This week, I’m going to share three different holiday party makeup looks that should suit almost any style, as well as, give some suggested outfit ideas you can try using Rent the Runway.
I’m kicking off this mini-series with the traditional red lip. The red lip gets such side-eye from many who are a little scared of her. But don’t worry. ANYONE can rock the right red lip. If you like this look, continue reading to get the full product list and my favorite outfit recommendations for your upcoming holiday festivities!
Within the descriptions, I’m linking the exact products I personally used. You can use whatever you have that’s similar.
Eyes
Start by priming the eyelids all the way up to the brow bone with MAC’s Painterly paintpot and then dust a nice layer of face powder all over the lids to create an even canvas. This helps the shadow to blend and prevent any patchiness. Then take a fluffy blending brush to buff bronzer onto the outer half of the lid, buffing up towards the brow bone. Don’t be afraid to take it up there fairly high – that’s what gives the nice, blown-out effect. Take Bitten and a smaller blending brush and use tiny, circular motions to buff that into the outermost part of the eyelid, slighting pulling it up towards the brow but not as high as the bronzer. Apply black pencil liner to the top lash line. Take a smudge brush (or q-tip) and lightly smudge that black pencil along the lash line for a softer look. Do exactly the same on your lower lash line, but only line the outer half of your bottom lash (you can see that in my photo… I didn’t take it all the way into my tear duct). To soften the black on the bottom lashes, take a little bronzer and smudge that over the liner very lightly. Fill in brows with brow pencil. Apply a few coats of black mascara. Add false lashes, if preferred.
Face
Any special occasion makeup look is going to take a bit more effort on the skin to A – LAST LONGER and B – look better in photos. So bear with me here. Begin with cream highlighter and apply it generously to the high points of your face and anywhere else you want to glow. I applied it to the center of my forehead, tops of my cheekbones, bridge of the nose and cupid’s bow (upper lip). Blend with fingers or buffing brush. Now apply foundation with the buffing brush over top of the cream highlighter. Assess where concealer is needed (if at all). I applied it under the eyes and blended down the cheek for a more seamless effect. Then take the contour stick and apply it to the top of the forehead, temples, hollows of the cheeks (but stop half way to your mouth – you don’t want to look like you have a beard lol), under the jaw line and under the chin. Buff, buff, buff, with buffing brush. Now that all the cream products are on the skin, time to set it all. Take your face powder and a nice fluffy brush and PAT it over your skin (do not swirl and swipe). Be sure to really set any under-eye concealer. Now, we’re going to layer the powder products. Start with powder highlighter and re-apply to all the same places we applied the cream highlighter in the beginning. Then take the bronzer and apply to tops of forehead, cheeks, top of the nose and chin (where the sun would hit). To finish, add a dash of peachy blush to the apples of the cheeks.
Lips
That’s literally all I did. A swipe of Wine with Everything straight from the tube. To make it matte, I blotted with a tissue and lightly tapped a bit of face powder on top with my powder brush. This makes it easier to wear (matte red is less bold than glossy red) and also makes it last longer!
Option 1, Theia ($90 rental/$595 retail); Option 2, nha khanh ($45 rental/$425 retail); Option 3, allison paris ($115 rental/$740 retail)
If you haven’t used Rent the Runway, you’re in for a treat. I’ve used them over the years for military balls, New Year’s Eves, weddings and even my own bridal shower! You get to rent designer dresses for a fraction of the cost (many under $50) from a four- to eight-day period. They arrive clean and pressed, you look awesome and then you return in the provided garment bag. They’ll take care of any dry cleaning for you. You also get to pick two sizes to help ensure a better fit and I’ve never had an issue with sizing because of the hundreds of customer reviews and photos to help make the decision a no-brainer. You can even filter outfits by body shape, age-range, occasion and so much more. Obviously, I love the site and think it’s a great resource for fancier occasions because how often do you get to re-wear nice dresses that you took 25 selfies in?!
I picked these outfits because they’re timeless – just like the red lip. They’re also a bit fun – from the lace-back jumpsuit to the high-low hemline of the red dress and the horsehair detail on the black dress.
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Have you ever tried Rent The Runway? What outfit would you pick? If this look isn’t for you, check out the Girlie Girl and Glam Rock holiday looks!
Happy holiday party-time,
-Steffanie
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