Easy Holiday Glamour

This is the season to sparkle and shine. Your company party or friendly get together may have been scaled back but that doesn’t mean you have to. You can still look glam and gorgeous no matter how small the party. A slick of gloss, a dash of shine, even a spritz of perfume and you’re good to go. What’s even better is that there are so many different trends you can pick and choose one .

1)Twilight hours It must be the vampire craze that’s hitting America. Last year’s fake tan has given way to fake pallor. An ethereal white look is suddenly in vogue. Add a pale luminous shine by dusting a mineral veil over your face. Everyday Minerals and Signature Minerals have the best veils for this – not too sparkly with just the right shimmer. Add a pale pewter grey or purple eye shadow and a pale pink gloss and you’re good to go.

2) Red reigns. Last year’s red lipstick craze hasn’t ended . You can amp up any holiday outfit with a slick of red lipstick. If it’s too much intensity then just experiment with red gloss. elf has some nice ones in the mineral and studio lines that are just downright sexy. If you’re going for red lips then also then add neatly made up eyes and a very little blush. (Think Evan Rachel Wood as Queen Sophie Ann in HBO’s True Blood). Just draw a thin line of navy or blue eyeliner over a natural hued eye along with using the barest sweep of blush.

3) Eye shine Eyes take on a metallic edge this season. Golds, coppers and silvers are all used in varying degrees from highlighter to liner with shadow in between. A popular look is having a sweep of gold or silver over the lid then lining the entire eye either a deep bronze or pewter. Another festive look is a pale gold or champagne eye and line with an iridescent blue , green or purple. You can also buy mascara in these colors to add further oomph. Remember to keep the rest of your face natural with a soft coral or pale pink blush and nude lip gloss.

 4) Smoking allowed. Another great eye look is the smoky one. This is done with varying shades of grey and black swept around lids. Think cat or Egyptian goddess with a slightly elongated line heading towards the brow. The best bet is a sparkly pewter washed over the lid and brow bone. Then layer a sheer iridescent black over the section near the outer corners. Finish with a black gel liner and an dot of sparkly white shadow in your eyes’inner corners. Again the rest of the face should be toned down with a light sweep of blush and a pale pink or nude lipstick or gloss.

 5) Glitterati Glitter is making a big comeback and in a good way. You can have glitter eyes, lips or face. It’s now ground so finely so there’s none of that junior high “sparkle spackle” look.. Still the one rule applies. Use your most attractive feature and play it up with glitter. If you’re still having reservations, then only apply glitter to your nails. Start with a festive color like red or gold and apply a mix of glitter and clear polish over them

6)Winter waves. Look like you‘ve just spent a day at the beach even in December. Create tousled waves for your holiday dos by using a salt spray and a wide barrel curling iron. David Babaii’s Bohemian Beach Spray is the best product for this style. Spray it generously on freshly washed hair and let air dry. Use a large barrel curling iron or heated rollers and wrap sectioned hair around either. . After curling, run fingers through your mane for a textured look and spay with a light hair spray.

7) Bun times. A bun is still the way to go for party updos. Except this time it’s not so tight or sleek . Think more Twilight romantic vampire than uptight “Mad Men” secretary. Again used a salt pray for a better texture to work with and gather hair into a low pony tail. Then wrap the loose hair in a haphazard twist , leaving two sections of loose hair around the face. Secure bun with bobby pins. Separate these into two pieces and braid each section. Work braids into the bun, fastening in place with decorated bobby pins.

False fronts. Nothing says dazzle like sexy eyes. How to get this? That old dress up classic – false eyelashes. These open the face and add a certain amount of glamour to any look. Keep makeup at a minimum. Eye shadow colors should be either a light dusting of a sparkly taupe , or champagne . You can go with a very light sweep of midnight blue or deep purple for a more dramatic look. Keep blush to just a barely there sweep across the cheeks . Lips should be a sophisticated matte color. Stay away from the gloss because this will look too Vegas show girl.

9) The scent of a woman. Sometimes the best look is no look at all. If you are rushing from work to a party, then just spritz on your favorite scent or try something new. Demeter Perfumes has purse sized perfume dispensers as does Burberry, Carolina Herrara and Michael Kors. Store a few in your desk for different types of parties and gatherings. A pretty perfume is sometimes all you need to be party ready!

 This is the season for glamour – no matter how small or scaled back the party. After all it is still party and that deserves a little sprucing up. Choose a look and you’re good to go. Have fun with the different styles and the easy glamour of it all!