With the most wonderful time of the year upon us, it’s time to add some high-wattage sparkle to your beauty game. We drew inspiration, from a metallic cat eye to the latest face-highlighting trend (move over, contouring), from five standout stars. Makeup artist Vanessa Jarman helps us break down the latest looks with her easy-to-follow tips and tricks.


Kate Bosworth’s bold glossy lips
A strong lip adds instant glamour. This truly long-lasting look is created with lip liner and gloss.

1. Trace your lips completely with lip liner. Choose one that glides easily and doesn’t pull on the skin.
2. Smile with your mouth closed until your lips are taut. Then, use the liner like a lipstick, colouring in the lips, ensuring that every crease is filled.
3. Apply a clear gloss or gloss with a colour that’s closest to the shade of the liner.

Tip: To make your pucker appear larger, apply liner slightly outside the lip line—but no more than one millimetre.


Product recommendations:
NYX Intense Butter Gloss in Apple Crisp, $8, nyxcosmetics.ca. Charlotte Tilbury Lip Liner in Crazy in Love, $27, and Charlotte Tilbury Lip Lustre Gloss in Red Vixen, $28, holtrenfrew.com. Nars Cosmetics Lip Gloss in Eternal Red, $32, narscosmetics.com. Maybelline New York Color Blur Cream Matte Pencil in Cherry Cherry Bang Bang, $8, maybelline.ca. Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Precision Glide Lip Liner in Red Door Red, $25, thebay.com.


Chrissy Teigen’s dewy cheeks
Adding colour to the cheeks is a great way to brighten up a paler complexion in winter.

1. Let your fingertips warm up a liquid or cream blush. 
2. Find the apple of your cheek and lightly blend in the blush. You can build on the size and colour quickly with a cream or liquid blush. Swipe or tap in an outward motion until the colour diffuses evenly into your skin. Use circular motions combined with dabbing, or stippling, until it’s set. Don’t forget to blend out the edges.
3. Be sure to leave blush-free space between your cheeks and your nose so cheeks appear more defined with colour.

Tip: Add a little contour with a matte beige or deeper tan or brown (for darker skin tones) directly under the cheekbone (near the ear) and halfway toward the apple of the cheek.


Product recommendations:
Nars Cosmetics Multiple in Copacabana, $49, narscosmetics.com. Sephora Collection Radiant Luminizing Drops in Luminous Pink, $23, sephora.ca. Stila Aqua Glow Watercolour Blush, $34, beautyboutique.ca.


Beyoncé’s softly highlighted face
In the winter months, we lose pigment in our skin and our complexions become fairer. During cooler seasons, switch from face contouring to highlighting for a luminous glow that’s less drastic. Bonus: You can draw attention to features you want to appear more prominent, such as your cheekbones.

1. Apply highlighter on your cheekbone and up to under your brow to make an L-shape.
2. Highlight the bridge of your nose, not the tip.
3. Add a swipe or dab of highlighter to the Cupid’s bow to make lips appear fuller.
4. Lightly swipe the centre of your forehead.

Tip: When applying highlighter, do so close to a natural source of light.


Product recommendations:
Hard Candy So Baked Trio in 3x a Lady, $10, walmart.ca. Guerlain Météorites Enchanted Snowflakes, $89, at Guerlain boutiques. M.A.C Cosmetics Prep + Prime Highlighter, $21, maccosmetics.ca. Urban Decay Naked Illuminated Powder, $35, urbandecay.ca.


Zoe Saldana’s metallic shadow and cat eye
Layering metallic eyeshadow over a cat eye is a great way to mix textures, and the shadow’s reflective properties add dimension.

1. To create the cat eye, start by ticking your eyeliner up at the outer corner of the eye.
2. Next, line the inner corner of the upper lash line and run along the lash line until you reach the outer corner, gradually increasing the thickness of the line as you go.
3. Apply a waterproof eyeliner along your bottom waterline (the part of your lower lid just above your lashes).
4. Brush metallic eyeshadow across the lid and blend. Add a dot to the inner corners of the eye for extra brightness.

Tips: To make your eyes appear more open and wider apart, add metallic shadow to the inside corner of the eyes. If you have a flatter lid, add metallic shadow to the centre of the lid. If you have a hooded lid, add the metallic shadow under the lash line.

For eyeliner application tips for your eye shape, click here .

Product recommendations:
Maybelline New York EyeStudio Lasting Drama Waterproof Gel Pencil in Sleek Onyx, $12, maybelline.ca. Rimmel London Exaggerate Liquid Eye Liner, $9, rimmellondon.com. Marc Jacobs Beauty Style Eye-Con No. 7 in The Lolita 2016, $59, sephora.ca. Anastasia Waterproof Crème Colour in Jet, $23, sephora.ca.


Jennifer Lopez’s high-volume lashes
Accentuate dramatic eye makeup with a lush eye fringe. This means taking the time to paint your lashes to optimize definition and length.

1. Curl eyelashes.
2. Hold the mascara wand horizontally as close to the lash base as possible. Rest it there for a moment, then wiggle it back and forth through the length of the lashes. To pack on more product, dab the wand onto the lashes.
3. Hold the wand vertically to separate and fan out lashes and set them in place. Use a zigzag motion.

Tip: Instead of the traditional method of moving the wand from root to tip only, wiggle the brush back and forth from base to tip.


Product recommendations:
Maybelline New York Volum’ Express The Colossal Chaotic Mascara, $9, maybelline.ca. Rimmel London Super Curler Mascara, $8, rimmellondon.com. Lancôme Hypnôse Doll Lashes Mascara, $32, lancome.ca. Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Mascara, $31, sephora.ca.