The Festive Makeup Menu

I just love makeup at this time of year, the colours, sparkles, reds, deep berries and dark smoky eyes. Everything screams Winter and festive, I mean, just looking at this picture I get some serious party vibes. Throughout the year generally my base remains pretty consistent. Primer, foundation, concealer and powder all stay very similar month in, month out, even in the Summer months I tend to opt for a medium buildable coverage with serious staying power. But my eyes, lips and cheeks are a completely different story. I've pulled together a few of my picks for this season that are sure to glam up any Winter/Christmas Party look.


For eyes it's all about the glitter, whether that's a shadow with a slight shimmer or an all over intense sparkle. The Makeup Geek foiled shadows offer a super intense colour payoff and do exactly what they say on the tin. I wouldn't call these sparkly, they give a serious foiled look to the lid and the pigmentation is crazy good. The standout shades for me have to be Grandstand, a gorgeous rose gold/copper shade and Magic Act a really pretty light gold almost champagne looking colour. I find these work best when applied with your fingers, a brush just doesn't provide the same intense finish. A new favourite and addition to the makeup collection are the Violet Voss loose glitters. I was on the hunt for something that packed even more of a punch than your general shimmery shadow and these do just the job. First I apply a little of the Violet Voss adhesive to my lid and then using a flat shader brush, something like the Zoeva Luxe Smoky Shader I pack the glitter on. You will get fall out with these and specks of glitter all over your face but that's nothing a shadow shield and steady hand can't solve. I have the shade Copperella, the clue is in the name with this one, it's just a pure copper glitter. And Sandy, a pale champagne gold. Both are amazing for nights out and I'm almost guaranteed a compliment or question on what I'm wearing when I put one of these on, just the way they shimmer when the light hits them is spectacular to behold. And of course, no look is finished without a pair of lashes. These Vegas Nay Easy Elegance for Eylure are longer towards the outer corner to help make the eyes look bigger and the wispy fluttery texture makes them look slightly more natural and pretty.

I've also pulled out three red lip choices to finish off your perfect party look. Russian Red by Mac is a classic, hugely popular and with good reason. It's the perfect blue toned red to make your teeth look pearly white and the perfect compliment to any makeup look. What I love about the Mac matte finishes is that they're not drying at all, especially when compared with liquid lipsticks from other brands, in fact they're actually quite creamy. For a good dupe, try 01 by Rimmel. Not as matte or long wearing but pretty spot on for a colour match and half the price. Relentlessly Red by Mac is slightly more drying and drags across the lips more when applied as it is in their retro matte formula but the colour is just gorgeous, almost like a pink with a hint of red and even slightly neon looking in some lights. My final red lip choice is Blake's Red by L'Oreal. This colour for me is like the more red sister to Relentlessly Red just with a slightly more moisturising formula and a shorter wear time. However it's definitely a more affordable option to anyone on a budget.

What's on your festive makeup menu?