12 Tips to Add Instant Glamour to your Holidays!

Among the most popular tricks of the glamour trade is red lipstick for instant glitz and glam. When you are wearing a red lip, you instantly add ‘glamour’ to the simplest makeup, outfit and hair. If you’re thinking “oh no, not on me” like I did, then read this: How to Apply The Perfect Red Lip and watch this: Comment appliquer le rouge fatal aux lèvres?

If you are going from a day at the office to an evening holiday party, add drama to your look with a few extra coats of mascara. Put on a second or third coat at the end of the day concentrating on the outer edges, and making sure to coat your lower lashes.

If you have the time, a smoldering, smoky eye is the nighttime look of the season — and it’s easier to achieve than you might think!  Use a very soft eye pencil in black (I am really loving the glomineral precision eye pencil!) for a really dramatic look or brown for a slightly less edgy look, and outline the entire eye. Then blend Espresso or Ebony eye shadow on the lid and just under the lower lash line with a Smudge Brush. You can soften the look by dusting the eye area with a shimmering gold powder such as Twinkle.

False lashes are not just for Halloween anymore! All the celebrities on the red carpet are wearing them! Tip: Always buy false lashes with an invisible strip, and go for the sparse, separated styles. Choose a glue that dries clear. Use only a very thin line along the base of the false lashes. Let set for 30 seconds, then gently press the strip as close to your natural lash line as possible. Put a coat of mascara on first, then the lashes, then another coat of mascara for a natural but yet full and lush look. Practice the night before!

If you want to add holiday shine to your look without resorting to garland or tinsel, shimmer products will do the trick! One I am loving right now is Margaret Dabbs Glamorous Shimmer. The key is not to go overboard with sparkle. Just a light spray from the shoulders down to the toes – with no rubbing required – will add lustre to your skin, bring your nail polish to life and ensure your feet look and feel party-pretty.

Holiday season means far more cocktails and later nights than you are probably used to. Cover dark under eye circles with a good concealer. The trick to making your eyes pop: Choose a concealer in the same shade as your foundation — or even one or two shades darker. Darker? Yes Darker. We used to think that a lighter concealer was the trick to masking tired puffy eyes, when in fact all it did is draw attention to what we were trying to hide.   Try this: apply a darker concealer to the areas to conceal their puffy appearance, then use a concealer in the same shade as your foundation to blend in the darker circles. It really does work!

No matter what your size or shape, nothing is safer — or more glamorous — than the “little black dress”. To add something more, turn to “of the moment” accessories.

We all have one or more area of our bodies that we are happy with… and then there are the areas that we would like to cover up. Forget the negative and be sure to choose clothing that plays up your assets. If you have great shoulders, choose an off-the-shoulder style dress; if you have great legs, choose a short red skirt. The eye always goes straight to colour, so use it to bring attention where you want it.

Give this season’s look some polish and pizazz with a statement making accessory. It will add a quick hit of glamour to any outfit. If you are leaving the office wearing a dark suit, add a statement necklace and ring to make your outfit cocktail-ready in no time. For inspiration, take a look at DANNIJO’s new gems!

If you are not into show stopping pieces, you can never go wrong with classic jewellry. I like to wear my single stud diamond earrings or pearls with my hair up. If you are wearing a very simple dress, try chandelier earrings. They add glamour to any outfit. But, do pair them with a simple, small necklace, or no necklace at all.

Nothing says sexy more than a great pair of stilettos. Add them to any outfit and voila, you’re dressed up! Personally, I can’t stand the pain associated with the Louboutins of today, and so, I opt for something more practical yet galmorous: the sexy ballerina flat or jeweled velvet low-heeled mule. No matter what shoe you wear,  do go with a pair of fancy hosiery. A light texture with a lacy or fishnet pattern in black or a dark smoky grey adds glamour and up-to-the-minute style to any black dress.

Last but not least, a fragrant finale for a finishing touch that sends you off in a totally glamorous state of mind! Nothing does it better than a spritz of nighttime fragrance in just the right spots. I feel as though I even walk different when I know I smell divine.  A fragrance can not only make you feel more glamorous, it’s the quickest way to convey the glamour signal to everyone around you. My ultra glamorous scent of the moment is L’Artisan Parfumeur’s Nuit de Tubéreuse, a glorious exploration of floral sensuality!

Wishing you and yours a glamorous holiday season!

Natalie Cola
Etiket Insider Beauty Editor