Festive make-up trends to try this Christmas
Rocking a festive make-up look doesn’t need to be complicated. Our beauty experts reveal their top easy-to-achieve looks for the party season.
There’s so much to love about the Christmas period: warm weather, time off work and cherished memories with loved ones.
Then of course, there’s the non-stop end-of-year festivities that turn your life into a juggling act, leaving you with minimum downtime.
Which is why these party season beauty trends are so great – they’re big on impact, low on time.
Beauty experts Jade Kisnorbo and Cassandra Lusi reveal the looks that will be trending this festive season and how to achieve them.
The smokey eye
The classic smokey eye is back in a big way this season, with soft grey tones offering a more diffused take on the trend, according to Jade.
“Creating a smoky eye begins with selecting a beautiful, smudgy eyeliner to start as a base that’s easy to work with,” Jade says.
“This can be any dark colour like a chocolate, black or grey.
“Draw the liner along your eye and smudge, then when applying eyeshadow, add pigment as you go to achieve the shape you’re after.
Cassandra tends to gravitate to cooler-tone shadows for the ultimate 90s effect.
“A smokey eye can still look soft and dramatic without black shadow and I’m loving the cooler tones this festive season,” Cassandra says.
“Use nude and taupe eyeshadows to create a seamless blend.
“If you feel like you went too dark, blend it out with a clean brush and be sure to use a tiny brush with your darkest shade, blending from the lash line up so you never end up with dark shadow in your sockets.”
Tools required: smudgy eye pencil, eyeshadow in shades of chocolate, black or grey, while liquid liner is optional.
Tip: this look is all about the eyes, which is why you want to downplay the rest of your make-up.
For this reason, pair it with a nude glossy lip and bronzed cheeks so you don’t look completely void of colour.
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A pop of colour
For hair and make-up artist, Carla Dyson, a bright eye begins with prepping the lids. “Bright eye make-up has been a consistent trend in recent years and now it’s merging with another trend – monotone make-up.”
“Start this look by priming the eye with a lightly coloured primer or concealer to brighten the area and ensure the colour you apply is as vibrant as possible,” she says.
“Use a firm flat brush to press the colour where you want it, then take a fluffy brush to soften the edges. I also like to darken the lash line with a dark brown or black to define the eye and add some lashes and mascara to contrast against the coloured shadow.”
“The idea is to stick to the same colour family, so if you go for an orange eye, you’re using a peachy or orange toned blush and lip, which results in a really complimentary and cohesive look,” Cassandra says.
If you want to draw further attention to the eyes, a pair of false lashes are a great option, but to really nail the look Jade has some advice.
“Make sure the shape of the lash matches your actual eye shape,” Jade says.
“For example, elongated eyes require a fanned style of lashes, which focuses on extending your eye and creating a dramatic shape.
“You can trim them to your eye width with the band lining up to your eye.”
Tools required: an eyeshadow, blush and lip within the same colour family (orange, pink or red are the most flattering shades).
Tip: To “marry” the colours in your make-up, try draping your blush (an 80s beauty trend that involves extending your blush up past the temples and towards the hairline.)
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Holiday red lips
Nothing screams Christmas like a classic red lip, so it’s no surprise the joyful shade is so popular during the holidays.
“When creating a festive red lip, I like to keep the rest of the face quite neutral and bronzed. I would usually opt for shimmery gold and brown tones on the eyes, with lots of mascara to define the eyes,” Carla says.
“Apply the lip colour from the centre outwards and slightly overdraw outside the natural lip line for a fuller pout. For a really defined lip line, use a lip brush to sharpen and concealer to clean up the edges.”
While the look itself is relatively easy to recreate, it’s a little trickier to find the right shade of red for your lips and you have to consider your undertone and hair and eye colouring, according to Jade.
“A statement lip is all about choosing the correct colour that specifically suits you,” she says.
“It’s not necessarily about picking a colour you like, but what’s most flattering on you.”
Warmer and olive skin tones generally favour an orange-based red or even a coral lip, whereas cooler tones suit a blue-based red (which has the added benefit of making your teeth look whiter).
“A statement lip is a great way to have fun with your make-up, just remember to always choose a colour that suits your skin,” Jade says.
Tools required: A red lipliner, red lipstick, gloss (optional) and blush
Tip: Don’t be scared of blush.
Not only is the make-up product incredibly popular at the moment, it can help “marry” your lipstick into the rest of your make-up, similar to the monotone trend.
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Written by Charlotte Brundrett.
