Ruby lips define the season

With the holiday season nearly in full swing, it’s time to primp the threads and prep your visage. It’s a tough feat looking cool and collected after running all over town in full holiday overdrive. Put your best face forward and be prepared to pucker up standing underneath the mistletoe this season. 

A slicked-back Karlie Kloss donned a flawless face, metallic brown eyes and a fierce red lip for the Donna Karan Holiday 2010 ad campaign. On the flip side, Scarlett Johansson sported a relaxed sexy look with a smoky eye capped off with a nude lip, a deviation from the predictable, albeit commanding, crimson hue. Whether you elect to go nude or bold, either of these seasonally chic lip looks is guaranteed to be a winner.

Step 1

First things first! If possible, a quick pop into Browhaus (located in Serendra and Greenbelt 5) to reconstruct your brows is in order. Depending on the condition of your brows, you may opt to color tweak them to harmoniously match your locks or you might go for the advanced brow resurrection, a semi-permanent solution to embroider your brows with nontoxic dyes.  A modern brow tattoo that looks ridiculously original shapes the rest of your face and saves you from penciling in brows the day after a copious amount of drinks.

 Step 2

Prep your canvas with skincare to last you throughout the day. Cleanse skin thoroughly and gently exfoliate it to eliminate unwanted dull skin for better luminosity. Pond’s latest line, Gold Radiance, made with real gold particles, is a luxe way to cleanse and prep skin at super affordable prices. Follow up with Gold Radiance serum and day cream to ensure maximum nutrition as holiday cocktails are sure to dehydrate your skin. Applying eye cream is a must — the eyes are windows to the soul, so let your soul glow and sparkle. 

Should you have the budget, a phenomenal facial cream of choice would be Shiseido’s Future Solution LX Total Regenerating Cream that intensely energizes skin, combats wrinkles and promotes resilience. Layer this on top of the Shiseido Very High Sun Protection with 50 SPF, and you’ll be ready to conquer your burgeoning list of holiday fetes. However, if your male partner is envious of how lovely your skin is but is hesitant about applying a cream that smells ladylike, have him slather on some Shiseido Men Skin Empowering Cream to fight signs of fatigue and aging.

Step 3

Achieving a faultless face is not an easy task but Guerlain’s Meteorites Light-Perfecting Base is an ideal primer, combating dark spots and lending a pearly radiance to any look. Just a little layer of this goes a long way. For excellent coverage, the True Match line from L’Oreal Paris aids in doing the trick. Smoothing this foundation loaded with ultra-fine pigments provides a precise match for your skin tone and has the mileage to last from day to night. Gently brush a few strokes of Nars’ Orgasm blush across the apples of your cheeks.

Step 4

Nude awakenings: Scarlett Johansson conveys an exquisite, mesmerizing emotion tapered with restraint in Dolce and Gabbana’s Holiday 2010 ad. The nude lip is a refreshing break from the crim-son color we often see this time of year.

Apply a light shade to the inner corner of your eye to about three-fourths across the lid to brighten up and open your eyes.  Shiseido Luminizing Satin Eye Color in Ghost VI 720 brilliantly does the job. Blend a darker shade into the crease, towards the outer eye and upwards almost to the brow to showcase layering and texture. Guerlain’s Ombre Eclat eyeshadow in 185 seals that deal. The application of Renewal Lash Serum by L’Oreal underneath mascara is a no-brainer — it nourishes and strengthens lashes. Topped off with my current obsession, Givenchy’s Phenomen’Eyes mascara whose wand is a spiky ball, ensures that each lash gets coated. Though a bit fiddly at first, the ball is a wonderful alternative to the generic rod or curved shaped wand, hitting even hard to reach lashes.

 Step 5

Line the contour of your lips with Make Up For Ever’s Aqua Lip in 3C for the perfect pinkish nude. Swipe Tender Sheer lipstick from Shiseido in PK 327 across your pout and layer it with Shiseido’s Luminizing Lip Gloss in Café Crème BE 201 for a high gloss finish and you will be ready to smack away like Scarlett Johansson. To achieve the dramatic look from Donna Karan’s ad campaign, use the same lip liner and apply Nars’ Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Damned. Naughty or nice, Santa will surely reward you.