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Starting the New Year Right: New Year’s Makeup Tutorial

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Iowa chapter.

With the holiday season fast approaching, it’s time to start planning your New Year’s Eve look. Instead of reaching for the silver or gold eyeshadow, take a step back. Kick off the new year in style. Toss aside the traditional metallics and red lipstick. Instead, reach for the natural shades, as well as a bold pop. This New Year’s Eve is all about dramatic smokey eyes with unconventional colors. Navy is the new black this year, but on the off chance you want something else, plum is just as popular. So take on the new year with these beauty tips, and you are sure to turn heads.

Start off by priming your face with a matte primer. Next contour your face using a matte bronzer and a matte highlight. Blend well. Set the contour with a pressed powder. Use a small amount of natural looking blush from your temples to the apples of your cheeks just above the contour line. Add an illuminator just under the outer corner of the eye, and up to the temple using a very light hand. Fill in your eyebrows using a brow liner or pomade in the same shade as your natural brows. Follow along the natural brow line, only filling in the color, not drawing on new eyebrows. You can go around the edges of the eyebrow with concealer to sharpen them if you choose to.

This look demonstrates the perfect navy smokey eye. To start, work a plum or color of your choice into the crease of your eye after priming your eyelid. Next, begin packing on a navy shadow onto the center of your eye. Follow this by adding a darker navy or black shadow to the outer corner of your eye and a shimmery light shade to the inner corner as well as the brow bone. Take the lighter navy shadow and drag it underneath the lower lash line about ¾ of the way across. Drag the shimmery shadow from the inner corner under the remaining part of the lower lash line. Finish with some eyeliner, mascara and false lashes if you choose.

The nude lip is a great way to top off this dramatic look. Adding a harsher color to the lips could take away from the eyes and possibly leave you looking like you have costume makeup on. You could also pair this look with a light pink lip as well.

When it comes to plum, my favorite combination is a dark lip with a small portion of that color reflected in the eyes. Start off this look by priming your eyelids. Take a deep red color and work it slowly into the crease of your eye. Layer on top of that with a darker purple shade focusing on the outer V of your eye until you reach the desired color. Go over the lid of your eye in a frosted white shade dragging it into the inner corner and along the lower lashline as well as the brow bone. Drag the deep purple shade under the lower lash line until it meets the white. Finish the eye with eyeliner, mascara and false lashes if you choose. For the perfect plum lips, start by moisturizing your lips. I generally do this when I put on my foundation to give it time to soak in as I finish the rest of my face. Any chapstick will work for this step. After your lips are moisturized take a lip liner in the same shade or one shade darker than the lip product you will be using. Follow your natural lip line. Overlining your lips will give an odd, and unnatural look especially with such a dark lip. Carefully apply your lip product then go around your lips with a concealer to make sure the lines are even and sharp.

With these simple tips, you are sure turn heads all the way into the new year.

My name is Sarah Pippin, and I am from Marshalltown Iowa. I am studying Communications with a Writing Certificate in Writing for Media, and a minor in Cinematic Arts at the University of Iowa. I am involved in service projects around campus and Iowa City as a member of Alpha Phi Omega Omicron. I also host Pippin Talk a talk show on Saturday's from 11am-12 on KRUI Iowa City 89.7 FM. I LOVE all things makeup and fashion. You can check out my blog at http://sispip85.wix.com/allmadeup I am an avid Grey's Anatomy, F.R.I.E.N.D.S, Gossip Girl, and Gilmore Girls fan.
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