Maybelline New York’s Grace Lee & Essie’s Rita Remark Give Their Top Holiday Beauty Tips

With some holiday party plans in our calendar (hallelujah!) we chatted with two of our fave beauty pros, Maybelline New York’s Grace Lee and essie’s Rita Remark, to get their input on how to put put holiday face—and hands—forward. —Noa Nichol

Hi Grace! It’s the festive season! In light of the ongoing pandemic, are people, in your opinion, going to be dolling themselves up and attending holiday parties this year? Or is festive beauty going to be a little more understated this year?

I definitely think people will be going a little more extra this year if they can. I think now more than ever, people are just getting really sick and tired of wearing sweatpants at home and having to dress up and put on more makeup feels more like a treat now.

That said, what’s on your radar in terms of top holiday beauty trends?

If you want a little over-the-top for the holidays, think lashes! Glitter! And a great lip!

Can you give us tips or steps on achieving one of your fave holiday makeup looks?

I love glowing skin, a full brow and a red lip! For glowing skin, massage skin with a really good moisturizer and then apply Fit Me dewy and smooth foundation. Mix Master Chrome Highlighter with Baby Lips and tap that mixture on the high plains of the face, like the cheekbones, bridge of the nose and Cupid’s bow, and under the eyebrows. Fill and groom your brows with Brow Ultra Slim and set it with Brow Fast Sculpt to hold them in place. For a holiday lip you can’t go wrong with red! So many great selections of reds. Red For Me from the Made For All collection is a for sure red that will look great on any skin tone.

How do you suggest we maximize holiday beauty behind our face masks?

Stick to longwear products, and layer them so they stays on longer under the mask. Setting makeup with setting sprays will also help with longevity. Using Superstay Matte Ink as a lipstick is amazing for mask-proof lipstick makeup.

Glitter always seems to be a festive beauty theme; do you have advice for those of us who shy away from sparkle?

If you don’t want glitter, use frosted eyeshadow or eyeshadow with a shimmer.

Looking to 2022, what are some upcoming makeup trends we haven’t seen before or can look forward to?

I think anything goes. I’m not sure about predicting trends that we haven’t seen before but I do think that sticking to basics like great-looking skin, groomed eyebrows and defined lips will always be on trend.

maybelline.ca

Hi Rita! It’s the festive season! In light of the ongoing pandemic, are people, in your opinion, going to be dolling themselves up and attending holiday parties this year? Or is festive beauty going to be a little more understated this year?

I think I speak for all of us when I say that we’re all fatigued of Zoom parties and gatherings and, after last year’s holiday in isolation, many of us are eager to gather festively and, most importantly, safely.

That said, what’s on your radar in terms of top holiday nail trends?

This season the idea is to design festive nails that also pair seamlessly with seasonal nail art and colour trends. The hot colour this season is green! Green has been coasting on the trend radar all year, but this season, reach for a version that is slightly deeper like essie off tropic. Abstract swirl nails have been dancing across nails in 2021 and a great way to customize them for the holidays is to polish them in candy cane shades like white, red and green. Finally, it wouldn’t be a holiday manicure without some glitz. For a sophisticated manicure with chrome or glitter polishes, use this year’s biggest nail art look, the French manicure, and polish the glam shades just along the tip of each nail. I love using summit of style or no place like chrome for this.

Can you give us tips or steps on achieving one of your fave holiday nail looks?

For a customized glitzy holiday French mani, begin with two coats of your favourite sheer essie polish on all nails. For a slightly pink hue, try essie sugar daddy or for a bright white sheer, try marshmallow. Next, reach for essie summit of style and lightly tap the brush along the tip of each nail, like fairy dust. This look is easy to achieve at home because it doesn’t have to be perfect! Top this look with esie’s gel-setter topcoat. I love this topcoat over glitters because it’s slightly fuller than other topcoats; encasing your glitter effortlessly.

Glitter always seems to be a festive beauty theme; do you have advice for those of us who shy away from sparkle?

For glitter-shy mani enthusiasts, choose colours that fit the season! Green and red will always feel festive without glitz.

Looking to 2022, what are some upcoming nail trends we haven’t seen before or can look forward to?

Texture! Matte nails will edge their way back into the mainstream, but we can also look forward to transformative topcoats that add pearl effects, glitter or iridescent washes atop of polish. Think of it like adding a glam filter to your favourite nail colour!

essie.ca