by Colleen Clark
It's the time of year when holidays — and holiday get-togethers — are tightly packed on the calendar. You, naturally, want your face to look dazzling and innovative, whether you're sipping eggnog with a few friends in front of a fire, being the life of the New Year's Eve party or even decorating Santa cookies with Mom. Here's how to pull together your 2010 holiday makeup.
What Designers Are Doing
Fashion houses with cosmetic lines often create a line specifically for the holidays. Here are the looks and colors a handful of them are offering.
Dolce & Gabbana. D&G's high-glam holiday campaign features Scarlett Johansson with a nude face, shimmering pale pink lips and smoky eyes with purple lids.
Chanel. This age-old fashion house is taking the 2010 holidays in a non-traditional direction with bursts of fuchsia paired with dark chocolates and grays.
Givenchy. In true French style, Givenchy is featuring red on lips and nails, paired with pale skin.
Giorgio Armani. For holiday 2010, Armani is launching a high-tech pearlized eyeshadow in three metallic colors: black, silver and copper. They're offering red for lips and a sheer, shimmering gold power for the face.
Daphne Guinness for NARS. The heiress and fashion icon put together a Kabuki-inspired holiday palette that features pale skin, cobalt eyelids, and nude or berry lips.
Finding Your Holiday Look
This decade's rule for fashionable makeup is to play up one feature and keep the rest of your face minimal — rein in smoky eyes with a nude lip, for example, or red lips with understated eyeshadow. But rules are meant to be broken, so if you really want to make a statement with your holiday makeup, go ahead and pair bold lips with bold eyes. Experiment to find the holiday look that looks best on you.
Face and Skin
Luminescent skin is the basis for dramatic holiday looks. Exfoliate your face and any skin that will be on display, and then moisturize well to compact dry, flaky skin.
For your face, start with foundation and concealer, if needed. Because holiday makeup plays up lips or eyes, keep blush subtle with a nearly nude shade — you just need enough to keep from looking washed out. Use a highlighter to brighten your cheekbones or brow line — use a matte highlighter by day and a shimmering one at night.
If you're showing skin at night (legs or shoulders, but not both), smooth on a shimmering lotion.
Keep oil-absorbing sheets in your bag to look fresh throughout the night without ruining your makeup.
Eyes
It's no coincidence that the eyeshadow gift sets show up on cosmetic counters just in time for holiday gift giving. And whose eyes deserve a gift more than your own? Grab one that includes metallics and jewel tones, as well as the basics, and you're all set for any holiday look you want to try.
Silver and gold. Silver and gold isn't just the name of a catchy holiday song — these precious-metal colors on your eyes electrify your holiday look. For a daytime gathering, flick a subtle gold eyeshadow on your eyelid or line the upper lashes with metallic silver. For a dramatic nighttime look, first cover the lid with silver or gold eyeshadow and then line your eyes in black. You can even dab a tiny bit of metallic glitter makeup on the brow bone for a memorable look — don't use craft glitter, which can fall into your eye.
Smoky. Get your smolder on with smoky eyes. The most striking color for smoky eyes is classic black, but you can switch to gray, chocolate or dark purple to soften the effect and add an interesting twist.
On the upper lid, pull the color just past the outer corner of your eye. Line under your lower lashes with a dark liner and then smudge a slightly lighter shadow just below the eyeliner on the outer third of the eye. Finally, to keep from looking sleepy instead of smoky, use waterproof white liner line on your inner lower lid.
Smoky eyes are definitely a nighttime look — not for Christmas brunch at Grandma's.
Jewel tones. Deep jewel tones such as amethyst, emerald and sapphire are unexpected and striking. Test drive these rich purples, greens and blues with a sheer shimmer from the lash line to the crease. If you like that look, next time try a bolder, opaque jewel tone.
To complete the look, line your upper lids in a darker version of the eyeshadow color — such as a deep violet liquid liner with purple shadow.
Thick eyelashes. Thick lashes are a must for intense eyes this holiday season. If you're blessed with naturally long, thick eyelashes, you just need a touch of mascara. If your eyelashes need more help, one option is a double dose of mascara: apply lengthening mascara first, followed by volumizing mascara. For extra eyelash oomph, glue on natural-looking fake lashes or stop by your favorite salon for eyelash extensions that last through the holidays and into the new year.
Lips
A lot of focus is on your mouth during the holidays, what with all the eating, small talking and smiling for holiday photos — not to mention puckering up under the mistletoe. Instead of carrying a duffle bag full of glosses and lipsticks, plan the lip look that goes best with your eyes and carry a clutch.
Nude. Nude is never boring, and that truth applies to lips as well. But a nude lip doesn't mean a bare lip. Wear a sheer stain or gloss in pale pink, bronze or apricot. Or for a sassy but simple pout that's easy to maintain for hours, line your lips with a lip-tone color for fullness and then top with a high-shine neutral gloss.
Red. Red is a traditional holiday color, so it just makes sense to add bold, red lips to your holiday makeup repertoire. For a subdued red lip, try a sheer color or a lip stain. Even if you choose to go bolder with lipstick, underlay it with a red stain so your lips never look bare.
Not sure what red works for you? See Find the Perfect Red for Your Lips.
Nails
The hot colors for this holiday season are matte gray, deep purple, nude and classic red. Pick a shade that coordinates with your outfit and don't be afraid to make a statement. If you don't want to spend stretched holiday funds on a salon manicure, you can do your own.
Freelance writer Colleen Clark specializes in fashion, beauty, entertainment and travel.
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