I’m not going to lie, I sometimes struggle to find winter makeup looks that are easy and I actually like. Don’t get me wrong, I love scrolling through my Instagram feed and seeing the gorgeous holiday and seasonally appropriate looks the professionals are creating, but whenever I try to do them myself, they always fall flat. If you can relate, this story is for you. Winter makeup does not have to be complicated folks and I decided to ask celebrity MUAs for the easiest looks that don’t skimp on quality. Keep on reading. Easy to execute looks straight from the professionals are ahead.
Edwin Sandoval, makeup artist to everyone from Maya Rudolph to Meghan Markle and the Haim sisters, loves a simple cat eye with fresh skin for winter. “It’s the quickest way to look polished for any occasion or time of day,” he says. “I like pairing it with blush in rosier tones and a swipe of powder for a beautiful blurring effect.” See Sandoval’s choice liner below.
As noted above, Sandoval also loves a good rosy shade of blush for winter to breathe life into your complexion. For this type of look, Pat McGrath Labs makes the most gorgeous, rosy-hued shades.
I learned how to do this gorgeous, neutral winter look by watching celebrity makeup artist Hung Vanngo’s YouTube channel. I love that it adds so much warmth to the skin but isn’t harsh or difficult to do. One of the go to products he used for this look is Glossier’s Monochromes Eyeshadow Trio ($22).
A bold red lip is classic for the holidays. It never goes out of style and looks beautiful on every skin tone. A trick I like to use to help my red lip last all night is to use a liner underneath all over my lips and apply the lipstick on top of it. It gives the lipstick a matte base to grip onto making it less likely to end up all over your face or teeth.
I love that a look like this really only requires some highlight, a bronzer, or blush. You could even just opt for an all-in-one cream pigment paint like the Danessa Myricks Colorfix Eye, Cheek & Lip Cream Pigment which will give you that sunny, dewy, glowing finish during the colder months.
This look is just begging to be worn to your next holiday party. I know some might be intimidated by layering shimmer shadows, but you’d be surprised how easy most liquid paints are to work with. To achieve a similar look, you’d just have to start with a metallic green paint base and layer a gold on top and let it dry. The terracotta-hued blush also looks stunning paired with this look on Jodie Turner-Smith.
Selena’s neutral, peach shaded lips aren’t over the top but still stand out perfectly. Pairing this shade of lipstick with a simple black liner on the lids and some mascara is a great no-makeup-makeup look.
This neutral smoky eye on Chloe Kim is so simple but works for a dressier night out, holiday party, or even just a day at the office. I also love that it’s paired with a warmed up bronze look on the skin and a rosy lip. A smoky eye never fails and it looks good on all eye shapes and skin tones.
If you feel like going a bit more bold with your eyeliner, why not pair a smoky eye with a dark, dramatic black eyeliner? Sure, it’s more eye-catching and dramatic, but that doesn’t mean it’s too difficult to achieve. You can use a liquid liner or pencil for this look—both create a bold finish when you pair it with a dark brown or black eye shadow. All you have to do is smoke out your lower lash line with a small brush using the dark eye shadow shade you went with on your lids.
I adore this look for darker skin tones. For this look, Vanngo chose the perfect warm mocha shades for Simone Ashley’s skin that compliment her so well. Hint: he used all Fenty Beauty products for this one and they couldn’t have been a better choice.
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