Simple holiday makeup tricks to take you from day to night

Raise your hand if you have a holiday party to attend this week. I hear you, I have three soirees lined up – and they’re all before the weekend.

I’m not complaining though, holiday parties are such a fun part of the season. But, I do always feel a bit of pressure to up my style game this time of year. Whether I’m feting with work colleagues, family or friends I want to look my best for all the pics that will end up on Facebook and Instagram, and for those encounters with people I don’t see nearly often enough. Plus, it’s fun to wear a little more gloss, liner and powder than I do for my everyday barely-there look.

Prettying myself up for a Saturday night shindig is easy. I find it a challenge when I’m faced with the post-work party. Come 5 p.m. my mascara is smudging and my nose is as shiny as Rudolf’s. All efforts I made at 7 a.m. are a distant memory. You could say that I’m not exactly on top of my beauty game.

To the rescue, advice from Brett Friedman, a celebrity makeup artist for Elizabeth Arden who has worked on the likes of Emily Blunt (one of my personal faves!), Catherine Zeta-Jones and Selena Gomez, to name a few. He’s created a three-minute video tutorial to show us all how to glam-it-up (just a little). All you need are a few key products (which you can easily stow in your purse) and about five minutes in front of the bathroom mirror.

Note: Although Brett is using Elizabeth Arden products in the video, just pull out your usual go-tos. (I will say though that the Elizabeth Arden Color Intrigue Bronzing Powder Duo, $32, is a great product if you’re shopping for some faux-glow this winter.)

I’ll be trying out Brett’s tips for our upcoming after-work Today’s Parent party. Tweet me @KarenRobock and let me know how they work for you!

Photo by qwazymonkey via Flickr.