Three Expert-Designed Holiday Looks

Here are 3 "on trend" different eye looks from Robert Jones for the holidays.


smoke it up

a sultry smoky eye with color

With this application technique, you will be able to create a sexy, smoky eye. Even though this is definitely a dramatic look, you control just how dramatic it is by choosing how dark your eyeshadow shades will be. You can use lighter shades and create a subtle effect, or choose darker shades for maximum drama. Whatever your eyeshadow color choice is, this application technique will define your eyes and make you look gorgeous in Holiday party photographs. Since colorful smoky eyes are "in" I chose to use purple, it is the most on trend color shade and is flattering on everyone. This look works fabulously with every eye shape except deep-set.

Application:

Highlight shade: Using a matte shade so that you only see the purple, take soft cream to the brow bone only.
Midtone shade: Using a shimmering purple and start at the base of your upper lashline and bring the color up and over your entire lid – all the way up to your brow bone. Also take and brush it along the lower lashline: this will help to create definition and help create blend later when adding contour shade.
Eyeliner: Take a charcoal eye pencil and line your top and bottom lashline, now take a black eyeshadow, lay a tapered brush directly along the line and pull up the liner.
Contour shade: Again, using a shimmering amethyst start at the base of your lashline and layer the color over your midtone all the way across your lid and up into the crease. Now sweep the contour color underneath the lower lashline as well. You’ll create a light-to-dark effect with the three eyeshadows, with the darkest shade applied closest to the lashline and fading as you go toward the brow.
With this look, make sure you line your entire eye all along the top and bottom lashline.

With the smoky eye look, of course, your eyes are the absolute focus. Soft, subtly glowing cheeks would look best. You can use color--just make sure it is a soft, sheer color so that it is not too intense for the eyes. Take a neutral sheer blush, for ivory/ beige a shimmering peach; for bronze/ ebony a shimmering copper and apply it all along your cheek bone.

If you choose deep, rich eyeshadow colors, make sure you wear a very soft, subtle lip color. You never want both your eyes and lips to be dark at the same time! Your lips should be as subtle as possible; close to nude would be best. You are going to want to apply your lip color, because we are not going to use lip liner in order to create the most subtle lip possible, for ivory/ beige a shimmering nude for bronze/ ebony a shimmering nude. Now top your lip off with the perfect shine to pull it all together, for ivory/ beige a shimmering peach for bronze/ ebony a shimmering bronze. Do not forget if you apply lip gloss with a brush it will always look much shinier.





make it sparkle

sparkling glamorous eye

Put a twinkle in your eye and give yourself a fresh glowing look. Nothing is more beautiful and glamorous than a look with a bit of sparkle and shine to the eye. The key to this look is to create the shine or sparkle only on the eye. You want to make sure the rest of your face has very little shine to it. Your skin should be nice and matte, your blush should have no shimmer to it, and your lips should not be too glossy. The only shade that should have shimmer to it is your highlight shadow. This look works fabulously with every eye shape except hooded and prominent.

Application:

Highlight shade: We really want this shade to make a big impact. In order to assure that we are going to layer for intensity. First, using a matte shade for complete coverage, apply a matte nude to the browbone and lid. Now for the secret weapon, using a sponge tip applicator take a shimmer cream shadow and apply it only to your eyelid (a little goes a long way, very little needed). Blend the cream out (very important). Now using a shimmer shade for the perfect glow, apply a shimmering flesh to the browbone and the lid.
Midtone shade: take a matte medium brown starting from the outside corner of the crease, sweep the color across to the inside corner of your eye. Next sweep it along the lower lashline, once again starting from the outside corner and brushing toward the inside so that the most intense color is at the outside fading as you move to the inside corner. This will help you create subtle definition. Make sure this shade is matte.
Eyeliner: Now line your eye along top and bottom lashline with a rich, deep eyeliner for definition. Doing it before you apply the contour shade will allow you to brush it across the liner as you apply it, smudging and softening the line.
Contour shade: take a dark brown matte eyeshadow and sweep the color along the upper lashline and into the crease, layering it on top of your midtone shade. The size of this brush makes it easier to control the color, which is so important for this look. Now apply shadow underneath the eye all along the lower lashline. Make sure this shade is also matte.
Highlight shade: Using highlight shadow make sure to highlight the "V" on the inside corner of the eye (wrap the color around the inside corner). This will really accentuate the shimmer and sparkle.

When making blush and lip choices, you want to make sure you don’t overpower the sparkly eye that you have just created. Remember: no shimmer to your blush! Make sure you choose a soft, subtle shade that will give your cheeks a glow. For a soft flush of color, you can try a technique called “popping your apples.” First, apply a matte bronzer to your cheekbones (which I know you have already done, because you know how beneficial it is in our quest to look younger). Now using the same brush, smile and apply a light, sheer, colorful blush on the apples of your cheeks, blending back toward the bronzed area. This gives the apples of your cheeks a beautiful glow, because that is where you placed the highest concentration of color. Be sure to use a sheer shade of blush for this technique. A dark or intense cheek color can look too harsh and unnatural, when applied this way.

Now for a beautiful subtle lip, start by using a neutral shade of lip liner, blend your lip liner toward center of mouth. To create a soft touch of color use a beautiful lipstick with just a hint of hue, apply your color with a brush for precision. Do not forget the shine, a hint of gloss for an elegant finish. Do not forget when you apply it with a brush it will give you more shine



lip is it


sheer lip with stained brightness in fushia or red

If you want your lips to be the center of attention, then this is the holiday look for you. What makes this technique different from looks you have done in the past is we want your bright lip to be stained with a high shine finish. Not only is this look incredibly beautiful and on trend, but this technique will keep your lips looking great all night no matter what you do! One of the key aspects of this look is when wearing a bright intense lip you need a softer eye look. Let’s start with the softer eye look first.

Eye application:

Highlight shade: Using a shimmer shade for adding glow, and apply a shimmering flesh to the brow bone and the lid.
Midtone shade: Using a matte shadow to make it look ultra natural, take a neutral brown. Starting in the crease, apply your midtone color from the outer to the inner corner of the eye. sweep the same color underneath the lower lashline for definition.
Eyeliner: Start by taking a dark brown eyeliner pencil and line the upper and lower lashline. Remember to keep the color as close to the lashline as possible. Make sure the line increases from thin to thick as you go toward the outer corner. Next using a dark brown shadow and now go over your pencil and fine-tune it, making it the perfect shape and smudging it to soften the line. The shape of the brush make it so easy just lay it along the line and work it back and forth to smudge.
Now take your highlight shadow and highlight the inside corner underneath the lower lashline (wrap the color around the inside corner of the eye) for added sparkle.
For an extra ‘wow appeal’, apply false eyelashes.

Lip application: Line the outer edges of the lips with a deep berry lip liner, then fill the lip in, all except the very center area of the lip, with liner. I find that using a deeper liner grounds the color and the lips. Now go over the liner you just applied blend (with precision). This is the first line of defense in getting your lip color to last. Lip liner has a dryer texture than lipstick, so it lasts longer.
Next (which is so important in perfecting this look); apply a bright, fabulous red or pink lipstick. Either is perfect for this look. Then, take a tissue and gently blot your lips. This will remove the moisture from this layer yet leave you with a deposit of pigment. Next, reapply your lipstick and blot again. Layering color like this will give you double the pigment deposit, thus increasing how long the color will wear and creating the look of a stain.
Finish with a rich burgundy lip gloss for the perfect shine. Shiny lips are always sexy (a must). Do not forget to use a brush to apply your gloss, whenever you apply gloss with a brush it will always look shinier.

With this look; a softer cheek works best. Try skipping color. Just use bronzer for a bit of definition.