3 Sophisticated Holiday Makeup Looks to Try Now
Red lips and cat-eye liner are a winning combo. (Photo: Ben Ritter, Makeup: Christian McCulloch for Dolce&Gabbana Beauty)
The easiest way to feel festive during the holiday season is by changing up your beauty look, but navigating the world of party makeup is tricky. With potentially gaudy glitter lurking in every eyeshadow quad and the current roster of trendy-but-often-unflattering lipstick shades dominating retail shelves, what’s a girl to do? We enlisted makeup artist Christian McCulloch for Dolce&Gabbana Beauty to create three exclusive makeup looks that are classic and utterly gorgeous using the brand’s timeless holiday collection. From a passionate red statement lip to sultry smoky eyes to gilded lids, these are three sophisticated styles you can easily recreate immediately and continue to wear for years to come. Check out the complete step-by-step looks directly from McCulloch below.
Look #1: Festive Red Lips
EYES: For a quick and easy cat eye, I like to start with an eye pencil first to map out the shape, angle, and size of the line and flick. After prepping lids with a soft, neutral and shimmery nude eye shadow like Dolce&Gabbana Perfect Mono Cream Eyeshadow in Pearl Dust ($37) curl eyelashes for a sweet doe-eyed effect. Next, trace black eyeliner along the upper eyelid, and slightly wing it out at the outer corner of the eye. Smudge the liner gently with a small eyeliner brush and top off the line with black liquid eyeliner for an intense look and increased longevity. Finish the eyes with lots of black mascara — apply quickly before it sets.
BROWS: I love the look of a messy “boy” brow with a red lip. To start, fill in the brows with brow pencil and build up gently. After making some small lines inside the brow, smudge with a small angled brush. Then brush the hair up to create a more pronounced angle and arch.
CHEEKS: Garnish the cheekbones and forehead with bronzer like Dolce&Gabbana Glow Bronzing Powder in Honey Matte ($60) and an illuminator like Dolce&Gabbana Shimmer Powder in Glow Light ($37) for a little extra glow.
LIP: For a flawless red lip with crisp edges, I recommend applying lipstick first, and then going in with lip liner (instead of the other way around). Prep lips with lip balm; apply Dolce&Gabbana Classic Cream Lipstick in Dora ($35) and then blot. Next, take lip liner and finesse the edges. Feel free to add fullness to the top and bottom of your pout, and add definition to the Cupid’s bow for an even fuller pout, but be sure to keep the corners neat. Fill in the edges first and continue to work the liner into the center — this creates extra long staying power for your lip color. Finish off with another pat of the lipstick.
Pair a smoky eye with sparkly lips for the holidays. (Photo: Ben Ritter, Makeup: Christian McCulloch for Dolce&Gabbana Beauty)
Look #2: Classic Smoky Eye
EYES: For this smoky eye, I used only one eyeshadow: Dolce&Gabbana Perfect Mono Cream Eyeshadow in Extreme Black ($37). It’s creamy, long-lasting, and dries to a very wearable matte finish. When using black eyeshadows, I recommend using brushes instead of your fingers since precision is key. Take the shadow and paint it in a super thick line across the upper lash line. Then do a second swipe above that, covering your entire lid, but staying below the crease. Now take a bigger, softer brush, and blend the shade up into the crease of your lids using a windshield wiper-like motion. This diffuses the color beautifully and creates an easy smoky eye look.
Along the lower lash line, paint a very small amount of shadow underneath or line using a soft black pencil. The key here is not to go too thick underneath since a little goes a long way. Then smudge along the lower lash line with a soft brush for a very rock and roll look. Now give the eyes extra pop by gently patting in brightening concealer to clean up any unwanted smudges. Finish the look by topping off lashes with lots of mascara.
One other thing to remember with a look like this is to not be afraid to start small. You can always go bigger, but it’s very tough to fix black without starting all over again with makeup remover.
FACE: Add a healthy glow with a light dusting bronzer like Dolce&Gabbana Glow Bronzing Powder in Honey Matte ($60) over the face and topping it off with highlighter like Dolce&Gabbana Shimmer Powder in Glow Light ($37).
LIPS: Since the focus is on the eyes for this look, keep the lip simple with a clear lip gloss. I used Dolce&Gabbana Sheer Shine Gloss in Pearl Shine ($32) for a sparkly but understated lip that doesn’t compete with the smoky eye.
Gilded lids and lips are festive for parties. (Photo: Ben Ritter, Makeup: Christian McCulloch for Dolce&Gabbana Beauty)
Look #3: Golden Goddess
EYES: For this look, apply a gold shadow like Dolce&Gabbana Perfect Mono Cream Eyeshadow in Antique Gold ($37) generously across the lid with your fingers. Then take a small brush or your finger and apply a little shadow to the inner corner of the eye, near the tear duct to open up the eye and give it extra pop. Follow with black eyeliner on the lower water line and inner upper corner. I love the contrast the liner creates between the bright gold and the intense black. Finish with plenty of black mascara.
FACE: Dust cheeks with bronzer like Dolce&Gabbana Glow Bronzing Powder in Honey Matte ($60) and follow with shimmer like Dolce&Gabbana Shimmer Powder in Glow Light ($37) on cheek bones for a gilded aura.
LIPS: Precision isn’t as important with gold lips as it is for other lip colors. Start by applying a creamy formula like Dolce&Gabbana Shine Lipstick in Gold ($35) and follow it with a super lustrous gloss like Dolce&Gabbana Sheer Shine Gloss in Gold ($32). For more definition, go back with a lipliner, and follow with gloss.
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