Contributor Jordan Reid shares her beauty and style know-how to get you prepped for those seasonal events and special occasions in which you want to put your best look forward.
Christmas Day is for coziness. It's also for taking lots and lots of pictures in front of the tree. And-if you're me, anyway-it's a time for a little mimosa-inclusive celebrating. So today let's talk about how to get comfortable, cute and festive for the holiday.
Makeup
Oh, your kids (or excitable pet) came bounding into your bed at 5 a.m.? That's okay. There are a couple of easy makeup tricks you can use to appear bright-eyed and bushy-tailed despite the fact that you stayed up too late on Christmas Eve maybe watching It's a Wonderful Life or wrapping those last-minute gifts.
My favorite look-fresh-quick tip: use a concealer to touch up the red areas around the base of your nose, at the outer corners of your eyes and at the edges of your lips. It's amazing what a little concealer in just these few simple spots can do to make you look instantly awake.Try: Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage.
Now use a light touch to apply makeup that's pretty but still morning-appropriate. Sweep on a pale eye shadow with a little shimmer, like L'Oréal Paris Infallible 24HR Eye Shadow in Iced Latte, and apply three coats of a lengthening mascara. Try: Maybelline Define-a-Lash Lengthening Mascara, which elongates without clumping.
On your lips, go for a tinted balm, like Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me, for a natural, pretty effect. Reapply post-mimosa!
Hair
Few things are more ridiculous than spending an hour hanging out with a curling iron on Christmas morning. I mean, excuse me, there are presents to open!
To appear pulled-together minus all that fuss, try a clean twist on a topknot. (This style works even better on next-day hair, so you can skip the shampoo and get right down to business, which is an added bonus.)
First pull your hair into a very high ponytail (higher than you think). Secure it with an elastic and tease it lightly. Then wrap your hair around the base of the ponytail to form a ballerina bun and hold it in place with a couple of bobby pins. If you have bangs, just apply a small amount of pomade and swipe them off to one side for a soft elegance.
Dress
This part is the easiest of all.
Reach for that ugly-but-cute Christmas sweater and cuffed boyfriend jeans. Maybe add some fuzzy reindeer socks.
Done.
Merry Christmas!