The Hamilton Spectator

Elevate your look for holiday parties

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It’s the holiday season and, for many of us, the social calendar is filling up. That means more opportunit­ies to dress up for parties, dinners and special evenings out. It’s the perfect time to infuse some glamour into your usual beauty routine.

Thankfully, you don’t need to invest in a complete fashion and beauty makeover to turn some heads at the next holiday party. Consider these simple tips to elevate your look through the Christmas season. Lash love

If you’ve ever considered lash extensions, the holiday season is a great time to try it. Lasting two to three weeks, extensions offer extra glamour from daytime to nighttime with almost no maintenanc­e. Shannon Sylvain, owner of Lash Ladies located on Locke St. S., can create a new look for your eyes ranging from natural to dramatic.

The technique, which involves individual­ly applying extensions to your natural lashes, adds one to two millimetre­s of length, depending on your personal preference.

“For classic lashes, we apply one extension per natural lash,” explains Sylvain. “We do volume lashes as well which is a fan of extensions per natural lash. We can create a pattern where the extensions are longer in the middle for a natural look or longer on the outer corners to create a more dramatic cat eye look.”

An alternativ­e to extensions is Lash Ladies’ lift and tint option. Described as a “perm” for your lashes, the process curls and darkens the lashes. Lasting up to two months, it can add just the right amount of effortless glamour to your holiday style.

Sylvain also recommends tinting your brows a shade or two darker than their natural colour. This small change complement­s those dramatic new lashes beautifull­y. Vibrant red Nothing makes a statement like luscious

red lips. While the prospect of wearing red may be squirm-inducing for some women, there’s no better time to give it a try than during the Christmas season when you’re looking to add that extra wow.

Kathryn Suffoletta, lead makeup artist for Sexton in the City, located on Locke St. S., recommends a classic red hue for the holiday parties.

“Choose a universall­y flattering blue-based shade,” says Suffoletta. “This shade has the added benefit of making your teeth appear whiter.” She recommends Sexton in the City’s own Russian red lipstick that looks great with all skin tones and has vitamin E oil to keep lips moisturize­d. Hidden beauty

Choosing that perfect outfit for the holiday party is never an easy choice. Is it going to be the little black dress? Slinky gown? Or black jeans with camisole? After agonizing over the perfect outfit, it’s easy to overlook the importance of what to wear underneath it. However, according to Greta’s Flair, a lingerie shop located on Ottawa St. N., no wardrobe is complete without the body-enhancing power of shapewear.

“Shapewear is the foundation for your outfit,” says Julie DeNardi of Greta’s Flair. “It eliminates any lumps and bumps, and glides beautifull­y under any fabric. You’ll feel like you’re wearing a million dollar dress.”

Julie attests that shapewear is an essential wardrobe piece that you’ll want to wear all year long. Not only will you find it super comfortabl­e, you’ll quickly realize how much it improves the look and feel of all your outfits.

With a few magical touches, you’ll look and feel your glamourous best.

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