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Christmas Makeup Looks – Best Glam For The Holidays

Plant Mother Editorial Team

Whether you’re hosting or going out, it’s the time of year for festive Christmas parties! You’ve got the perfect outfit and accessories picked out, but now it’s time to do your makeup. We’ll show you some of our favorite Christmas makeup looks from effortlessly timeless to artistically modern. We’ll cover:

  • The Essentials for Every Christmas Makeup Look
  • The Nearly Nude Christmas Makeup Look
  • The Candy-Cane Liner Look
  • The Two-Toned Christmas Eyeshadow Look
  • Green Halo-Eye Look
  • Final Thoughts

The Essentials for Christmas Makeup Looks

Because the focuses of every Christmas are the eyes and the lips, it’s important to get the skin looking just right so as not to take away from the focal points. Healthy and clear skin will give you the best base for any Christmas makeup look. Therefore, you need to use a good Vitamin C and Retinol serum throughout the year. Additionally, Vitamin C serum serves as a great base for makeup. Apply only a few drops of the serum and wait a few minutes until it’s fully absorbed.

We’re going for a soft-focus or lit-from-within look. Not too shiny, but not overly matte. The secret here is to take a very light dusting of translucent powder under the eyes, across the bridge of your nose, over your forehead, and on the chin for a lightly mattified finish. Then using a light hand and a powder bronzer, bronze the cheekbones and perimeter of the forehead very lightly. Overdoing the bronzer can give your look a more summer-feel. 

Next, using a light hand take a powder blush and dust it over the high points of the cheekbones. Finally, layer the smallest amount of highlighter over the blush and blend for a seamless, illuminated look. And voilà! You have the base for any and all Christmas makeup looks.

The Nearly Nude Christmas Makeup Look

christmas makeup looks

This look is very subtle and suitable for all skill levels. All you’ll need is a shadow that’s a little darker than your skin, a metallic shadow that’s a little lighter than your skin tone, and a matching glitter shadow. The goal is to draw focus and give shape to the eyes without looking like you’re wearing any makeup. 

Lightly brush the darker shadow in a V-shape (shown in blue) and diffuse it so it blends seamlessly into the skin. Then take the metallic shadow in an arc beginning at the inner-corner of the eye and ending under the arch of the brow (shown in red).

makup instructions

This helps catch light and highlights the shape of the eye. The finishing touch is a hint of glitter right on the inner corner (shown in yellow). This helps brighten and widen the eyes — like a kid on Christmas morning! This makeup look won’t distract from your outfit or accessories, so if you prefer to keep those the focus of the evening this look is perfect. You can get additional details on a full nude makup in our popular article on natural-looking makeup looks. 

The Candy-Cane Liner Look

christmas eye makeup look

This might be one of our favorite Christmas makeup looks! A fair warning is necessary for those who want to do this look. It’s very time-consuming. We’d recommend setting aside an hour or more and advise you to practice it before you plan to wear it out. That said, you will need a white pencil liner, a red liquid lipstick. Also a matching red lip liner, and a fine detail brush. Look straight into the mirror and draw your desired shape with the white liner. And use a q-tip to clean up any asymmetries. Once you’re satisfied with the shape, fill it in with the white pencil liner. If you need more opacity, gently pat a white eyeshadow over top of the liner — this can also help set it in place.

Now comes the hard part. Take your detail brush and coat the tip in liquid lipstick. Alternating between thick and thin, create a repeating pattern of lines on top of the white eyeliner. The trick is to keep your eyes facing forward the whole time to ensure that the lines above the lid match up with those on the lid. 

We advise using a magnifying mirror so you can really see what you’re doing. After you’ve completed the lines, take the red lip liner and run it along the waterline. Then use a q-tip to smudge it out and join it with the graphic liner shape you’ve created. Throw on some mascara or some false lashes and you’re good to go!

For more graphic-liner look ideas, check out our popular article on eyeliner looks.

The Two-Toned Christmas EyeShadow Look

colorful eye makeup

We love colorful Christmas makeup looks! For this look you’ll need a bright red eyeshadow, a darker red eyeshadow, a bright green eyeshadow. Also a white pencil eyeliner, and a stark white eyeshadow. Additionally, you’ll need a pencil brush, a packing brush, and a fluffy blending brush. It may also be helpful to have some concealer handy for clean-ups.

Begin by taking the pencil brush and bright red shadow and sketching out a small version of the shape you want. You’ll want to make sure the sketch you do is smaller than you want the final look to be. This is because you want to blend it out to size. Next, take the packing brush and pat the bright red shadow along the eyelid until about two thirds of the way in. Take your blending brush. Using small circular motions, begin to buff the red shadow out until diffused. 

Next, take your white eyeliner and apply it on the inner corner of the lid. Stop just before the red shadow begins. Clean your pencil brush off using a dry paper towel or bath towel. Then use it to pick up some white shadow. Pack this onto the inner third of the lid and overlap it slightly with the red. Switch back and forth between the red and white shadows until the transition is smooth. Next, using the packing brush lightly pat the darker red shadow just above the outer corner of the lid. Diffuse using the blending brush.

For the lower lash line, begin by running white pencil along the lower lid. This will provide a neutral base for the green shadow which will help it pop. Next take green shadow on your pencil brush. Gently pat it onto the white liner you just placed down covering the outer and middle third of the eye. Leave the inner third white. Use the excess green shadow on your brush to create a little flick that runs parallel to the shape of your red shadow. This helps make the look feel more cohesive and really sculpts the eye.

Green Halo-Eye Look

green eye makeup

Green Christmas Makeup looks are really cool! This Christmas look is bold but classy and perfect for any Christmas party. You’ll need a dark green, mid-toned green, and light green eye shadow. Also you need a white eye shadow, white pencil liner, and black pencil liner. Begin by sketching out a small version of the shape you want. Do it with your mid toned green shadow and a pencil brush. You’ll want to make sure the sketch you do is smaller than you want the final look to be. This is because you want to blend it out to size. For a halo eye, the middle of the shape should be the tallest. Also it should come down on either side like a half circle.

Next, take your light green shadow and a small blending brush. Buff the shape you just sketched out. Load the mid-toned green onto your pencil brush. Pack it onto the inner and outer thirds of the eyelid. But be careful to leave a gap in the middle. Take your white pencil liner and fill the center of the gap in, stopping before you reach the green on either side. Then take the white shadow on your pencil brush. Pack it on top of the white liner, and overlap the green slightly. 

Switch back and forth between the green and white shadow until the transition is seamless. Repeat this process on the lower lash line. Then line the outer third of the waterline with your black liner. If you want to, use the black liner to tightline your upper lashes as well. Top with your favorite mascara and voilà!

Christmas Makeup Looks: Final Thoughts

Christmas time is filled with family and friends and plenty of photos. We know how important it is to look your best when the cameras come out, but real beauty is the smiles and the laughter we share with those we love. 

Don’t forget to look for healthy, clean, and vegan skincare as a base for your holiday look. Also try to use natural and organic makeup whenever possible. There are some really good clean cosmetics brands out there that can serve as great Christmas gifts for mom or yourself. So do your research and choose healthy makeup alternatives over synthetic and potentially harmful makeup items.

From all of us at Plant Mother to you, happy holidays! xoxo

Plant Mother Editorial Team
Plant Mother's editorial team consists of skincare experts, dermatologists, and enthusiasts who love all things natural, vegan, and organic. They contribute to the Plant Mother blog, a comprehensive resource on skincare products, ingredients, and beauty how to’s.
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