The Holiday Beauty Prep
Getting your glam on this holiday season may look a little different – the party you’re prepping for might be on Zoom; or your annual gathering may consist of just 5 loved ones toasting with bubbly in your living room. But the ritual of wanting to look your best during the sparkly season hasn’t changed…if anything, it’s an emotional confidence booster that’s truly welcome right now. This get-gorgeous guide will help start your beauty engines….
THE FLAWLESS FACE
Let’s face it: Even the best, most sophisticated foundation can’t mask problematic skin. Which means that creating the perfect canvas for makeup starts with treatments and products designed to give you a healthy finish – inside and out. A few to consider:
- Gentle laser treatments that improve your complexion with minimal downtime are an ideal choice during the holiday season. The Clear + Brilliant laser can leave your skin feeling smoother, younger, and with that coveted, radiant glow. Perfect for all skin types, color, and age, this simple treatment creates a collagen response in the skin that helps reverse the signs of aging.
- Excellent, medical-grade skincare should be a staple of your beauty routine – and not just during the holiday season. SkinMedica Retinol Complex – a cult favorite in dermatology circles – lightly resurfaces the skin, promoting a smoother, more rejuvenated complexion for all ages; TNS Advanced Serum utilizes growth factors and peptides to smooth and tone the skin for a visible anti-aging effect.
- A good foundation – applied with a pro brush or sponge to beautifully prepped skin – can provide that airbrushed finish without a photo filter. Two eternal favorites among the Instagram influencers, touted for amazing coverage and long wearability: Huda Beauty #FauxFilter Foundation ($40; sephora.com); and the eternally popular Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation ($43; sephora.com).
THE PERFECT MOUTH
Smooth, plump, sexy lips are the ultimate sign of youth and vitality. Here’s how to perfect your pout for those mask-free moments!
- Dermal fillers have been beautifully refined over the years, making it easy to get a natural-looking mouth without fear of those dreaded duck lips or downtime. The smooth, gel-based Juvaderm Volbella XC is a top choice for erasing lines around the lip area, while gently restoring fullness and shape without an excessive change in size. Juvederm Ultra adds hydration, lift, and volume when you’re looking for a more visible enlargement.
- Plumping lip glosses create temporary plush volume (we’re talking an hour or two). An industry favorite is HA5 Smooth and Plump Lip system, clinically shown to plump the appearance of lips while providing smoothing and hydrating benefits of Hyaluronic Acid.
SPARKLING EYES
Beautiful eyes are arguably the most captivating feature on a face; which is why tending to them should be on your beauty hit list. The best approach? Focus on enhancing the entire eye area – tinted brows, lashes, skin, even the eyes themselves – rather than masking problems with concealer and shadows. To try:
- Botox Cosmetic is a simple, non-surgical, nerve-blocking injectable that can temporarily (up to four months) soften crow’s feet, erase lines between the brows. When artfully used, Botox can even provide a small lift to the eye area. Results are visible within days.
- To enhance lashes without resorting to falsies, consider starting a daily routine with Latisse – a prescription-strength growth treatment that’s applied nightly, in the same manner as you would eyeliner.
- In the meantime, get your hands on Thrive Mascara – in addition to growth-stimulating ingredients, this product contains “flake-free tubing technology” – essentially, ultra-flexible, film-forming polymers that hug each lash and then extend and volumize them big-time ($24; thrivecausemetics.com).
- SkinMedica TNS Illuminating Eye Cream contains growth factors, peptides, and other anti-aging ingredients to promote a smoother, more hydrated appearance.
- As for sparkle? Many eye doctors now recommend Lumify – breakthrough eyedrops that significantly reduce redness; helping eyes to appear white and more radiant within just one minute. Unlike other drops on the market, Lumify doesn’t cause rebound redness, nor loss of efficacy over time.
