15 Makeup Tips For This Holiday Season

As featured on http://beauty.about.com/od/makeovers/a/holiday_makeup_tips.htm

1. Watch What You're Wearing

Be careful not to match your makeup to your outfit.

According to Allure Magazine, "matchy-matchy is

tacky." "If you're dressed to the nines, your face

should be low-drama," says makeup artist Jemma

Kidd in Allure. If you have a sparkly dress, don't

apply sparkly makeup. Instead, stick with a smokey

eye. If you are wearing bold prints or color, keep your

makeup neutral.

2. Add Shimmer

Shimmer adds drama to your look. You can get shimmery eyes in several

ways:

Try a shimmery cream or buy a powder shimmer and mix the shadow

with water. The water will help create a dense metallic pigment that's

not too soft. Some shadows are barely there, but you want your shadow

to have heft. Apply shimmery shadow on your lid just above the iris in

your eye and on the inner corner of the eye. This will open up the eye,

lighten up what is usually a dark area of the lid, and helps eyes look

amazing in photos.

3. Exfoliate First, It's an Instant Complexion Lifter

The secret to a gorgeous face isn't in the makeup. It's actually in a clean,

fresh face. To ensure you don't have an ashen complexion, dry skin or

flaky skin, exfoliate your face before applying makeup.

Exfoliation also allows your moisturizer, foundation and blush go on

more smoothly. You can make a simple scrub using olive oil and brown

sugar or simply add half a teaspoon of sugar to your cleanser and scrub it

into your face. Rinse with a washcloth, which also acts as a natural scrub.

Exfoliate lips by applying Vaseline and using an old toothbrush to "scrub"

off the dead skin in a circular motion.

4. Highlighter Should be Your Best Friend

Highlighting pens are a staple in any makeup artist's makeup bag and I

never go out at night without applying Yves Saint Laurent's Touche

Eclat. Highlighters act as a brightener. Skin becomes luminous and

dewy.

Here's how to apply: Put your chin to your chest and look into a mirror.

Swipe a line of highlighter on the shadows, usually under the eye,

along the nose, under the chin. I also apply a line above each brow to

pull my face up. Blend the lines in by dabbing with your middle finger.

5. Choose to Play Up Either the Mouth or the Eyes

When choosing holiday makeup, decide if you're going to play up your

eyes or your mouth. Never do a dark, smokey eye and a red lip, unless

you are performing burlesque. Choose one or the other. If you

emphasize both, you'll risk looking like a clown. If you do a bright lip,

keep the face light and use only mascara and a light shadow on lids. On

your lips, try both lipstick and gloss. First apply liner all over lips, dot

lipstick with your finger and follow with a light (not heavy) gloss.

If you opt for a dark, smokey eye, lighten up lips with a light, sheer

lipstick.

6. Try a New Color on the Lids

Mix it up this year and try a mauve smokey eye, a color that looks great on

everyone.

You can create a gorgeous smokey eye by using a brown eyeliner around eyes and

then smudge a matte mauve from your lid up to your brow. Smudge a bit under

the eye with your finger. Most companies offer a mauve palette. Pair the mauve

lids with pretty pink cheeks and I guarantee you'll hear some ooohs and aaaahs

at your party. The color is especially lovely paired with a gray or metallic dress.

To fix eyeshadow that falls onto cheeks after application, use a Q-tip dipped in

eye makeup remover and lightly roll over the shadow-y bits.

7. Try a New Color on the Lids

Mix it up this year and try a mauve smokey eye, a color that looks great on everyone.

You can create a gorgeous smokey eye by using a brown eyeliner around eyes and

then smudge a matte mauve from your lid up to your brow. Smudge a bit under the

eye with your finger. Most companies offer a mauve palette. Pair the mauve lids with

pretty pink cheeks and I guarantee you'll hear some ooohs and aaaahs at your party.

The color is especially lovely paired with a gray or metallic dress.

To fix eyeshadow that falls onto cheeks after application, use a Q-tip dipped in eye

makeup remover and lightly roll over the shadow-y bits.

8. Keep Your Lipstick From Fading

To get your lipstick from wearing off too fast, line lips

first in a similar shade of lip liner then fill in with the

lipstick. Set with powder, then apply another layer on

top. This will help keep lipstick in place as the night

goes on. Remember to keep the rest of your face

minimal with mascara and powder.

9. Get Your Brows Done

You can have perfect makeup, but if your brows are a

mess, you'll look unfinished. A couple days before

your holiday party, get your brows waxed, threaded

or tweezed. Keep them in place by spraying a bit of

hairspray on your finger and running them over the

brow or opt for a brow gel like M.A.C.'s Brow Set

($13.50) which will keep brow hairs in place for hours.

10. Super Dry Skin? Plump Up Skin

If you have super dry skin, start your makeup off by applying

moisturizer to your face. This will plump up skin and will keep

makeup from soaking into lines and wrinkles. Once your

makeup is done, spray with Evian water to set makeup. You

can keep Evian spray in your purse to spritz as the night goes

on. The water will make skin appear dewy and less ashen.

11. Oily Skin? Carry Oil Blotting Papers, Not Powder

Apply powder before you head out to set makeup, but don't

keep applying it during the night, it ends up caking up and

looking mask-like. Blotting papers are the oily girl's best

friend. Press a paper to the oily spots and watch as the paper

soaks up oil without mussing your makeup. Keep the papers

in your purse for touch ups as the night goes on. Don't have

blotting papers? A paper towel or napkin will work in a pinch.

12. The Mani/Pedi

You may be tempted to get fake nails for the holiday

party, but don't. Short rounded nails are more chic, look

clean and are elegant. Opt for a deep, dark trendy color

(dark purples are hot for winter) or go light. If it's New

Years, add a coat of sparkly polish over a finger. And don't

forget your feet. Even if your toes are hidden from view,

you'll feel more put together if you have manicured feet.

13. Keep Makeup in Place

The secret to keeping eyeshadow in place for hours is an eye base. I

love Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion . To keep makeup

fresh, try makeup artist Mally Roncal's secret: she keeps cotton

swabs rolled in eyeshadow in a cigarette case to apply later after her

shadow starts to lose its oomph. To keep makeup in place, consider

a primer. Apply to face before foundation. And don't skip the

foundation if you also use powder and blush. Foundation actually

helps keep powders in place.

14. Don't Skip the Blush if You're a Brunette

The one mistake I see brunette girls with peachy

complexions make is skipping the blush. They end up

with brown hair and white skin and no color

anywhere. Add some color on your lids and on the

cheeks for that "I just came in out of the snowstorm"

look that's so gorgeous.

15. Don't Overdo the Statement Jewelry

Big jewelry pieces are great for the holidays but make

sure you wear them correctly. Don't wear a large

necklace, a chunky ring and big earrings. Choose 1-2

statement pieces and keep your other jewelry quiet

and subdued. You can do either a strong necklace and

tiny earrings and rings OR a statement ring and

statement earrings.