Holiday Makeup Tips: Go For The Gold

If you are anything like me, the idea of holiday parties fills you with both glee and dread. Glee, because who doesn’t want to partake of the free bar, the bill for which is footed by your husband’s boss? Dread, because oh my gosh these people only see me once a year and I need to look fabulous.

Well, I can’t tell you what to wear (actually, I can – there is nothing that makes me happier than giving other people fashion advice…) but I can help you decide how to do your holiday makeup! This holiday season is all about dramatic red lips and gold highlights. It’s easy to recreate and you probably already have the products you need in your makeup bag.

I promise this look is easy to recreate, even for those of you who might be intimidated by winged/liquid liner. Don’t be nervous – I’ll walk you through it!

• First, moisturize your face and apply primer if needed.
• I normally apply concealer after foundation, but for this look I applied it first. My favorite concealer is Benefit Erase Paste.
• Mix your foundation with liquid highlighter for a little extra glow. I put four pumps of Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Foundation on the back of my hand and mixed it with one pump of Make Up For Ever Uplight Face Luminizer Gel in 23. I applied my foundation with a stippling brush – the MAC 188 Small Duo Fibre Face Brush.
• Set your foundation with a light dusting of powder. I used Make Up For Ever Duo Mat Powder Foundation.

Tip: Use whatever foundation, powder, and concealer you use every day. If you do not use liquid foundation, I would recommend Revlon Colorstay foundation. If you don’t own liquid highlighter, try mixing a gold mineral shadow into your foundation. Bare Minerals Glimmer Eyeshadow in True Gold is a great neutral gold you will use again and again.

• Apply a light dusting of bronzer along your temples, under your cheekbones, and down your chin. I contoured my nose (to make it appear smaller) by brushing bronzer down the sides of my nose.
• Apply a medium pink blush to your cheeks. I used Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Exposed on the outer part of my cheeks, near my hairline. I topped it with Cargo Blu Ray Blush/Highlighter in Pink. If you are in the market for a new blush, I highly recommend the Cargo Blu Ray Blush! It doesn’t look like anything special in the pan, but when you apply it to your skin you just look lit from within. I use it daily!
• (Not shown in picture) I apply the Make Up For Ever Uplight Face Luminizer Gel down the center of my nose and along my cheekbones. Try this! When the light hits your skin, you will look like a supermodel.

Tip: For a cheaper option, try NYX Powder Blush in Pinched. It’s $6.00! (And it currently BOGO 50% off at Ulta!)

• Fill in your brows if needed and set with a clear mascara. I use whatever brown shadow I have handy – in this case it was MAC Satin Taupe. I absolutely love ELF’s Essential Wet Gloss Lash & Brow. It’s only $1.00!
• Apply a champagne or light cream shade all over your eye lid. I used MAC Next to Nothing.
• Apply a taupe/medium brown shade in the crease. I used MAC Satin Taupe – which is one of my favorite shadows of all time.
• Apply a dark brown shade in the outer third of your lid and crease. I used MAC Showstopper. Use a fluffy crease blush to blend the shadows all together.
• Using a pencil brush, apply the taupe/medium brown shadow under your eye (where you would normally apply eyeliner).

Tip: NYX Trio Eyeshadow in Nude/Taupe/Brown would be a great replacement for the shadows I mentioned above. It’s a steal at $8.00, and since it is neutrals, you will use it again and again.

• Time for the liner! Start with your black liquid liner. I used Lorac Front of the Line Pro because it has a felt tip and I think that makes it super easy to apply. When applying liquid liner, the trick is to apply in short bursts. Don’t try to apply your liner in one long swoop. Instead, try short dashes that you connect together.
• Once you have your entire upper lid lined, it is time to add the cat eye effect. At the end of your upper lashes, draw a line straight out towards the end of your brow. I find it helps if I pull the skin near my eye taut (gently – we don’t want wrinkles!). Then thicken up your liner to connect the line that you have already drawn to the cat eye.
• The gold liner I used is Sephora Long Lasting 12HR Wear Eyeliner in Gold. This part is simple! You just trace over the top of your black liner. Again, work slowly because if you make a mistake you’ll have to start all over again.

Tip: Your liner does not have to be perfect. No one will be so close that they will notice if your line is crooked. (And if they are, they are totally violating your personal space!) You can always clean up your black liner with a q-tip and a little makeup remover if needed!

• Last step is your lips! I used Loreal Colour Riche Lipcolour in British Red. I topped it with Sephora Glossy Gloss in Marquisette.

Tip: Red lipstick calls for red liner! I don’t normally use liner, but I do when I wear red lipstick. The red is so bright that you will see it you apply it unevenly (plus, I have naturally crooked lips, and liner helps me straighten them out somewhat). It also helps keep your lipstick from smearing. Don’t apply it to just the outline of your lips – fill in your entire lip with the liner. When your red lipstick wears off, you’ll still have the liner as a base!

So what do you think? It this a look you will be sporting this holiday season?

Andrea House is a Southern bell and a self-titled beauty maven that deals with her toddler’s frequent meltdowns by seeking peace in the aisles of Sephora and Ulta. By day she is a social worker, while at night she manages her household while reading story books in her best Elmo voice. Andrea blogs at My Chihuahua Bites, where her blog philosophy is “keepin’ it real.” You can read more from Andrea on her blog, My Chihuahua Bites.