Stand out at your next holiday party with this glamorous and sparkling makeup look!

By Charleen Gonzalez for Shine Latina

I love using gold eyeshadow and glitter during the holiday times for that little extra something that helps you stand out. For this look, I decided to keep the shimmer on the inner corners of the eyes, and add gray and black to the outer corners for a smoked-out effect. I think red lips are a classic, and they go really well with this look. During the holidays you can get away with doing bolder shades and strong colors, so break out your red lipstick and smoky shadows for your next holiday fiesta!

How to create a festive and glamorous makeup look
In order to achieve this look, I used brushes from Stila's Holiday 2012 Brush Set and Urban Decay's Vice Palette for eyeshadows. For the rest, here's what you'll need:

A flawless base
Apply your favorite foundation. I used Jouer Matte Moisture Tint for a light coverage and a matte finish. I also used L'Orea

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By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

In Colombia, we celebrate the holidays with a variety of festivities that officially begin on December 8th, or Día de las velitas (Day of the candles). Family and friends gather around to light candles as a sign of peace and harmony, but of course the celebration doesn't stop there. There will be celebrations, music and food. Lots of food. And more specifically- desserts.

My family's choice dessert is natilla, a thick custard similar to flan or crème brûlée. I always thought it was a complicated dish to make, so I limited myself to eating instead of cooking it. A few weeks ago I found a natilla quick mix at the Latin supermarket, and gave it a try. It tasted just like the one we have back home, topped with a semi-sweet blackberry sauce just like abuela made. Now, I am ready for the holidays with a simple recipe that will bring great memories to the entire family.

Try this recipe with my leftover turkey croquettes

Ingredients 

(4 ser

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A woman with a vision for enhancing the lives of Latin girls creates a doll to represent their dreams and aspirations.

There's nothing like a child's excitement on Christmas Eve, pondering what gifts Santa Claus will leave

under the tree for the next morning. For many young girls, the wish for a beautiful doll is usually included in their letters to Papá Noel. And for many parents, there is a growing concern regarding what dolls will mean to their child--will it encourage good character or place unhealthy expectations for an impossible appearance?

Former business professor Dr. Lisa Williams has created the "Positively Perfect" collection of dolls that not only look like the girl who will play with them, but also aims to inspire the little one to be more than just a pretty face. Following her line of self-described "chocolate-color babies, toddlers and girl dolls", this year Dr. Williams added to two Hispanic dolls: "Marvelous Maria" and "DIVA Abrielle".

"I wanted to provide

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By Liliana Moyano for Shine Latina

Mi abuelita had several food traditions in her house; every morning she made her old-fashioned beaten egg whites with sugar, while every afternoon there was tea with cookies or mantecada (pound cake). On Tuesday nights, she roasted peanuts. We all helped to peel them, and put them inside a big jar so we could have snacks to munch on during the week. On Thursdays she made our favorite dish, sopa de frijoles con plátano, or bean soup with plantains.

Her now-famous soup tradition began one Wednesday morning when she left dried beans soaking in water until late afternoon. Before going to bed, she took out her big crock pot, and put the beans in with pigs feet, a ripe plantain and water. She then left the mix to slow-cook overnight. I got up around three in the morning, only to notice an enticing smell that traveled all the way into my bedroom. I sneaked into the kitchen to taste the concoction in the pot without getting caught by abuelita, and i

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The ultimate holiday shopping guide for makeup lovers.

By Charleen Gonzalez for Shine Latina

Makeup companies usually release a slew of new products and gift sets during the holiday season. It can be overwhelming to decide what to invest in, so I investigated different beauty items and have prepared some of the best worth checking out. There are a few fun sets in the mix, as well as a few staples I think every woman should have.

Makeup gift sets in beautiful colors
Tarte came out with so many fun holiday gift sets this year that it was hard to narrow it down to just a few. By far my favorite has to be their Carried Away Collector's Set, which includes 24 eyeshadows, 8 maracuja lip glosses, a blush, their famous Light's, Camera, Lashes! mascara, a full sized face brush, a finishing powder, as well as a beautiful travel bag to fit it all in. The eyeshadows are housed in a compartment behind a large mirror in the included makeup bag. I just love how this set has practically all the mak

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