Even though it turns up at the same time every year, we’re never 100% ready for Christmas, are we? If we’re not panicking about presents or wrestling with wrapping, it’s fighting for space at the bathroom mirror.
However, even with minimal time there’s still a way to vary your look to suit different festive occasions. Try these quick but easy ways to vary your festive make-up.
For Christmas lunches and brunches
Fight the temptation to slap on the dark, smoky-eyed look. Only Joan Collins can get away with it in daytime. Instead, concentrate on perfecting your complexion and your lips.
- Skin: Always apply base to even your skin colour and help you to look polished, even if you only use tinted moisturiser or BB/CC creams rather than foundation. (I particularly recommend Erborian BB Creme Au Ginseng Korean Formula, £15. Next, smooth a light-reflecting concealer – such as YSL’s infamous Touche Eclat – in the hollows under your eyes. If you have time, blend it carefully into deep nose-to-mouth smile lines, too.
- Eyes: Keep eye make-up minimal with mascara on the upper lashes only, adding a second coat to the outer corners. For extra emphasis, smudge brown or grey eye-pencil in a V-shape around the outer corners, blending it upwards and outward with a fingertip.
- Lips: Add the perfect seasonal touch of statement red lipstick, but careful application is key. Prevent bleeding by drawing a natural-coloured lip pencil around the lip edge, then paint in colour with a brush, not an applicator sponge – it makes more difference than you might imagine. Try Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in No15 Red-Volution, £8.99, a bold red that lasts up to 24 hours and will resist coming off all over cheeks, wineglasses, etc..
Cocktails and/or dinner
Evening is the time to add more drama to your make-up, especially to your eyes, but don’t go overboard just yet.
- Skin: Smooth Murad Invisiblur, £55, over your moisturiser but under foundation to literally ‘blur’ fine lines, creases and imperfect texture. Also, remember that if you add ordinary translucent powder over a light-reflecting foundation or concealer you’ll cover its illuminating benefits, so use a matching light-diffusing powder or skip powder altogether and settle for soaking up any excess shine with blotting papers instead.
- Eyes: Apply a shimmering champagne eyeshadow over the entire eyelid, then add brown pencil liner all along the upper lash line. Set the pencil by topping it with matching brown eyeshadow, then smudge this into a V-shape around the outer corners before extending it upwards and inwards along the natural crease to add contour. This socket line should look smudgy and shadowy but will enlarge, shape and dramatise your eyes. Don’t forget plenty of mascara.
- Lips: Finish with your favourite lipstick topped with Max Factor Star Wars Limited Collection Colour Elixir Lipstick in Gold, £7.99 (from 11th December). Or wear the Gold on its own.
The big partyThis is when to bring out the big guns, with smoky eyes, sculpted lips and gleaming cheeks.- Eyes: Blend gold eyeshadow over the inner third of your eyelid, with a glittery charcoal shade on the outer third, then smudge them towards one another with a good blending brush (not the foam applicators that come with most palettes). If the colours don’t look sufficiently blurred, add more eyeshadow, mixed with a little face powder if necessary, and keep blending until the finish is seamless. Try shades from Christian Dior 5 Couleurs in Eternal Gold, £43. Edge with black eyeliner and, if you’re adept with false eyelashes, apply them now and blend them into your own lashes with a slick of mascara.
- Skin: Avoid ‘contour’ powder. In my opinion it looks good in pictures but can appear a bit grubby in real life. Besides, ‘mature’ faces don’t tend to need them since our cheeks have often lost their youthful plumpness which means our cheekbones show up just fine, thank you very much. Stick to blusher to brighten (but apply it with a light hand if drinking alcohol makes your skin flush), with a touch of ’strobing’ to add lift. That’s just the latest term for what we originally called highlighter, by the way. Try Elizabeth Arden’s limited edition Beautiful Colour Highlighter in Gold Illumination, £29, which gives you maximum shade choice. Smudge it sparingly over the top of your cheekbones and also over your browbones.
- Lips: Finish with red lipstick but blot it to soften its vibrancy, then add gold on top for a festive gleam. As a final touch of pure glamour, brush a fine line of highlighter/concealer pen directly above your Cupid’s bow, then blend softly to really make your lips ‘pop’.Tried any of our Christmas make up looks? Let us know! We’d love to see pictures! – Tag us in your Christmas make up selfies on Facebook or Twitter…
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