With 2013 coming to a close, New Year’s Eve preparations are in full swing and you might be thinking of how to make a beauty statement for when the ball drops. There’s no better (or easier) way to ring in the New Year than by spicing up your typical makeup routine! Pick your favorite feature, be it your eyes, cheekbones or lips, and really play it up! HC is here to help glam you up for your most beautiful New Year’s yet.
Play Up Your Eyes
One of the best ways to make a beauty statement is by emphasizing your eyes. Juliana Landis, celebrity makeup artist and founder of Beverly Hills Lashes, suggests starting with a primer to keep your makeup in place throughout the night, like Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion ($10-20). She also suggests using “a neutral matte all over the lid up to the brow and [applying] a beautiful shimmery cream shadow all over the lid.” Different shadow colors will have different effects depending on your eye color, so it’s important to find a shade that will best bring out your eyes.
To accentuate blue eyes, Landis loves to use “bright, fiery coppers, as this makes blue eyes pop.” Try Maybelline New York Eye Studio Color Tattoo 24HR Cream Gel Shadow in Bad to the Bronze ($6.99). The coppery bronze color will highlight your eyes, and with the shadow’s 24-hour durability, you won’t have to worry about reapplying throughout the night (or into the morning!)
For green eyes, Landis suggests “darker coppers … or even a nice plum shimmer,” like bareMinerals Eyecolor in Devotion ($14). The purple shade is infused with flecks of silver, which will make emerald eyes sparkle and create a glitzy New Year’s look that is sure to leave others green with envy.
Brown eyes will pop the most with “silvery greens … and purples,” Landis says. If you’re a brown-eyed beauty, test out Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Eye Shadow in Shimmering Emerald ($18.50).
If you’re more of a minimalist when it comes to makeup and don’t want to take the big leap to statement eye shadow, you can test the waters by using a glittery eyeliner, like Urban Decay Vintage Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner ($9). It comes in an array of fun, party-ready colors, and a simple swipe on your top lid and below the base of your lash line will jazz up your typical routine.
Finish off the look with your favorite mascara. If you’re feeling bold, layer on glittery mascara (it is New Year’s Eve, after all!). Try Hard Candy Lash Tinsel Mascara ($6) to add a dusting of glitter that will really draw attention to your eyes.
Enhance Your Cheekbones
Cindy Miguens, head makeup artist for Pretty Little Liars, suggests that if you have great cheekbones, you should “pop them out with contour, highlight and blush.” Highlighting creams tend to have a thin shimmer, while powders are heavier and bolder.
Ulta’s Contour Blush Brush ($14) has a great shape for sculpting and hollowing out cheekbones. High Beam by Benefit Cosmetics ($26) is a luminescent highlighter that can be applied to the top of your cheekbones to make them look even more angular.
If cheekbones aren’t your favorite assets, play up your skin! e.l.f.’s Studio Baked Highlighter ($3) blends and masks skin imperfections and adds a shimmer that is perfect for New Year’s.
[pagebreak]
Be Daring With Your Lip Color
Accentuating your lips is a big and bold way to make a statement this New Year’s Eve. “If you have amazing lips, add a bold color stain in a wine or red,” Miguens says. “The secret is to find the color that best suits your skin tone.”
For fair-skinned women, try to find a tone that is a little fruitier in color with berry undertones so it doesn’t look too harsh against your pale skin. A good product to try is NYC New York Color Smooch Proof 16HR Lip Stain in Forever Mine Wine ($4.99). It makes a bold statement and doesn’t smudge, which is perfect if you plan on having a New Year’s kiss!
Collegiettes with a medium skin tone can go darker with their lipstick than fair-skinned collegiettes with more burgundy and maroon shades. Try out Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey ($15) for a bold New Year’s look.
If you have darker skin, you can try even darker shades, especially purple and plum tones. Try Sephora Collection Rouge Cream Lipstick in Deep Reddish Plum ($12.50).
Glam Up Your Nails With Glitter
You can go as glittery and as glam as you want with your nails while still playing up another feature. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can try a glitter ombre nail pattern. Pick a base coat and a sparkly nail polish in a complimenting color. Paint the sparkles over half the base coat in increasing thickness to create an ombre look.
CoverGirl’s Limited Edition Capitol Collection ($4.99) nail polishes are as fashion-forward as District 1 in the Hunger Games and are a fun and easy way to make a statement!
How to Make Your Makeup Last the Whole Night
New Year’s Eve is a long evening that can run into the next morning, so it’s important to plan ahead to make sure your makeup stays flawless throughout the night!
Miguens first suggests finding a primer that correlates with your skin type. “For supple skin with no traces of oil or dry patches, use a light primer like tarte BB Tinted Primer ($34),” she says. “It can also be used as a makeup substitute.” For a cheaper alternative, try L’Oreal Paris Magi Lumi Primer ($12.95).
For dry and flaky skin, Miguens suggests avoiding silicone-based products and using Laura Mercier Foundation Primer ($32) because “it is hydrating and light.” Or, try bareMinerals Prime Time Foundation Primer ($23).
If you have oily skin, Miguen recommends using “a mattifying primer like Too Faced Primed and Poreless ($30).”
Women with sensitive skin should “use a lightweight water-based makeup primer for sensitive skin” such as Sephora Collection Silicone Free Foundation Primer ($15).
Once the primer is in place and your makeup has been applied, Miguens then says to finish it off with a setting spray such as NYX Makeup Setting Spray ($8). You should also sneak along some essential beauty products in your clutch so you can retouch your makeup throughout the night. Miguens recommends bringing blotting paper, concealer and a lip color.
Be bold, collegiettes, and start the New Year off right by making a statement and looking drop-dead gorgeous. Enhance your outer beauty with glitzy, show-stopping makeup or maybe a subtler shimmer and shine. What feature will you choose to play up this New Year’s Eve? Sound off below!