The holiday party makeup essentials your beauty bag can't cope without
When the era of holiday party makeup hits (and we say it runs from October to February, thanks for asking), we have one concrete rule: everything must be extra. Extra glitter, extra colour, extra gloss, extra everything. Sorry, demure is officially out of our vocab once party season dawns.
We want our eyelids covered in metallic molten gold, our lips cloaked in Christmas crimson, and our faces silkier, sparklier, and more stunning than ever.
And every beauty brand on the planet is pretty much in agreement, dropping glitzy shadow palettes, shimmer glosses, and heavenly highlighters to help us hit the brief. But when it comes to pigment payoff, true quality, and whether the products will last through the multiple dance floors/champagnes/events on the calendar, a few specifics stand out above the rest.
That's precisely what we're here to round up: the holiday party makeup essentials that your beauty bag will be all the chicer for knowing this silly season...
Natasha Denona Golden Palette
from $125 at Sephora
Best for: Having the glitziest eyes at any holiday party
If you make one purchase this party season, let it be this palette. Natasha Denona has the best glitter shadow shades in the business, and with 15 champagne, pearl, caramel and chocolate tones to choose from, the options are endless. We seriously cannot endorse this enough: think pigment that actually looks the same on the eye as it does in the pan, and blendability that makes it impossible to mess up, even if you're trying something new. Worth every penny, we promise.
Key features:
- Matte, metallic and shimmer shades
- Versatile mix of neutral and statement colours
- Formulas that last
- Crease-proof, pigment-packed colours
- Chic 'liquid gold' palette packaging
Available at:
- $125 from Sephora
Gucci Beauty Rouge à Lèvres Voile Sheer Lipstick in 'Goldie Red'
from $72 at Sephora
Best for: A red lipstick that won't feather or fade three drinks/courses in
Our two favourite parts of party season? Wearing red lipstick to every occasion and consuming all the holiday treats we like. And with this Gucci bullet, the two can coexist. It's the perfect modern-meets-classic true red, and the formula won't feather, fade, smear or smudge no matter how much you're sipping/snacking. It's not any old red lipstick, though; this colour is slightly sheer with a delicate sheen, to maximise both comfort and longevity.
Key features:
- Slightly warm true red colour
- Long-wearing and hydrating
- Comfortable on lips
- Slightly sheer for a fresher look
- Beautiful Gucci print-adorned lipstick bullet
Available at:
- $72 from Sephora
Dior Backstage Glow Face Palette in 'Glitz'
from $86 at Sephora
Best for: Skin more glimmering than the Christmas lights
You know the age-old adage of 'play up one feature at a time'? Yeah, we don't subscribe to that when it comes to highlighter. This Dior palette (which features a champagne gold, rosy chrome, pearlescent peach and shimmery bronze) will last literal years (great news for future you), and works a festive treat over eyelids, dusted onto cheekbones, tapped onto the cupid's bow, or hell, just all over. It's party season, live a little.
Key features:
- Includes four luxury highlighter shades
- Multipurpose: can be used all over
- Universally flattering
- Easily buildable
- Long-lasting pressed powders
Available at:
- $86 from Sephora
Huda Beauty Rose Quartz Eyeshadow Palette
from $118 at Adore Beauty
Best for: Creating eye makeup looks that'll look professional
We all spend hours scanning celeb glam looks, convincing ourselves we couldn't possibly pull them off, but that ends with this palette. Offering 18 buttery, intensely-pigmented colours, everything from a khaki cat-eye to a marbled inner corner is possible. And just FYI: some of these shades create the kind of iridescence we had previously thought was only possible with an Instagram filter. It's not a want, it's a need.
Key features:
- Matte, metallic and marble cream shades, plus an eye gloss
- 18 varied options
- Minimal fallout
- Mirror included
- Highly pigmented, buttery formulas
Available at:
- $118 from Adore Beauty
Rare Beauty Stay Vulnerable Melting Blush in 'Nearly Apricot'
from $43 at Sephora
Best for: Bringing the 'blush blind' trend into the festive season
Blush 'blindness' has been our favourite trend to come out of 2024, and you best believe we'll be ushering the aesthetic into the holiday season. This 'apricot' shade from Rare Beauty has just the right ratio of sheen to pigment to be somehow completely chic and completely OTT in the best possible way. We say build it up 'til your cheeks are gleaming, and tap it over the top of your lip combo for a tonal look.
Key features:
- Liquid-like cream blush
- Glossy colour packed with pigment
- Water-resistant (so it lasts)
- Dewy but not greasy
- Melts into skin seamlessly
Available at:
- $43 from Sephora
Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Blur Primer
from $87 at The Iconic
Best for: Letting every makeup look be a luminous, long-lasting one
We're makeup magpies too (that to say we're drawn to the most glittery things we can dust onto our faces), but don't underestimate the power of a pearlescent prep step. Set your skin up for success by starting things with this blurring, illuminating primer from Yves Saint Laurent. It's spiked with gold flecks for extra luminosity, it feels like refreshing heaven hitting summer skin, and it'll allow every additional makeup product to layer on like silk (and last 'til your next cleanse).
Key features:
- Makes applying makeup a breeze
- Suitable for all skin types, even sensitive
- Diminishes the visibility of pores
- Boosts luminosity
- Helps to smooth the skin's texture
Available at:
- $87 from The Iconic
Pat McGrath Labs Skin Fetish Highlighter & Balm Duo
from $86 at Sephora
Best for: Carving out cheekbones you can see from space
If 'angelic' is your inspo word for the season ahead, this creamy (and we mean creamy) Pat McGrath highlighter duo stick should be at the top of your list. It features a light-reflecting chrome-coloured highlighter on one end, and a transparent balm on the other, so you can choose between 'just shimmery', 'just dewy' or 'best of both worlds'. And considering its formula features aloe, argan oil and hyaluronic acid, it's basically shimmery skin care.
Key features:
- Balm formula
- Transfer-proof
- Glides on effortlessly
- Dual-ended
- Features aloe, argan oil and hyaluronic acid
Available at:
- $86 from Sephora
Guerlain Meteorites Pearl Powder
from $113 at David Jones
Best for: A multipurpose makeup step that feels decadent AF
Yes, we're harping on highlighter, and no we can't be stopped. Look at these Guerlain powder pearls and tell us you think we're wrong to want them! But they're not just here to highlight; if you look closely at the colours, you'll spy that there are an array of matte and shimmery pearls within the mix, and those two finishes (in several different shades) work together to set, correct, mattify and illuminate your face/makeup in all the right ways, all at once.
Key features:
- Long-lasting powders in pearl form
- Designed to serve multiple purposes
- Subtle in finish
- Housed in Guerlain's iconic reusable Meteorites jar
- Varying colours and finishes in one
Available at:
- $113 from David Jones
Tom Ford Soleil Liquid Lip Blush
from $109 at David Jones
Best for: A glistening lip colour bespoke to you
Glitter finishes needn't be reserved solely for eyes and cheeks, and so you'll find this gleaming gloss (or 'Lip Blush' if you ask its creator, Tom Ford) in every purse at every party we're attending. Don't panic, though; we're not suggesting you paint your lips in literal gold. The balm is designed to adjust to and enhance your natural lip colour once applied, so it's basically a bespoke shade just for you. The only thing you and your fellow owners will have in common is immaculate taste and a particularly sheen-y pout.
Key features:
- Compliments your natural lip colour
- Chic white and gold packaging
- Plumps lips
- Intensely moisturising
- Comfortable to wear
Available at:
- $109 from David Jones
Chanel Sublimage Le Teint Ultimate Radiance-Generating Cream Foundation
from $225 at David Jones
Best for: Securing skin smoother than the finest eggnog
Just the way we bring out our finest glassware to set the party season table, we should all be reaching for an extra special foundation for our extra special occasions. This base pick from Chanel is next to none. Not only is it a decadent ritual (as the pot makes it feel like layering on a luxury face cream), but the finish is the closest thing to a 'second skin that happens to be velvety in texture and flawless in appearance' we've ever discovered. And in case you were skeptical re: the price point, know that it contains literal *diamond powder*. And the end result is every bit as luxurious as you'd expect based on that fact.
Key features:
- Luscious, lightweight and long-lasting
- Leaves skin soft, supple and moisturised
- Velvety coverage
- Second-skin feel
- Suitable for all skin types
Available at:
- $225 from David Jones
Main image credit: @allanface
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Delaney began her career in the Australian beauty media industry in 2015, landing amidst the glossy world of women’s lifestyle magazines (or more literally, in their beauty cupboards). Since then, she has gone on to write across a multitude of beloved Australian media brands, including OK!, NW, InStyle, and Harper’s BAZAAR. She’s covered every side of beauty content, from directing beauty editorial shoots to rounding up the best glossy serums for golden hour skin. Having spent nearly a decade immersed in the beauty realm, Delaney’s knowledge of beauty is as extensive as her collection of tinted lip oils (read: extremely extensive). Delaney is currently the Digital Managing Editor of BEAUTYcrew, and her beauty wisdom also appears across beautyheaven, ELLE and Marie Claire. She enjoys channelling her personal hobby (testing beauty products) into her professional work (talking about testing beauty products), and considers perfecting the art of a cat eye in a moving car her life’s greatest accomplishment.
