holiday eyes

This is the time of year when people pull out all the stops–the lips get bolder, the skin gets more luminous and the eyes range from seriously smoky to glitter encrusted. Yes, it’s the eyes that really become the focus of festive holiday dressing. 

Make Your Waterline Pop

Lining your waterline is the quickest trick to take your look from day to night. During the holiday season though, why not get even more oomph out of your eyeliner? One festive option is to add a high pigment shade of blue, green or gold to just the lower waterline. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils, em Michelle Phan Cosmetics Waterliners and Lime Crime Eyeliners will pop against the whites of your eyes (and last well past cocktail hour). If you just want the intensity, a good smudging of black will also make your eyes smolder.

Up Your Mascara Game

Basic black mascara is never going away, but an easy way to add interest to the eyes and complement the color of your pretty peepers is to swipe on colored mascara. Use Yves Saint Laurent Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils Waterproof in Signature Violet or Majorelle Blue to coat just the tips of the top and bottom eyelashes. Or go all out with Sephora Collection Glitter Eyeliner and Mascara and your eyelashes will be twinkling in the twinkle lights all night long.

Get Frosty

When all else fails, never underestimate what highlighting the brow bone, inner corners of the eyes and the center of the eyelids can do to enhance your existing eye makeup. Champagne and pale peachy pinks are the obvious go-to’s, but use this time of year as an opportunity to take it a step further. Choose a frosty shade like Jouer Highlighter in Camellia or Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow in White Punchand build up the shimmer until your eyes shine brighter than the fresh blanket of snow outside. 

Will you use color or shimmer to enhance your eyes this season? 

Photos: Thinkstock

how to apply mascara

There are some makeup techniques that seem near impossible to perfect. Mascara application probably isn’t one of them. But believe it or not, there are a few fine points that you may be missing with each swipe of your mascara. Allow us to explain with a quick tutorial. Without further ado, here’s how to apply mascara the right way.

Supplies

• Eyelash curler (big fan of Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler)
• Mascara (I used L’Oréal Voluminous Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara)

Instructions

1. Always curl your lashes. This is the most important step because it really changes the way your lashes look—with mascara and without. (Quick Tip: Run your eyelash curler under hot water or blast with the blow dryer for a few seconds to heat it up. This will help hold the curl. Just be sure to test the temperature on your hand before you hold the curler up to your eye.)
2. Apply mascara to your bottom lashes first. If you’ve ever ended up with mascara dotted on your eyelid, you know the importance of the bottom first technique. Brush the wand down your eyelashes, being careful not to touch the brush to your eye.
3. Now for the top eyelashes. Start as close to lash line as possible, and looking down, place the brush against your lashes. Give it a quarter turn so the brush can really grab the lashes and coat them completely. Then wiggle the wand back and forth up the length of your eyelashes.
4. Repeat. Allow the mascara to dry between each coat.

Expert Tip:

For lush lashes, LA-based Makeup Artist Elle Leary likes to use a lengthening formula first and then a volumizing mascara for the second coat.

What mascara is your number one love? 

I know it’s difficult to choose, but share your top pick below!

via makeup.com