It’s about to be the most magical time of the year—meaning it's also the perfect moment to elevate our makeup game and add a touch of glamour to our festive celebrations. Whether you're planning cozy gatherings or glamorous parties, upgrading your makeup routine can be the ultimate confidence booster. The beauty of the holiday season lies not just in the shimmering decorations and delightful traditions but also in the opportunity to become our most radiant selves. This guide will help you transform your look with enchanting palettes and dazzling shades to give you a little extra sparkle for the holidays.
Natasha Denona’s 15-shade Xenon Palette will let you create show-stopping looks for any holiday get-together. With cool-toned hues perfect for smoky looks and a range of matte, glitter, and foil formulas, this is the palette for you if you prefer to go all-out with your eye looks.
If you like a more simple or understated look, Natasha Denona’s beautiful shadow formulas are also found in her I Need a Nude Palette. Her shadows are incredibly long-wearing, highly pigmented, and smooth as butter. These nudes in this palette are perfect for everyday looks or special occasion glam.
Urban Decay has amassed huge amounts of attention with the release of their Space Cowboy Moondust Palette, which features four of their viral Moondust single shades in one. As someone who immediately bought this on release, I can confirm this palette is glitter galore. These shadows make amazing toppers and can be seamlessly built up for extra-extra sparkle.
If you’re like me, my eyes can get a little more watery during the wintertime from colder winds and peering at blinding white snow. Luckily, this mascara is a lifesaver that lifts, voluminizes, and leaves zero clumps.
Milk’s Hydrogrip Primer has become a summer staple for many, but to really lock down your holiday looks, the Pore Eclipse Primer is the way to go. It’s lightweight and ultra-blurring, and as a bonus contains niacinamide for a smooth finish.
For holiday events, you want to make sure your foundation stays as long as you need it to. This Armani foundation touts a 24-hour wear time and even has added SPF (yes, you need it in the winter, too!). It’s medium to full coverage with a natural matte finish—rest assured you’ll spend more time partying and less time on touch-ups.
A good concealer is the icing on the cake when you want your base makeup to last. This one from Hourglass has a 16-hour wear time, is full coverage and waterproof, and feels weightless on the skin. What more could you want from a concealer?
Blush is arguably one of the most fun steps in your makeup routine, but unfortunately is often the first product to fade throughout a day or night of wear. The solution? Layer on a cream blush and then set it with a powder blush! This duo from Patrick Ta has both pigmented formulas and gorgeous shades.
Charlotte Tilbury’s bronzer has gone viral a few times, but the price tag can be a bit daunting. That’s why this product is more of a splurge if you’re looking for a great way to add warmth to the face for your winter events. But its silky feel, color payoff, and lasting power make it more worth it than not.
If your skin is more on the combo or oily side, a good setting powder is a must. Givenchy’s Prisme Libre setting powder comes in six different shades for varying skin tones. It's incredibly lightweight, works to blur while illuminating, and resists caking, making it a great choice for a flawless complexion.
If you often go for more subtle looks like me during most of the year, the holidays feel like a treat where we can bedazzle ourselves. If you truly want to shine bright like a diamond, Rihanna has nailed the essence of sparkle with this face and body highlighter. With a radiant finish and 3D appearance on the skin, I can guarantee you will be bejeweled.
Danessa Myricks Beauty is a newer brand in the cosmetics sphere but has become a contender for one of the best. Her Groundwork palette is quite groundbreaking, complete with ten shades in both silky matte and velvet-like pomade formulas. This palette will be the most versatile product in your makeup bag since you can use it for eye looks and lip looks, contour, brow filler, and more.
When you’re enjoying yourself with delicious drinks and food, the last thing you want to worry about is a smudged lip look. With this Urban Decay liquid lipstick, say no more to eyeing the nearest mirror for touch-ups. With a glossy finish and plenty of holiday-ready shades, this product will ensure your lips look amazing forever.
The biggest disappointment for any makeup lover is spending hours on a full face only to not have it last. One/Size’s setting spray is quite possibly the only one you need. Waterproof and oil-absorbing, your makeup will not budge, allowing you to party all day and night without a care.
