Nira’s Holiday Makeup Guide

Makeup must-haves to get you looking fabulous through the entire holiday season

The Body Shop Winter Eyeshadow Palette, $22

This season is all about gold—and a golden shimmer is always a hit without looking too, too trendy, which is my personal makeup trend. Never look like you’re following a trend—it’s merely an inspiration. My favourite this season is this eyeshadow palette in “Grooving Gold,” which is inspired by the shimmering 1920s and The Great Gatsby.

Available online at The Body Shop

Amaterasu Liquid Eyeliner, $32

The perfect liquid eyeliner is a must—and this one will be your new best friend. I would grab one now because they’re selling like hot cakes. I tried it on at Beauty Mark in Yaletown and I knew that I had to have it—like now! Whether you want to do a thin line or a total cat eye, this Amaterasu liner gives you complete control and the best part: it dries so quickly that you won’t have any messy eyeliner lids to worry about. It’s smudge-proof, waterproof and long lasting. It honestly feels like you’re doing calligraphy on your eyes because of its fine-tip microfiber brush. (Pssst, this eyeliner has a celebrity following—just an FYI.)  

Available online at Beauty Mark and Amaterasu

RMS Beauty Living Luminizer, $42

It’s time to “luminize”! Who doesn’t want to have that natural youthful glow to their skin? (Exactly, no one raised their hand.) If you want the highlighter of all highlighters, then you need to grab this luminizer. It’s the ultimate illuminator for creating a sensuous, sheer and luminous glow. Best of all, it’s not sticky, greasy or glittery. What I love about it is that you can wear it by itself: just apply it sparingly with your fingers over the cheekbones, down the bridge of the nose, along the inner corners of the eyes, along with a bit of lip gloss, and that’s all you need to give yourself a beautiful winter snow-frost-kissed look. If you want to enhance your look, you can also apply it as a highlighter for your brows or on your lids with a thick coat of mascara to look natural yet slightly dramatic! 

RMS was created by local celebrity makeup artist, Rose-Marie Swift, who is well known amongst the stars, and Vancouver’s Kiss and Makeup has been carrying her brand since its inception. This luminizer is RMS’s biggest seller!   

Available online at Kiss and Makeup

M.A.C Cosmetics ColourDrenched Pigments Eyeshadow, $26

It’s time to get dramatic, and who better to turn to than M.A.C? Have you heard of their new ColourDrenched Pigments? They’re an innovative pressed pigment eyeshadow in pearlized, creamy hues with a sparkly metallic finish. My favorite colour is “Magic Of The Night.” You can make it dramatic by putting it all over your top lid, or just apply it as a liner. If you want to make things fun, try it as a liner just on the bottom, with a black liner in your water line. 

Available online at M.A.C. Cosmetics