The holidays are honestly the one time of year where going all out with your makeup is not just allowed — it’s basically required.
Glitter, bold lips, glowy skin — this is your season to have fun with it and look absolutely stunning doing it.
We’re breaking down the most beautiful holiday makeup looks for every vibe, every skin tone, and every occasion so you can show up to every event this season looking like a total vision.
Let’s get into it.
Soft Glow and Absolutely No Regrets
This peachy rose flush swept high across the cheeks with a sheer gloss lip is the holiday look that works from Christmas brunch straight through to dinner.
The warmth of the blush placement here is everything so you ought to smile, apply to the apples and blend upward toward the temples in a soft circular motion to get that naturally flushed effect.
Honestly this whole look proves that less is genuinely more during the holidays.
Glitter Came to Win
That silver glitter cut into a deep black smoky eye on deeper skin tones is so specifically stunning that it belongs on a red carpet.
Pack loose glitter onto the inner two thirds of the lid using a flat synthetic brush dampened with a glitter glue primer so the payoff is this intense and this long lasting.
The soft mauve lip here is doing exactly the right job, keeping the focus completely on those showstopping eyes.
Cat Eye, Bare Skin, Everywhere You Need to Be
That precise brown-toned cat liner flicked out at a sharp angle with a barely-there gloss lip is so quietly elegant it works for every holiday occasion from office party to midnight mass.
The warmth of the bronzy blush here stops the look from feeling too cold or too stark, so you know, balance really is everything.
Tap a warm champagne highlight onto the inner corner to make those green eyes absolutely ignite.
Red Lip Season Has Officially Arrived
That graphic silver glitter liner edged in black with a bold red lip is so festive and so fashion at the same time.
Apply your red lip with a liner brush first for that clean sharp edge, then fill in with the bullet for maximum pigment and staying power throughout the whole night.
I mean this is the holiday look that makes people stop mid-conversation.
Dark Liner Means Business
So sleek, so sculpted and so completely appropriate for someone who takes their holiday glam seriously.
The extended black liner here is drawn past the outer corner and angled slightly upward to create that lifted elongated eye shape that looks incredible on basically every eye shape you can think of.
Pair this with a nude gloss rather than anything too warm so the drama stays focused entirely on the eyes.
Bronze and Gold, No Further Questions
Warm bronze shimmer packed onto the lid with a rich satin finish and a barely-there gloss is genuinely one of the most universally flattering holiday eye looks ever created.
Pat the deepest bronze shade into the outer corner and blend toward the crease in small circular motions before adding that golden shimmer to the centre of the lid so the depth and the glow work together.
This look is so perfect for deeper skin tones because the warm metallic tones just mirror the natural richness of the complexion beautifully.
Old Master Energy, Modern Glam
Honestly the wet hair and the old portrait backdrop are doing as much work here as the makeup itself and I mean, the full look is so cohesive it feels like a whole aesthetic.
That deep taupe and black smoky eye with warm highlighted skin and a glossy nude lip is so rich and so glamorous without feeling overdone.
Use a fluffy blending brush to smoke out the lower lash line so the darkness wraps around the eye completely for that fully immersive sultry effect.
Same Look, Still Iconic
So good it needed two images and honestly, fair enough.
The deep smoky eye with that golden highlight on the inner corner and the warm bronzed skin creates such a complete and so perfectly balanced holiday glam moment.
Layer a sheer lip gloss over a nude lip liner to get that full, pouty finish that balances the intensity of the eye so naturally.
Bronze Eye, Red Lip, Classic For a Reason
There is genuinely nothing more timeless than a warm bronze smoky eye paired with a bold red lip and this look proves it for the hundredth time.
Apply your red lipstick with a liner first, blot, reapply and blot again so the colour lasts the entire night without bleeding.
The clean dewy skin here is doing so much heavy lifting by keeping the whole thing feeling fresh rather than heavy.
The Wing That Launched a Thousand Looks
That extended graphic black liner with no eyeshadow underneath is so precise and so intentional that it is honestly its own statement.
Draw your wing before doing the rest of your eye so any wobbles can be cleaned up without disrupting your shadow, then set the liner with a matching black powder so it stays in place all night.
The warm tawny gloss here is so perfect with green eyes so you ought to try a brown-toned nude with gold shimmer for exactly this effect.
Peach Liner Is the Move Nobody Expected
That peachy coral liner drawn as a graphic wing on the upper lid is so fresh and so unexpected for a holiday look and that is exactly why it works so brilliantly.
Use a waterproof pencil liner in a warm coral or peach tone, smudge it very slightly along the upper lash line for softness, then flick the outer edge into a clean point.
The dewy glow and nude gloss here complete the whole look so effortlessly it basically styles itself.
Silver Disco Ball Eyes, Report to the Party
A full silver glitter lid blended into a deep smoky grey crease is so specifically a New Year’s Eve eye that I mean, there is really no other occasion for it and that is what makes it so exciting.
Press your silver glitter onto a sticky glitter base using your fingertip rather than a brush so the payoff is this intensely dense and this reflective.
Keep everything else completely bare so the eye gets every single moment of attention it deserves.
Black Velvet Called, It Brought a Smoky Eye
That full black smoky eye with a glossy nude lip and perfectly dewy skin against a black velvet dress is so specifically gorgeous for a winter evening event that it is basically a uniform.
Build your smoky eye in layers rather than dumping product on at once so the blend stays soft and seamless rather than patchy and harsh.
The diamond drop earring here adds just enough sparkle to elevate the whole look without competing with the eye.
Vanilla Shimmer and Soft Everything
This whole look is basically the makeup equivalent of a cashmere blanket and I mean that as the absolute highest compliment.
That sheer gold-toned shimmer on the lid paired with sun-kissed blush and a glossy rosy nude lip is so softly luminous it looks like skin but better, which is honestly the goal for every holiday gathering you actually want to enjoy.
Layer a champagne loose shimmer powder over a cream base on the lid so it catches the light this effortlessly at every angle.
Glossy, Golden and Going Places
That warm bronze and champagne cut crease with perfectly sculpted glowy skin and a nude glossy lip is giving updo prom energy in the best possible way.
The white shimmer on the inner corner here is doing so much work to open up and brighten the eyes so you ought to tap a pearlescent shade there with your fingertip rather than a brush for the most precise and intense placement.
This is genuinely the ideal holiday look for anyone who wants polished and glam without going full dramatic.
