The holidays call for various looks that fit family time and holiday parties. Here’s where you bring out the jewel tones and glitter, thank you, sister Pat McGrath!
Here’s a round-up of bright makeup ideas. Where you see this * sign, the products are created by BIPOC CEOs. We rounded up all the makeup ideas we’ve been saving since January and have you covered for every scenario under the sun, from classic cherry lips to out-there neon.
Best Eyeshadow
Danessa Myricks has powerful color palettes that rock the red carpet and millions of women who are not afraid of color. You are missing out if you’ve not tried her ColorFix Foils because there is a learning curve. *
Ace Beaute offers colorful and fun eyeshadow palettes that are vibrant and cruelty-free. *
Huda palettes mix buttery-smooth golds, coppers, browns, and neutrals in various textures, including intensely pigmented mattes, creamy gel-liner hybrids, foiled chrome metallics, and a blingy wet-look shimmer, and you can use a brush or your fingers to apply.
Best Illuminators
Fenty’s Our Eaze Into It Bundle was made to give a glow-key look and is easy to mix with added skincare ingredients to help nourish the skin instantly and over time.
Best Highlighter
Mented Sunkissed Highlighter Palettes suit all skin tones from Fair to Rich and offer maximum glam and glow. Their Sunkissed Highlighter Palette is vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, and enriched with Vitamins A & E. Made in Italy. *
HourGlass’s exclusive ambient lighting edit unlocked custom palette offers three choices featuring bestselling and brand-new shades of their iconic Ambient Lighting Powders. Customization is available only on hourglasscosmetics.com, with 5% of profits from Unlocked supporting the Nonhuman Rights Project in their efforts to secure fundamental rights for animals.
Best Foundation
HausLabs’s Triclone Skin Tech Medium Coverage Foundation, available in 51 shades, offers medium buildable coverage, high-performance, weightless, clean foundation. It is infused with proprietary fermented arnica that helps reduce redness, helps even skin tone, and protects from environmental stress. Suitable for all skin types, including sensitive and acne-prone. 51 shades
Lancôme also understood the value of offering a more comprehensive range of foundations offering choices from matte, satin, or dewy.
Dior Backstage Face & Body Foundation
With a flawless foundation for the face and body in a wide range of shades with a natural finish and medium, it’s waterproof and sweat-resistant.
Best Concealer
NARS Under the Concealer category, you can’t go wrong with their Radiant Creamy Concealer because they offer golden, neutral, olive, and deep undertones, and they also have soft satin and matte finishes.
Setting Powder
Iman Cosmetics makes this list because Iman is a goddess, and we trust anything she creates, and the products really are that good. They’re all created with medium to dark skin tones in mind, but lest you assume that limits your options, think again. *
Best Contouring Stick
Black Up, founded by an African American makeup artist, is the first-ever luxe beauty brand created for women of color and just recently received Sephora’s approval. Black Up’s products claim to enhance dark skin tones instead of just matching them.
Best Lipstick
Black Opal was founded in New York in 1994 and was the first technologically advanced, doctor-recommended, mass-market skincare line for women of color. It was positively received that the brand then rolled out a makeup line. “Black Opal foundation sticks are amazing not only in the consistency but the shade range! Their shades are rich and beautiful. I have never had an issue matching anyone with them. They are super buttery and skin-like, and affordable,” Sorrells states.
The Lip Bar is an example of success; despite being rejected by Shark Tank, creator Melissa Butler created her terrific products, which are worth every penny.
Best Lip Gloss
B. Simone Beauty’s diamond lip gloss is an ultra-shine, long-wearing, creamy textured gloss.
That makes your lips shine at an affordable price. *
Best Blushes
Merit cream tint blushes melt into the skin for lit-from-within color that stays flush all day.
Best Bronzers
SAIE’s Sun Melt is a lightweight, creamy balm bronzer with a natural, velvet finish that melts into skin for an effortless, sunkissed glow.
Huda Beauty Tantour Contour and Bronzer Cream created by, Huda Kattan, is a deeply pigmented bronzer that comes in a range of versatile shades with both cool and warm undertones.
Best Face Oil
Beauty Bakerie’s Wake & Bake Hydrating Baking Face Oil is a hydrating face oil with 11 oils that work together to hydrate, protect and nourish your skin. *
Laws of Nature Facial Cleaning Oil gently removes stubborn makeup and dirt. *
Best Accessories
Fenty Make Up Bag is the perfect gift for all those makeup lovers on your list.
Best Fragrance
FENTY Eau De Parfum + Scarf wrap set has a warm floral scent with key notes of
magnolia, musk, tangerine, and Bulgarian rose and is finished with unexpected touches of vanilla, blueberry, coconut, geranium, and patchouli. *
Huda’s Kayali Vanilla Royale Sugared Patchouli Vanilla Royale is a take on the classic Vanilla. The top notes are Vanilla Orchid, Creamy Jasmine, Golden Rum, middle notes are Vanilla Infusion, Vanilla Surabsolute, Tonka Bean Accord, Spicy Rose Bouquet, Smoky Leather, Crème Brulée, and the dry notes are Sugared Patchouli, Musk, Brown Sugar, Amber, Royal Oud.