You Can Still Shine
This holiday season may differ from the extravagant celebrations of years past—farewell, lavish gatherings—but that doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in dressing up, treating yourself, and playing with makeup.
Fortunately, the glamorous makeup trends that highlighted the autumn/winter ’20/’21 fashion shows can be created using safe, natural products available at health-focused retailers. With guidance from two expert makeup artists, we’ll demystify the process for you.
The ‘soft smoky eye’
Achieving a smoky eye can be quite daunting—let’s be honest, my early teenage attempts often left me looking less than glamorous.
Clean beauty expert Natalia Lavaggi reassures that smoky eyes do not have to be dark or scary. This season saw softer versions of smoky eyes gracing the runways of Dior and Givenchy.
- Begin with subtle shades. Utilize grays, soft blues, or lavenders along “the edges of your upper and lower lash line.”
- Introduce some intensity by gently smudging the color with a blending brush or a cotton swab.
- Layer up for a bolder look. “Stick with the same colors, but apply more or deepen the crease with darker shades like plum or charcoal,” says Lavaggi.
- For an added edge, apply black eyeliner along the lower lash line.
The secret to mastering the smoky eye, according to Lavaggi, lies in blending: “The more you blend, the less contrast there will be, and always start light, building up to your preferred look.”
To complete the effect, beauty expert Nadia Albano suggests adding a hint of glitter at the center of the smoky eye “to add dimension and interest.”
The ‘custom bold lip’
If classic red isn’t your style, no worries! Oxblood shades are trending this season. Plus, if your lipstick smudges, perhaps due to a delightful mistletoe moment, it’s perfectly on vogue. Effortlessly blurred lips were also celebrated on the A/W runways.
Seek out products that feature natural pigments and nourishing ingredients like plant oils and cocoa butter.
The ‘just shy of diamonds’ sparkle
According to Albano, “[Glitter] is a delightful way to add texture and is always on-trend during the holiday season.” Natural glittery eye makeup offers an accessible and eco-friendly nod to the extravagant embellishments seen on runways from Giambattista Valli, where models donned real crystals around their eyes, to Erdem, who showcased silver foil on eyelids and browbones.
“Soft silver liners and metallic shadows provide a refined elegance, making them a fun choice for festive occasions,” Lavaggi adds.
If you prefer a subtler look for virtual gatherings, consider using illuminating powder on the cheekbones and the bridge of the nose or a solid illuminator applied with your fingers. These products have shimmers created from natural mineral pigments rather than large particles of synthetic glitter.
