Glam up to party

By Oh Seo-jin

It’s that special time of the year when we celebrate our year-long efforts with various kinds of celebrations. Then there’s Christmas and New Year’s Eve just around the corner, giving us more reasons to celebrate. To glam up for the occasions, here are some suggestions from W and cosmetics experts with the hottest makeup and nail collections this holiday season.

Bold look:

Makeup

The smoky eye is perfect if you want to add a bold accent to your look. Deep smoky eye makeup highlights your eyes under subtle lighting. “Black and purple colors highlight smoky eye makeup,” Guerlain makeup artist Kim Myung-jun says. “However, as the eyes are emphasized, the cheeks and lips must be toned down.”

Chanel’s Christmas collection features Les 5 Ombres de Chanel, a five-color eye shadow palette. True to the product’s name, which means “bird of the night,” the eye shadow palette will easily transform your look for an evening soiree. “The three different gray colors suit both warm and cool face tones and are central to creating the smoky look,” a Chanel beauty trainer said. “The white and gold colors add glamour to the look.”

Nails

“Create a simple but sophisticated look with toasty almond colors such as beige and light brown,” Kim do-yeon, a nail instructor at California-based nail lacquer manufacturer OPI, said. “Match them with gold to give more edge and class to your look.”

Fancy look:

Red lips and glitter are essential to achieving a fancy, party-ready look. “For flashy end-of-the-year celebrations, accentuate the lips with the red color,” Espoir makeup artist Choi Hyun-min says. “Outline the shape of your lips with a lip crayon and then accentuate the lips with lipstick.”

Guerlain makeup artist Kim says glitters are a must for the holiday season. “Glitter adds opulence and exquisiteness to one’s look,” he says. “Lightly spray Coque D’or Perfumed Shimmer Powder Body & Hair 15 centimeters away from the center of the eyes for a sparkling effect. Spray it onto the hair and collarbone. Applying body lotion will make the sparkles last.”

MAC’s Objects of Affection collection offers three glitter kits. “Dab the gold glitter from Gold and Beige Pigment and Glitter on the inner corners of the eyes with a sharp brush,” MAC makeup artist Byun Myung-suk says. “For more dimension and sparkle, apply the pigments at the center of the eyelids using the fingers.”

Chanel’s illuminating powder, Camelia de Plumes, which is made with subtle gold and silver pearls, is perfect for adding glow under soft lighting.

“Marsala colors such as burgundy and red-brown create an elegant and sexy look,” OPI nail instructor Kim said. “Layer glitter with relatively larger beads for a fancier look.”

Lively look:

Create the cat eye look with the flick of an eyeliner at the outer corners of your eyes. This chic and lively look is wearable even during daytime.

Shu Uemura, collaborating with fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, launched the holiday collection Shupette Collection, which is inspired by Lagerfeld’s famous cat, Choupette. The collection includes 11 products, including the Shupette Has-It-All Eye and Lip Palette, with a special eye shadow color, “shupette blue,” and Eye-Need-Shu-Trio Waterproof eyeliner.

“Coral pink or intense orange colors add freshness to your look,” OPI nail instructor Kim said. “You can also create unique patterns on your own with a brush and a line tape.”