This time of year, women approach me in rabbit-in-the-headlights panic, squirming in horror at the topic of holiday makeup.
Beauty expert Hannah Betts
“The pressure of the game is real,” an otherwise confident 50-something friend informs me.
‘I look so exhausted between tinsel and artificial light that I want to look glamorous. But everything that’s supposed to be a celebration makes me look old, haggard, and strained. Putting on a festive face is what I fear most this time of year.
Sisters, I will not allow this! Makeup should be a fabulous pleasure, not an annual torture.
What is needed is to abandon the old, self-defeating notion of what constitutes a proper party face – that full, equally emphasized mask – for a smear of youthful shine and shine.
I give you my middle-aged party face equation: PP+SX3. Translation: a power point plus three S’s.
FOCUS ON AN ENERGY POINT
Your look will be more flattering if you include a focal feature for dramatic emphasis.
A reveler can no longer choose between the eyes or the mouth as a point of power. Execute a smoky eye or a bold lip, of course.
However, you may want to consider shimmery eyeshadows, bolts of metallic eyeliner, a row of mesmerizing eye jewels – see Violette Eye Jewelry (£33, violettefr.com) – or super flushed cheeks. See how you feel that night and choose the one you are passionate about.
THEN ADD TRANSPARENCY
Unlike the old matte full-face foundation, a pure-toned complexion emulates youthful skin.
If you are in a position to invest money in the situation, I recommend Dr Barbara Sturm Glow Cream. (now £120, cultbeauty.co.uk)a pearlescent hydrating punch packed with light-reflecting pigments. Its usual price of £150 for 50ml is steep, but if I had to choose between a facial and a bottle of Sturm’s Glow Cream, I’d always choose the latter to keep me glowing through Christmas, New Year and well into spring. .
Anastasia of Beverly Hills Beauty Balm Serum Boosts Skin Tint (now £34.40, boots.com) It is my pure passion in 2024, to impart a fantastic and fresh glow to the face.
You won’t look made up, you’ll just look lustrous beautiful.
NOW, IT’S TIME TO SHINE
There’s nothing like a strategic highlighter to transform a worn-out festive face, lending curve and glowing dimension.
Pat McGrath Labs Skin Fetish Brightening and Balm Duo (£50, sephora.co.uk) is the one without equal, swept in semicircles on each cheekbone. It lasts an age. I love mine, I use it a lot and I’m still about to finish it.
Lip gloss simulates fullness at any age. Try Revolution Pout Bomb Volumizing Gloss (£4.79, superdrug.com)if you are not convinced. Or enhance your usual color with a balm.
Fake eyebrows should always have shine, like the hair you seek to emulate, Glossier Boy Brow Arch (£24, uk.glossier.com) It’s my brow enhancer of the year, with a brilliant quality that’s the spitting image of genuine straw.
If the color options work best for you, Ilia In Full Micro-tip Brow Pencil (now £18, spacenk.com) and Merit Brow 1990 clear gel pencil (now £20.80, meritbeauty.com) work with equally subtle magic. All three are beautiful and modern face frames.
…AND SHINE
There is a lot of talk about the fact that shine does not flatter faces over 40 years of age.
I just looked through my own makeup bag and discovered that it features a metallic kohl with silver flecks, two shimmer eye crayons, and my favorite Kiko High Pigment Eyeshadow. (£7.49, kikocosmetics.com).
And that’s me in day mode. My Gen Z friends introduced me to Korean brand rom&nd’s Better Than Palette in 00 Light & Glitter Garden (now £13.04, amazon.co.uk)Bright, shiny washes that can be layered over more conventional textures.
I’ve also had my eye on the Anastasia Beverly Hills mini palettes in (in cool tones) Sugar and (warm tone) Spice (£29, anastasiabeverlyhills.co.uk).
After all, just like my middle-aged friend, we all work very hard, meaning when we have fun, we deserve to dazzle.
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Icon of the week: Holly Willoughby, 43
The presenter, 43, resurfaces after her stalking trauma
The presenter, 43, is resurfacing after her bullying trauma.
Stylist Ciler Peksah goes high budgett Hask Biotin Boost 5 in 1 Leave-In Conditioning Spray (£6.99, amazon.co.uk) to create Holly’s updo hairstyle.
The TV star loves Beauty Pie, Heliocare SPF and Jones Road The Lip Pencil in nude pink. (now £18.90, libertylondon.com).
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Compete with it: Nikura Fir Needle Essential Oil (now £3.74, nikura.com)
I hate all the dead and dying trees strewn across our streets since Boxing Day, with one flat too small for anything beyond a miniature supermarket which I tenderly replant.
Like many, I will rely on Nikura Fir Needle Essential Oil. (now £3.74, nikura.com) to pump the energy of the great tree.
Stuck with a small tree? Expand the aroma.
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Cosmetic craving: Skin Proud Frozen Over (£21.95, iamproud.com)
I knew I loved Frozen proud skin (£21.95, iamproud.com) in summer, when it cools the suffocating skin.
What I hadn’t realized is that it is also the great skin savior for this time of year. Because this clever, refreshing moisturizer rescued my raw nose, chapped lips, and feverish forehead during my recent bout of the flu.
Infused with anti-inflammatory aloe vera extract to soothe and hyaluronic acid to lock in moisture, this flexible formula can be further chilled in the refrigerator or frozen for a slushy-like texture.
It works to instantly refresh and stimulate circulation, and is also great for hungover skin, holiday bloating, and menopausal overheating.
Every home should have some.
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Festive hair decoration