5 Unexpected Party Makeup Looks to Try This Season
While anything goes when it comes to makeup, there are specific party makeup looks that feel a bit more obvious than others. Most people hit up a holiday party with dark eyes — either cat eyes or smoky eyes — and a red or pink lip. Often a pop of sparkle is added, either around the eyes or as a blinding highlight. If you want to stand out from the crowd, you’re going to need to switch it up.
There are a few easy ways to do that. You can stick to your favorite makeup look but just change the colors so it feels fresh and new. Or you can add on to what you’ve already applied with festive crystals and glitter. You can also just throw it all to the side and try something totally different. Take inspiration from your favorite beauty bloggers and the way they craft party-ready makeup with these five killer looks.
1. Colorful Cat Eye
Sure, you can do your usual black cat eye and neutral eye shadow combo, but why not switch it up for a festive party? We love the way Christen Dominique used eye shadow from her own Rustic Glam palette to make a navy-blue wing anchored by pink lids. It’s an unexpected color pairing that really works and looks glam enough for a holiday party with faux lashes and pink lips.
2. Faux Tears
Leave it to Nicole Guerriero to get us to try something totally out there for the next big party — especially New Year’s Eve. The beauty blogger created a standout pink eye with black liner, faux lashes and pale-pink shadow. She took that shadow down her face to give herself subtly glam faux tears. It’s a seriously fun look that you can be sure no one else is rocking.
3. Crystal Eyes
Don’t expect Vanessa Gyimah to inspire you to do something simple for a holiday party. The makeup artist has serious skills when it comes to creating bold, stop-and-stare looks that turn heads. Recently, she posted a simple makeup look with lashes and nude lips, but with colorful crystals all over her eyelids and up around her temples. It might take you a bit longer to use lash glue to pop each one of these on your face, but it’s absolutely worth it.
4. Black Lipstick
Although red, pink and nude lipsticks look great with all holiday-party looks, wearing a totally new shade feels unexpected. Nadia Rydliova, who goes by With Love, Nadia on YouTube and Instagram, recently rocked black lipstick with a neutral smokey eye. Deep, vampy lipstick can look really pretty when you go easy on the rest of the look, as she did. You can also slick some clear glittery gloss over the top if the idea of matte black is a little bit too intense for you.
5. Rainbow Cut Crease
You can do a cut crease with any eye shadow or eyeliner, but why not use multiple colors when you’re heading to a party? Rain Cornelius recently did a rainbow cut crease with red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple eye shadows. To add to the look and up the glam factor, she applied face gloss on top of the shades. All you need is a little mascara and you’re ready to party.
Elizabeth Denton is a Los Angeles-based writer and brand consultant.