Happy holidays beauties!
I don't think I've ever been this excited about the Christmas season. For some reason, this year I'm feeling more festive than I ever have - embracing the sweet treats, delights, and amazing palettes of celebratory hues the city has to offer (even Christmas coffee cups feel electric)! My makeup regime has truly been no different, and aside from my beloved red lip, I've been venturing out into the world of daily shimmery eyeshadow, glitter accents, and fake lashes. What I love most about both this weather, and this time of the year, is that you don't need to make excuses for dramatic makeup looks. You can double up the dramatic eye and lip for day. You can wear shine, gloss, and glitter to the office. Everything is appropriate, festive, and fun. So pair your beautiful little black dress with a killer pair of scarlet lips, a smokey eye, and accentuated lashes. Revel in the simplicity of feeling beautiful day in and out.
Here's what I used to create my holiday look:
- Start off perfecting your canvas. I used a medium to full coverage foundation and concealer (SkinTrue liquid and BB Skin Perfect Concealer work wonders), and dusted CC Colour Control Pressed Powder to set everything in. I religiously lightly add some colour to my face and neck with Perfect Bronze Bronzing Pressed Powder in Sun Kissed before moving on to cheeks, eyes, and lips!
- Eye time! For this look, I used all the colours from the Alchemy Eyeshadow Trio palette. For holiday looks we so often see an abundance of red lips and creamy shadows, so I wanted to switch it up a little with some fun shimmery green. Starting with the green hue, I covered my lid up to the crease, highlighted my brow bone and inner corner with the light cream colour, and started lining my lash line. Since green and purple make such a gorgeous pair, I opted for the Retractable Eyeliner in Twilighting to define my upper and lower lash line. Blending upwards with the brown shadow from the palette, I gradually brought the colour up to my crease line and used a blender brush to even everything out (adding more green in the crease towards the end). Don't forget to blend some colour into the lower lash line! I only brought the line in two thirds of the way from my outer eye area. To add some glitz to the look (especially liner-free), I reached for my Glitterama Liquid Eyeliner in Blast Off to accentuate the outer corners of my eyes. Dabbing and layering on more as it dried, once I got my fix of opacity, two coats of Expandable mascara on top and lower lashes sealed the eye deal.
- Brows are so important when it comes to defining a holiday eye. I took my time outlining my brow shape with the Skinny Brow Liner in Universal Dark. Comb through to blend colour and get that perfectly groomed look.
- Blush it up! Rosewood Blushon is a great shade to go with the green accents you've just added to your eyes. Apply to the apples of your cheeks.
- And now for the final touch - lippy! I used the Twistup pen in Vamp, with lips lined in Boisenberry Waterproof Lipliner. Nothing more to it!
If you aren't already a fan - may I suggest and highly recommend the hair donut to polish this look off! Having just discovered the delights of this invention, I've completely converted to it's ease and style for sophisticated updo's ready in a minute. Very, very cool little device (my short hair had kept me out of it's loop for far too long). Perfect holiday accessory!
Have fun ladies and gents! Be sure to share your holiday looks with Annabelle on their facebook, twitter, and instagram accounts this season - we love seeing what you come up with, and how you dazzle!
xox