All that glitters is not necessarily tacky
or How to look festive without looking like a Christmas Tree
IT’S THAT time of year again when we rummage around in the back our cosmetics drawer to find that tube of glitter gel. Leave it! Save it for your kids to use. How to look gorgeous and Christmassy with an air of class and sophistication? Easy. All that’s needed is a switch in your usual lipstick tones and eye make up with a little more shimmer.
If, for example, you’re a Gucci, beige lipstick and gloss kind of girl or you are still wearing soft summery orange or sepia tones, change them for Christmas and New Year’s functions, and ideally for the whole of winter, to cooler-toned lipsticks depending on your hairstyle and attire. Think rich, velvety, dark brown/aubergine or reddish burgundies or even good old red, as long as it has a rich velvety look to it and is not too matt or orange looking.
If you don’t want a dark lipstick, you can use a natural, softly shimmering warm mauve tone lightly applied for a softer mouth, teamed with sexy, subtly-defined eyes using a warm brown, shiny shadow to achieve an understated but still dressy look. If you don’t like deep coloured lips another very new look is pale golden beige-toned lips. Team this with glamorous sexy eyes, achieved using black, navy or dark brown kohl inside upper and lowers eyelids, including inner corners, and also around eyelashes; blended and ‘smoked up’ with rich dark shades of bronzy brown, shiny navy or grey brown shadow. For this look you need a warm complexion balanced with a warm goldy/brown blusher (I found Clinique’s Gentle light pressed powder no 05 to be a great product, Price £88.88).
For the most beautiful and up to the minute colours and textures this season I found the Estee Lauder’s range of lipsticks the best. Go to any Estee Lauder counter and check out Electric in Volcano 740, Electric in Scandalous 739, Pure Color Vintage Rubies 193, Pure Color Vintage Sherry 194, Pure Color Vintage Black wine 103, Crystal: numbers 333 and 334.
If you choose dark, dressy lips keep your eye make up simple. Define either all around the eyes or only on upper lids, close to the lashes with either black, navy, deep purple or dark rich brown pencils. Apply a little powder shadow in a shimmering rich, slightly bronzy brown or bronzy grey colour to give you a sultry look. An alternative is to just softly define eyes with a dark eye pencil around the eyelashes and balance this with a pearly ivory beige eye colour on the eyelid.
If you want a little pizzazz, apply a gold or silver shimmering product very sparingly only to the middle of the eyelid and blend the edges well and slightly outwards.
For the latest look in the fashion industry, which we make up artists create on the world’s catwalks, try applying your eye-catching colour (in this case gold or sparkly colours) only to the very inner corner of the upper eyelids and extend slightly upwards, only about a third of the way up. Make sure you use a product that is safe for use near the eyes if using anything with glitter.
For your festive look, choose only one area to be sparkly or glittery and do avoid the old type glitter, it’s so last year (or rather five years ago!); Go for the yummy new softly sparkling cheek and skin products. Do only the inner eye or middle eye or cheeks and you can maybe also use a gorgeous shimmer lotion or sparkly product to subtly use over your upper chest and shoulders to balance your gorgeous face. To achieve your ‘knock ‘em dead’ look use:
For complexion:
Clinique’s Gentle Light or Soft Finish (for dry skin) foundations (price:**.**)
For cheeks or upper chest sparkles:
Estee Lauder’s Vintage Collection Golden Shimmer Powder (price: £88.**)
Yves Saint Laurent Touche Blush (price: £**.**)
Chanel’s Joues Contraste in Eldorado no 47 (price: £**.**)
Clinique’s Colour Rub mixed with your body lotion (price: £**.**)
For blushers:
Guerlain’s Bubble Blush in Peche Graffitti or Rose Chamallow (price: £**.**)
Estee Lauder Potpourri Passion (price: £**.**)
For eyes:
The best eye pencils are from Estee Lauder and Guerlain
Clinique’s Touch Tint for Eyes in: 13 Gold Glimmer; 06 Nude Sparkle; 01 Sable Shimmer (price: £**.**)
Chanel’s Les 4 Ombres: 79 Spices; 99 Stellaires (price: £**.**)
Chanel’s Irreelle Ombres: Venus 27; Fusion 21. (£**.**) These two can be used as cheek or eye colours
Estee Lauder’s More Than Mascara (for fairly natural lashes. price: £**.**)
Estee Lauder’s MagnaScopic Mascara (for dramatic lashes. price £**.**)
