20 Cute Holiday Makeup Looks to Sparkle All Season

Our Favorite Holiday Party Makeup Ideas

1. Grungy Gold Holiday Eyeshadow 

Gilded gold eye makeup is a holiday classic, but sometimes it’s worth swapping out tradition for something trendy. Switch up the look by creating a smoky eye over your lids, then topping the center of your eyes with a gold shadow. For added drama, smudge out your eyeliner first. Make sure to mimic everything you did on top across your lower lash line to complete the look.

2. Crystal Detailed Holiday Party Makeup

Holiday decorations shouldn’t be the only thing that sparkles this season. For something in between no-makeup makeup and all-out glitter eyeshadow, consider using crystal details. To replicate Yara Shahidi’s look, create a subtle smokey eye—we like using muted brown eyeshadows for a softer look. From there, use eyelash glue to stick the crystal appliqués under the center of your eye, on the outer corner of your eye, and on the high point of your brow. You’ll have all eyes on your eyes. 

3. Mistletoe Mascara Makeup

Keep things simple and fun with a pop of color. We love this bright green mascara, which simply has to be swiped on for a funky look. For added drama, however, we’d recommend finding a matching eyeshadow color and applying it to your waterline. The extra mistletoe color will make your eyes stand out—even if your holiday crush is standing all the way across the room. 

4. Editorial Holiday Party Eyeshadow

Give your eyeshadow an editorial twist by changing up the shape. (And don’t worry, even makeup beginners can master this beauty look.) Start by blending your chosen eyeshadow shade over your lid, keeping the color close to your eye. Then, blend the product outward on both sides of your eye, creating a wing and a sharp inner corner. Try to keep your eyeshadow close to the shape you want, but don’t stress about it—you’ll clean up the edges with a Q-tip dipped in makeup remover. Add and remove color as needed until you’ve got your desired shape. While we love this wintery blue color, you can recreate this look with any saturated eyeshadow shade. 

5. Cherry-Coded Holiday Makeup

Cherry-coded makeup has been everywhere this year, and no wonder—the monochromatic look is super easy to replicate. All you’ll need is a cherry-tinted blush and lip combo (or a product that does both, like this lip and cheek tint from FORMULA Z). Apply the blush to the apples of your cheeks to make them look fuller, or place the blush more toward your cheekbones for a lifted effect. Then, line your lips with a burgundy liner and fill in your pout with a matching lippie, whether that be a satin lipstick or a sparkly lipgloss. For a holiday twist, add a subtle shimmer shadow to your eyes as shown here. 

6. Siren Eyes for the Holidays

These subtle siren eyes will give your look a lift in seconds. When applying your eyeliner, extend the product from the inner corners of your eyes down to the waterline. Blend outward to create a small wing and bring the drama. For a no-makeup makeup look, use a brown pencil liner as shown here, and pair the look with a radiant blush and rosy lip gloss. 

7. Sparkling Smoky Eyes

‘Tis the season for sparkle. To recreate this tinsel-y smoky eye, pick out a light gray eyeshadow, a glittery gray eyeshadow, and a dark gray eyeshadow. Apply the light gray eyeshadow all over your lid, blending the color upward to create a gradient. Next, add dimension by using a fluffy eyeshadow brush to blend the dark gray eyeshadow into your crease. (You'll know you're ready to move onto the next step when there’s a smooth transition between this color and your all-over shade.) Top off your look with your shimmering shade, subtly blending it into your other shadow colors. For a little extra glow, dab your glitter eyeshadow on the inner corners of your eyes to make them look bright and awake.

8. Vampy Red Lipstick Holiday Party Makeup

Vampy red lipstick has been one of this year’s biggest trends—and there’s no better time to try out the look than before the year comes to a close. This look is super easy to recreate, though we’ve got a few pro tips to help you out. First, grab a dark red lip liner like the LAVAA BEAUTY Soft Lip Pencil in the shade Radish. Use the lip liner to trace the outline of your lips, shading in the outer corners for a poutier look. Then, grab your desired vampy lipstick and swipe it on, gently pressing your lips together to help blend the product. (We love using a small lip brush, or even our fingers, to blend the lip liner into our lipstick.) Once blended, give the look a little holiday sparkle by patting a frosty highlighter on top. 

9. Frosty Pink Blush

The cold weather will make you naturally blush, but a bit of shimmer makes the look party-ready. Makeup pro Patrick Ta created this frosty look on Gigi Hadid by applying a bright pink blush to the apples of her cheeks, softly blending the product upward toward the cheekbones. To emphasize the look, Ta added a light pink eyeshadow under the inner corners of her eyes, then finished off the glam with a dewy liquid highlighter. The end result? A glowing makeup look worth rocking all winter. 

10. Dewy Blue Holiday Party Makeup

Blue eyeshadow is a winter makeup staple, and a quick swipe is all you need to make a statement. Making the look holographic, however, levels up your look with extra contrast and dimension. While there’s no right or wrong way to recreate this glam, we recommend following the same steps as a smoky eye—using a range of three shimmery blue colors, of course. Make sure to keep your darkest eyeshadow shade toward the outer corners of your eyes, and also extend the product to your waterline. For a truly show-stopping look, top it all off with a glossy eyeshadow topper. (Clear lipgloss works too!)

11. Winter White Holiday Eyeshadow

Celebrate the snowy season with an eye look that’s equally frosty. Our favorite way to get this look is to first prime our lids for maximum wear time, then set a base color down. (This white ABOUT-FACE Shadowstick is perfect for swiping on color.) Finish the look by blending a white powder eyeshadow on top, making sure to create a gradient as you blend up and out. Top it all off with a skinny winged liner, or go editorial with a matching white mascara. 

12. Bold Smoky Liner for the Holidays

The holiday season is all about going big and bold, so why not make your makeup match? First, swipe on a shimmery gold shadow that won’t budge, like this Bronze Bijoux FetishEYES™ Longwear Liquid Eye Shadow from PAT McGRATH LABS. From there, use a black kohl eyeshadow to line your entire eye shape, flicking the product outward to create a small wing. Use a smudging eyeshadow brush to smoke out the liner, and clean up your edges if need be. Paired with highlighted skin and nude lips, this beauty look will rake in all the compliments. 

13. Classic Red Holiday Lips 

Red lips are a makeup classic, especially during the holiday season. Make a statement by wearing a red lip and nothing else—just clean skin and strategic pops of highlighter. Keep your lip looking sharp by lining and filling in the lips and topping with a blue-toned red lipstick. You can’t go wrong with GXVE BEAUTY Anaheim Shine Clean High Performance Satin Lipstick from Gwen Stefani—aka the queen of red lips.

14. Dewy Minimalist Holiday Party Makeup

Sometimes the chicest holiday party makeup look is achieved by keeping it au naturel. Show off your glowy, hydrated complexion by focusing on your skin prep. Opt for a nourishing moisturizer and work it into the skin to create a dewy base—we like the KORRES Greek Yoghurt Nourishing Probiotic Gel-Cream. Add a sheer-coverage foundation and a cream-based blush, then finish with a coat of mascara and plenty of lip gloss. If you really want to glow, try a gentle peel the night before. The ONEKIND Youthdrops Gentle Refining Peel works overnight to amp up next-day radiance.

15. Holiday Waterline Pop 

While filling in the waterline might bring to mind goth makeup, this take on waterliner is like a breath of fresh air with a bold pop of turquoise. While any color could be used, we suggest sticking to blues (or other soft, cool tones like lavender or mint) to keep the eyes looking bright. And since it’s your waterline, a waterproof liner will do the trick—like the URBAN DECAY 24/7 Glide-On Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil in the shade Deep End.

16. Ombré Cocoa Lip Holiday Party Makeup

For a universally flattering holiday makeup look, try out a brown ombré lip. Softly line the lips with a rosy-brown lip liner that’s topped with lip gloss to help blur the edges—opt for a clear gloss or high-shine lip balm like the CONTEXT SKIN Lip Balm to maintain your color payoff. We love how the rest of this look is kept in the same warm-toned color family with rosy neutral blush and eyeshadow. 

17. ’90s Soft Glam for the Holidays

The ’90s makeup looks are alive and well, and this holiday party look will have you channeling your inner Cindy Crawford. The key to keeping it ’90s is to steer clear of dewy skin finishes and stick with powders for a filter effect. Luckily, setting powders these days are packed with skin-friendly ingredients that will leave you looking airbrushed instead of cakey. Look for a formula that can move and flex with your skin while still creating a soft-focus effect, like the TOYFACTORY Ultraset Niacinamide Setting Powder.

18. Holiday Glitter Cat Eye

For party makeup inspo, celeb makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes’ IG is like hitting a gold mine. Think glitter eyeshadow, shimmer, bold colors, and heaps of naturally beautiful looks, that you can wear anywhere. This gorgeous cat eye with chunky gold glitter weaves in our fave ’90s trend (that’s totally making a comeback) with a slightly mod effect that’s nothing less than eye-catching. Wanna DIY? Apply a glittery eyeshadow as a base, then top it with glittery gold and silver. If you’re seeking even more glow, top your cheeks off with the TYPOLOGY T31 Glow Drops. Not only is it the best shimmer ever, but it also contains skincare-worthy ingredients like vitamin C and aloe. 

19. Frosted Lids and Pearls Holiday Party Makeup

Delicate pearls, but make it edgy. With a few sweeps of that frosty white eyeshadow you never know what to do with, you’ll have instant Swan Lake vibes. Use eyelash glue to dot on these tiny pearls, and wait for the compliments to roll in.  

20. On the Edge Holiday Glam

You don’t need to be a pro MUA to achieve this runway-reminiscent eye look, which calls for a dark eyeshadow in the inner and outer corners of the eyes. We recommend first using a precise, pointed eyeshadow brush to pack the shade on. Then, switch to a small blending brush to gently buff the color out—but not too much, as you’ll want to keep the center of the eyelids bare. Finish the eyes with a generous coat of mascara (we love FENTY BEAUTY Hella Thicc Volumizing Mascara for this), and you’ll have a look that gives haute couture without the hassle. 

Final Thoughts

Whatever your plans this holiday season, let your makeup match the festive spirit. From icy eyeshadows to deep red lips, there’s a little something for every occasion—and every makeup skill set. We’ve got you covered with tutorials and trends to look out for (even past New Year’s Eve). And whether you’re shopping for yourself or looking for some last-minute presents, don’t forget to check out the IPSY Shop