This Holiday Makeup Look Will Make You the Most Popular Girl at the Party

Looking for a come-hither look that will keep you occupied under the mistletoe? Try out this sexy holiday makeup look inspired by that perennial symbol of Christmas romance — and don’t blame us if you’re the center of attention at the office party.

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When thinking of the perfect holiday makeup look, I took my cue from the mighty mistletoe. Sure, it's technically a parasite that's not great for the health of trees, but if you stand underneath it and beckon a hottie over, you just might end up in a makeout sesh. Also, it looks cool as hell with its minimalist leaves and pearl-like berries. It totally looks like an alien bouquet. Tied off with a sweet velvet ribbon, it's an unmistakably gorgeous little symbol of the holidays.

So with that in mind I'm taking my favorite elements of a mistletoe sprig and incorporating it into our look. The lush greens, the white highlights, the velvet red lips, and making it kiss-proof.

Highlight All the Way

I want to go super dewy for this look as a callback to those pearl-like berries. I'm going to start with an all-over application of VDL's Expert Blending Sheer. If you're not familiar with this product, it's a really nice sheer, pearlized “lotion.” It's not quite a highlighter (although if you're into subtlety, it certainly could be) and not quite a primer. It comes in two shades, 01 Cream and 02 Pink. Both are nice, but I'd rec the cream for warm skin tones and the pink for cooler. It lays down a shimmery pearl finish on the skin. You can use it alone as a foundational base or you can mix it with your favorite BB cream.

Since I'm a fan of Doing The Most, I'm going to do both here because why the hell not. You can apply this with a foundation brush or even just with your hands as you would a lotion. Your hands are going to give a more natural application, but you can get precise with the brush.

Next blend your BB cream with the Blending Sheer in a 1:1 ratio. Since illumination is the name of the game, I'm going with Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream. This is a really nice BB with a great formula that works for just about any skin type. It almost goes without saying at this point, but of course, it has a miserable shade selection (it only comes in one color!). If you're lucky enough to fall under its umbrella, it's a solid BB choice and I do love it. Once you've mixed your BB and Blending Sheer (I use the back of one of my eyeshadow brushes to mix it up), I like to apply it with a BB pact silicone puff as it gives the nicest delicate finish.

Define Your Lines

Since it's the holidays, let's not hold back. Let's get fancy and do some light contouring! Hit your jawline  and hairline with a bit of A’Pieu Multiple Color Stick BR01 and blend, blend, blend. Applying the stick in these areas will help define your jawline and give shape to your dome. If you have a short, small forehead, feel free to skip application there. You can also slim your nose by applying some to the sides and blending.

This stick can be used as a bronzer or a blush, which we'll be doing here because I love a good multi-use product. To use as a blush, smile and then apply it to the meatiest part of the cheeks and blend back toward the ears. The bronze is going to be a nice compliment to the greens we're going to use for our eye look.

Olive Your Eyes

Now for the eyes. First, prime with your favorite primer. Mine is either VDL or Etude House's Proof 10. This will help your shadows adhere and pop. Next take your fluffiest blending brush and apply some of ColourPop's Team Captain pressed shadow to your crease. I really wanted to be 100% K-beauty with my products here, but to get the exact shade of mistletoe greens I wanted I had to go with Western brands. Team Captain is a really pretty matte olive, but I see straight up mistletoe. Next we're going to brush Colourpop's Sideline all over the lid. Sideline is a pretty metallic duochrome shadow that reflects green. For the extra drama I like to add a touch of Colourpop's Now and Zen which is a pretty pale gold. Go back in and blend with your fluffy brush and a bit more Team Captain in the crease.

Next I'm going to put some Tony Moly Backstage Gel Liner in brown all in the upper and lower waterline. The drama here is going to be in the lower lashline, and this is the start of it. Next hit that lower lashline with our Team Captain on a pencil brush and smoke the hell out of it. Once you're sufficiently smoky, diffuse it more with the fluffy brush. For our inner corner and brow bone highlight, I want to callback to those delicate white mistletoe berries and use Mamonde Vivid Touch Stick Shadow in 01 Blessing, which is a white pearl shimmer. For that over-the-top extra bling, add some of 3CE's Eye Switch in the shade #Throbbing. It's a liquid glitter liner that's super sparkly, something I'd reserve for nighttime or special occasions like these. Top with a generous coating of your favorite mascara; mine is still Touch In Sol's Stretchex.

Make It Kiss-Proof

Now for our lips! I want something that calls to mind a velvet bow. For that we're going to use Missha Glam Enamel Tint in the shade Velika. Now Missha Glam Enamel Tint is normally a glossy enamel-like tint, but for this look we're going to apply it, blot slightly with a tissue, and then use Romand's Lip Matter for a fully matte (read: velvet) lip. Velinka is a beautiful, deep, almost blood red shade, and I think it looks awesome as a matte here, but you can use it in its high shine state for a glossy gold and red look at another time.

Now Sleigh!

Our finishing touches here are going to be A’Pieu Multiple Color Stick in shade WH02, used to highlight the cheeks and cupid's bow. Take it to the next level by contouring your collarbones with that A’Pieu Multiple Color Stick in BRo1 we used earlier and highlighting the middle with A’Pieu Multiple Color Stick WH02. Put your hair up in a messy bun with a velvet ribbon and mistletoe stuck in as a decoration to be as Extra as I plan on being for the holidays.

Most importantly, get out there and SLEIGH. (Don't kill me for ending with a Dad joke.) Happy holidays everyone! May your mistletoe look bring you lots of Christmas kisses.

Fun fact: My home state's official state flower is the mistletoe. If you're wondering what kind of weird ass state would pick a parasite as its official flower, the answer is the same state that would name its airport after someone who died in a tragic plane wreck.

Would you try a mistletoe-inspired holiday makeup look? What’s do you do to make your holiday beauty look Extra? Share your tips below!