Photo-Ready Holiday Makeup Looks

'Tis the season for holiday parties, family gatherings, and, of course, scores of snapshots-not to mention posing for the annual holiday card. This year, instead of shying away from the camera, strike a confident pose with flawless makeup. Following are four gorgeous, photo-ready makeup looks for you to try in time for your next fete, along with easy-to-follow instructions on recreating them


Bold, Beautiful, and Berry-licious
Berry-hued lips, as seen here on Camille Belle, are all the rage this season. The actress used Tom Ford Lip Color in Violet Fetale ($48 at Bergdorf Goodman), but you can get a similar-looking lip for a fraction of the cost by snagging Laura Geller's Lipstick in Sweet Berry ($15.50 at Macy's). Compliment the deliciously daring pout with dramatic eyes. Start with a shimmery mauve shadow, like Chanel's Illusion D'ombre in Illusoire ($36 at Nordstrom), on the upper lid and use a light rose-pink iridescent hue, like Emerveille (also from Chanel; $36 from Nordstrom), on the lower lid. Line the upper lash line with a navy blue liner and apply two coats of black mascara. Finish the overall bold and breathtaking look with a sweep of velvety peach blush, like Revlon's Perfectly Peach Matte Blush ($8 on Drugstore.com).


Minimalist-Chic
You don't need to wear gobs of makeup to be photo-ready this season. Embrace a minimalist look like Keira Knightley does here at the 55th Annual BFI London Film Festival. First, swipe taupe and russet shadows on your upper lids, followed by a dark chocolate hue below the crease (all which you can conveniently find in Bobbi Brown's Sand Tortoise Shell Eye Palette for $60 at Nordstrom). Next, thinly line your eyes with a dark brown eye liner and coat your lashes twice with black-brown mascara. After applying a mattifying foundation that matches your winter skin tone, warm up your complexion with a light pink blush, like Armani Beauty's Sheer Blush ($43 at Neiman Marcus). Finish with a flesh-colored lipstick, like Revlon's Colorburst Lipstick in Soft Nude ($7 at Walmart) and a dab of gloss-and voila!-you've got a semi-natural snapshot-worthy look!

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Ravishingly Retro
With the popularity of '60s-era television shows like Pan Am and Mad Men, women everywhere are rocking the retro look-including Evan Rachel Wood, seen here at a film premier earlier this year. This photogenic face can be recreated using liquid black eyeliner with a felt-tip applicator, like L'Oreal's Lineur Intense in Carbon Black ($7 on Amazon.com), to draw a line that gets thicker as it reaches the eye's outer edges. Dust the lids and lower water line in a silver shadow and finish the eyes with thick black mascara. After applying a mattifying liquid foundation, swipe cheeks with a rose-colored blush, like Lancome's "Blush Subtil" in Rose Romantique ($30 at Macy's). Finally, drench lips in the fire-engine red that's so evocative of the era-like Chanel's Rouge Hydrabase Crème in Fire ($35 on Chanel.com).

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Prettily Pink
You can achieve a standout look with subtler, more feminine hues like rose and flush, as seen here on Rose McGowan at last month's amfAR Inspiration Gala in Los Angeles. Recreate the star's stunning soft style by starting with a full-coverage liquid foundation, like Make Up For Ever's Mat Velvet Foundation ($34 at Sephora). Next, sweep lavender shadow (we like MAC'S Beautiful Iris shadow; $15 at MAC) over the entire eye lid. Using a liquid liner, draw a thick line along the top lash line and follow with two coats of black mascara. To get the actress's flushed cheeks, apply BareMineral's Blush in Giddy Pink ($19 at Nordstrom) on the apples of your cheeks and blend upward toward your temples. Finally, finish with a creamy coral pink lipstick, like Bobbi Brown's Lip Color in Coral Pink ($23 at Macy's), for a look that'll wow in front of the camera!

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