Step 1. Use your best primer to prepare the skin.
I personally love Illamasqua Matt Primer; it gives you a nice, even coverage which is extremely important for preparing the skin for make-up. To prime the eye lids I recommend using Urban Decay Eyeshadow primer potion. It gives the eyes a fantastic base and prevents the eyeshadow from creasing.
Step 2. Dab concealer on any blemishes using a concealer brush.
Blend slightly using your finger so it doesn’t look blotchy. Also use concealer around the under eye area to mask any dark circles, use broad strokes up and down from the waterline outwards.
Step 3. Apply your foundation.
I usually have to mix colours. For myself I use Illamasqua Rich liquid foundation in colours 215 and 240 to get the perfect balance for my skin tone. As this is a very rich foundation it will give you excellent coverage, however you don’t want to cake it on so to avoid this I use my Elf stippler brush to apply the foundation. If you would prefer a light coverage I recommend using Illamasqua Skin Base foundation.
Step 4. Next I applied a small amount of MAC Mineralize skin finish powder in Medium Deep using my MAC powder brush.
Usually I would start using bronzers and highlighters to contour the face but as I wanted to keep this look quite delicate I chose not to use this. However, if your cheek bones aren’t very pronounced you could use a small amount of bronzer under the cheekbones and around the side of your face to give it a little more definition. Ensure that you blend this well with the foundation and powder that’s already on your face using a powder brush.
Step 5. I applied a light silver eyeshadow by Stargazer along the brow bone using an eyeshadow brush.
The great thing about this pressed eyeshadow is that it’s very intense but great for blending so you can choose how faint or brightly it shows. Excellent value for money also! I also used a little directly on the cheekbones to highlight using a blusher brush. I barely dabbed it into the shadow as it is very pigmented, you only need a little amount!
Step 6. For these dark silver, almost bluish tones I apply my Sleek Divine Carnival edition palette on the eye lid.
With a blending brush use fairly broad strokes from the eyelash line out to the crease to create a smokey effect. Also brush from corner to corner on the crease to ensure you have full coverage.
Step 7. Use the same colour eyeshadow.
Dab your blending brush very gently into the shadow, dab any excess off on to your hand and in small strokes apply eyeshadow underneath the lower eyelid, along the waterline and brush out further around the corner of the eye to create a fan effect.
Step 8. Once you have done this for both eyes, I use MAC Khol eyeliner in Smoulder along the waterline
to frame the eyes.
I then apply Bobbi Brown’s gel liner in Black from the top corner next to the tear duct using the bobbi brown eye liner brush in small strokes all the way to the other corner. I decided to go quite bold with the top liner for this look but you can choose to make it thinner for a less dramatic look.
Step 9. I then used my liquid liner and dotted 3 little circles near the out corners.
I then used some fake lashes to complete the look. These ones were particularly long and fairly thick. For a more natural look, use thin ones with a bit of length. I used Maxfactor mascara for the bottom lashes but use a minimal amount to avoid blotting. Also clean up and traces on the skin or excess masacara on the lashes using a cue tip / cotton bud. I also use black masacara to joint my natural lashes with the fake ones. Use a swopping upward motion to do this.
Step 10. Finally to complete the look I used an old MAC frost lipstick which gives a beautiful white / pink tint.
I applied a small amount with my elf lip brush and then dabbed it along the lips using my finger for a less intense look.
And there it is… a seasonal party look that’s bound to get you a kiss under the mistletoe!
