Pic credit: Amanda Ramsay
Tis the season to start thinking about festive style! Social commitments abound and Instagram posts are at an all-time high. With a few expert tips, prepare your festive look to feel confident and polished and avoid looking like a Christmas ornament as we head into the silly season.
Leading over-40’s makeup artist Amanda Ramsay shares her professional tips on how to make your mark!
How can you elevate your makeup look for the festive season?
Two top tips for a super swift festive season makeup transformation are:
A banging bright lip. Adding a slick of glorious vibrant colour to your lips is the swiftest way to transform your makeup to say "hello, I'm so ready to partayyyyy". While it's quick, it delivers so much bang for your buck.
Play with a little coloured eye liner. My favourite is to run a little coloured eyeliner under the lower lash line. If that feels scary, just swoosh it on the water line of your lower lashes and build up to smudging under your lower lash line. It's another simple quick makeup hack, that takes you from daytime to night party.
What is the best way to inject a little sparkle without looking like a Christmas tree?
A delicious cream or liquid highlighter, used strategically to deliver gorgeous lit from within skin. Pop it on the high points of your cheekbones, your collarbones, down the front of your legs (or mix a liquid highlighter into your fav body lotion for an all over glow). This tip is all about a subtle lift on your face and bringing that lit from within glow down to your body. Pair with your gorgeous vibrant lip.
Any tips for allowing your makeup to last at a party?
Prep your skin really well before your makeup application. Use lots of super-hydrating skincare products, like a hyaluronic acid serum, and a nutrient rich face oil (for our drier skin sisters). Use a primer that's got skin loving ingredients (beware anything that’s too heavy on the silicones) and stay hydrated. Use a hydrating setting spray after you've completed your makeup.
Can you share a step-by-step guide on how to create a quick smokey eye?
A smokey eye is a technique that simply means swooshing a little colour under your lower lash line to balance the colour on your upper eye lid.
Download the Amanda Ramsay Smokey Eye Guide here
Celebrity nail artist Oli Antunes shares her advice on making your nails pop this season.
What is the best way to apply glitter nail polishes?
As usual, start with clean nails, gently push back cuticles, shape and buff, wipe nail plate with alcohol and ALWAYS apply base coat - especially important with glitter. Otherwise, removal is difficult. The traditional way of applying polish is the quickest but if you have extra time and are feeling creative and bold, you can use a makeup sponge to gently dab the glitter polish sparingly onto the nails. Glitter is relentless for mess, so if you are a messy polisher use student pva glue to cover your cuticles, let dry and then go for your life with the glitter. Peel off once your polish is dry.
Do you have any favourite festive shades this season?
My all time Christmas favourite is still the classic Mavala red in Los Angeles. As our Christmas is in summer, I can never go past a great emerald green. I am loving the glitters from Mavala this season especially in Moon Chic and Fashionista Black. You can really play with these, add light coats on top of other colours or wear them on their own for a festive mood.
More of us are wanting longer nails at the moment. What are your best tips for caring for longer nails?
A good quality cuticle oil, every day, every night - live and breathe it. It gives the nails flexibility and nourishment, therefore less chance of breaking. Also shaping them lightly and regularly to prevent minor snags and cracks. Reapply your top coat every second day to protect longer nails and prevent chipping.
If we want standout festive nails but hold the glitter, what would you suggest?
There are so many other ways to go with your nails during the festive season – red is always a classic and there are plenty of shades of green to play with, as well as rich royal blues and purples. Chrome nails offer another alternative and gold always shines on nails, either a subtle golden sheen or more muted bronze. Crystals, gems and rhinestones are another way to decorate your nails for the festive season and they really in vogue now. It’s an easy trend to adopt, simply stick to your favourite shade and carefully glue a stone or sparkle onto each nail for added glitz and glamour.
Pic credit: The Daily Nail
