December is more than the time of holiday cheer, it’s also a month of parties and gatherings. The fashionistas may already have their looks planned well in advance of any parties, but for the rest of us, here are a few beauty tips to make your spirits (and skin) bright.
Beauty trends may come and go, but some beauty tips are eternal. The best, and most enduring beauty tip of all is to always start with a clean, moisturized face. A little shimmer is absolutely in season. Accomplish a look with a gentle shimmer using luminizer, bronzer, or even eyeshadow . Brush the powder in the corner of your eyes, over your cheekbones, and just below your brow line.
To keep your skin looking fresh all night, pass up the alcohol, which can dehydrate your skin. Or take a beauty tip from Victoria Secret model Behati Prinsloo and use rose water. Prinsloo swears by this beauty tip, citing rosewater’s ability to hydrate the skin without ruining makeup.
Hot beauty tip: Save your concealer until after you’ve applied your foundation, and apply it in a triangle to brighten your entire eye, instead of a half moon shape.
A bold lip color is the perfect beauty tip for making a statement at holiday parties. Famous model Kate Moss favors YSL Volupte Sheer Candy Lipstick in Mouthwatering Berry . The YSL lipstick retails for $34 at Sephora. For those more budget conscious beauty mavens, Moss recommends her own Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick by Rimmel London in red 001. The Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick line retails for less than $5.
Or get ahead on Pantone’s newly announced color of 2015: Marsala . Marsala is a wine red color with earthy gold undertones. Pantone may have just announced it as the color of the year, but lipsticks are already available at your local stores. Be frugal with L’Oreal Paris Colour Riche Lipcolour in Divine Wine ($7 at drugstores) or indulge in a beauty splurge with MAC Lipstick in Party Lin ($16 at nordstrom.com)
Hot beauty tip: For a bit of extra pop, apply a creamy lipstick, then use a flat brush to add glitter. Take it up another notch by applying clear lip gloss for even more shine.
If you go high octane with your lips, beauty conventions suggest you go low key with your eyes. Try a color with depth and a little bit of shimmer, but use sparingly. Ashunta Sheriff, makeup artist to Alicia Keys, says, “The trick is to contain it between the lid and the crease. Don’t take it up to the brow bone — that’s very 1980s.”
If you go overboard, have no fear. Just lighten the excess with a damp makeup sponge.
Happy Holidays!
