6 Festive Makeup Ideas To Try This Holiday Season

Whether you favor a full face or prefer a minimalist approach to beauty, we’re guessing you have your everyday makeup routine down to a science. Come December, though, you may find yourself wanting to embrace a more festive look to celebrate the season. After all, what better place to experiment with bolder makeup than at a holiday bash? If you need some inspiration on that front, keep scrolling. Below, we’re sharing six standout makeup looks that are bound to make you the star of every holiday gathering — even if it's just your family get-together or the office Zoom party.

1. Statement Red Lipstick

We’d argue that nothing screams “holiday season” quite like a classic crimson lip. After all, if there’s one color most of us associate with the holidays, it’s red. To ensure your statement lip holds up throughout caroling and toasts, a long-lasting formula is essential. Try Pat McGrath Labs MatteTrace Lipstick in Elson — it’s rumored to be Taylor Swift’s go-to for all-night, smudge-proof wear.

2. Monochrome Berry 

Dress up your go-to LBD with an eye-catching berry makeup look perfect for a late-night seasonal soiree. To create this monochrome makeup look, you’ll need eyeshadow, blush, and lipstick, all in matching (or very similar) berry hues. If you don’t want to spend tons on new makeup just for one party, consider using a multipurpose stain, such as Freck Beauty Cheekslime Lip + Cheek Tint in Jam Sesh, for your blush and lipstick. Tie it together by tapping a plum eyeshadow onto your lids and running through your lashes with a coat or two of your favorite black mascara.

3. Classic Cat Eye

Cat eyeliner is a bit of a unicorn: It’s classic, but still interesting; understated, but glam enough for any holiday party. Even better, it’s fairly easy to create, so long as you have the right product at your disposal. A long-lasting liquid liner will give you the most precise line, but if you’re not confident in your liner skills, you can also sketch out the shape with a pencil eyeliner before tracing over it with your liquid formula. A favorite is L'Oréal Infallible Flash Cat Eye Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner.

4. Metallic Silver Eyeshadow

This holiday season, we’ll be taking a page from Nicole Richie’s book and sporting shimmery silver eyeshadow whenever and wherever we can. (Remember: Where the holidays are concerned, more is more.) To create this festive, party-ready look, we suggest using a liquid eyeshadow — they tend to have less fallout than sparkly powder formulas. Danessa Myricks Beauty Colorfix Cream Pigment in Odyssey is a great option, and you can tap it onto your lids with your fingers (no brush needed). If you’d prefer something more glittery than shimmery, try Stila Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow in Diamond Dust.

5. Flushed Cheeks

It’s been unseasonably warm this year in many parts of the country, but that doesn’t mean you can’t fake a snow-bitten flush. This fresh-faced look is perfect for office parties and events where you’d like to look more glam than usual, but not like you’re ready to party until dawn. To create the in-from-the-cold effect, you’ll want to use a slightly brighter blush than you normally wear. Be generous with your application, too.  Since the cheeks are the focal point of this look, you can really lean into playing them up by bringing the blush under your eyes and across your nose. 

6. Icy Accents 

The thought of wearing frosted makeup may momentarily give you middle school flashbacks, but we promise — the modern take on this ’90s trend is totally grown-up (and perfect for winter festivities). Skip the frosted lip (a clear gloss is perfect) and instead accentuate the high points of your face with a platinum highlighter, such as Haus Labs Bio-Radiant Gel-Powder Highlighter in Moonstone. You’ll be left with a gorgeous lit-from-within glow that not only looks stunning in real life, but photographs beautifully, too.