultry

Think pine forests and snuggling in front of a burning fireplace in a remote ski lodge with your sweetie. Your come-hither look will be intoxicating with dark jewel tones, deep neutrals, and deep berry red lips.

Glowing Cheeks

For a subtle gleam, pick an illuminizer or highlighter to dab on cheek and brow bones as well as down the bridge of the nose. Or use a smidgen in your daily moisturizer to give your face an overall glowing radiance. When pairing these crystalline looking cheeks with lips and eyes, there are a few routes to take. Go mellow all around, swiping on just a touch of brown mascara and pink lip gloss or stain for an au natural, just-off-the-slopes look. You can also try creating soft gold eyes and barely there lips to warm up the look (best paired with a warm highlighter) or cool blues, grays, and silver to create an edgy wintry style (best when done with a cool luminizer).

Starry Eyes

Soft, shimmering eyes are easy to wear, quick to apply and gorgeous on everyone. They easily transition from day to night with an extra coat of black mascara and a little liquid eyeliner. Always pair this with soft lips and cheeks so that the eyes can really take the stage. Choose the shade of shimmer depending on whether you want something cooler or warmer and be careful that you choose the rest of the color in the look to match. Other options, particularly good for a New Year's Eve bash or for younger women, bold, colorful liners really make a statement.

  • DuWop Smoke : This duo of deep, daring jewel-toned shadows comes in sets of plum, olive, navy, and gold. The duo is monochrome, one pod in cream and the other in powder.
  • Too Faced Starry Eyed Liner Stalkerazzi : Get gutsy and glitzy with this 100 watt glowing eyeliners. Stalkerazzi is the perfect bubble champagne hue for all your New Year's Eve extravaganzas.
  • POP Beauty Glitter Gel : Choose your fave shade for the gala in warm gold or copper, cool crystal or turquoise, or get girly with pink or sultry with sage. Either way, your eyes are sure to "pop" with Pop Beauty Glitter Gel.
  • Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner : Got a rock concert to hit over the holidays? Don't go unarmed. Bring along this bold glitter liner to make eyes stand out no matter how loud the music is or how long the party lasts.
  • Almay Intense i-Color Play Up Liquid Eyeliner : If you can't rationalize spending $20 on eyeliner, this product is a great choice and comparable to high-end versions.
  • Prescriptives Colorscope Refillable Palettes : Not only do these compact palettes come in two gorgeous warm or cool options, but they are great as gifts and are completely versatile to go from the office to a night on the town. For more information, please visit the Prescriptives Web site.
  • Stila Silver Belles Pan Palettes in Glacier Ice and Snow Lilies : These two palettes are to die for. They come with three eyeshadows and one cheek color for a perfectly balanced look that goes with you anywhere.
  • Bobbi Brown Diamond Dust : This ultra soft selection of shadows is powdery and satiny for a barely-there dab of color and gorgeous eye-enhancing sparkle.

Luscious Lips

Bold red lips are all the rage for fall and winter. They work best with subtle eye makeup and minimal cheek makeup, if at all. If too bold of lips makes you feel too vampy, consider paring down deep crimson to a chilled, yet sheer berry and then dust the eyes with soft neutrals, pale charcoals or pearly whites and champagnes. For a glamorous starlet look, pair matte skin and ruby lips with liquid lined eyes. Red not for you? For a delicate look, go easy on the red and indulge in pearly pinks and roses.

  • MAC Beaded 3 Lips : This is a lovely kit perfect for gift giving or for indulging in yourself. You get two lipsticks (Dubonnet and Casanova) and Cherche La Femme Lipglass.
  • Prescriptives Mini Moonbeam Quartet : This quad gift set comes with four beautifully shimmery shades of lovely, from pale champagne to deep plum purple.
  • Aveda Lip Shine in Golden Prism :
  • Lorac Man Magnet : Two sheer gloss wands paired with four lush shades of shiny pink are able to go anywhere and adapt to any mood.
  • DuWop’s Pick Your Poison : Start with two mini gloss wands and add on one double ended gloss tube for maximum versatility. Ideal for those who have been stung by the original venom and who can't get enough.
  • Vincent Longo Diamond Lip Gloss : It's elegant and sheer for just a touch of luster, plus the gloss is enriched for soothing lips as well as making them look plump.
  • Bourjois Lovely Rouge Perle : Pearls are always an elegant fashion accessory to add to any outfit. Now you can carry the look of pearls to your lips with this shimmery shade that will give you just the right touch of pearly glamour. The line currently offers four soft, creamy colors in rose perlé (pearly rose), rose doux perlé (a soft rose), brun perlé (mocha brown), and corail perlé (a light bronze).

Deep, Dark Nails

Nails are getting darker and darker the cooler the weather gets. Of course, the satiny black shade popularized by Chanel is still holding its head high and many other polishes have dared follow in its footsteps. Besides the gothic hue, true reds, rich burgundies and sparkling rubies are just as hot for the holidays.

  • OPI Rockettes Collection : This collection of premium nail lacquers features six outrageous reds in spirit of the holidays, as well as browns and golds for all other non-red needs. Also look for the new OPI lip colors in Music Hall Curtain Call, Star-ring the Rockettes and Red Dazzle.
  • OPI Lincoln Park After Dark : This dark eggplant hue is devilishly delightful and perfect for the cool winter months. Wear it on short nails for a neat and trendy look that adds instant glamour and sophistication to any of your holiday looks.
  • Sally Beauty Supply : The fall color line up includes five toasty shades for the holidays including Peppermint Sparkle, Pretty Poinsettia, Holiday Warmth, Rosy Cheeks, and Mulled Cider.

Major Manufacturers

Related Guides

Nail Polish

Makeup Tips by Age

Fall Makeup Guide

Retro Makeup

Cosmetics and Beauty Tools

External Links

  • iVillage.com: Hot, hot, hot, and easy holiday makeup from Marie Claire.
  • About.com: Christmas makeup looks for everything from casual to black-tie.
  • LHJ.com: Go to this page and scroll down for links to several makeup how-to's for the holidays from Ladie's Home Journal.
  • IndoIndians.com: Party? Office? Dinner? Whatever event you are attending, this is an article with some advice on what's appropriate to wear.
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