Speedy holiday beauty

And just like that, it’s December! You’ve probably got a lineup of Christmas gatherings to attend, from grade school classmates to friends from college, not to mention colleagues, plus this side and that side of the family. What if you’re coming from school or work? We barely have time as it is to hop into a party outfit and brave the traffic going to the next venue. When you need to look good for the holidays in a flash, keep it quick and easy to avoid adding to the holiday stress. Try one or a combination of these fixes that will take five minutes or less.

Brighten up the eyes

A long day of work or classes is going to leave your eyes looking tired. Brighten up the under eyes with a cream concealer that you can layer over what’s already there. I like using Naturactor or Revlon PhotoReady concealer for this. Don’t forget to set so the cream stays put; just use your powder compact.

Lengthen the lashes

To instantly add drama to the eyes without messing with eyeshadow and brushes, apply false eyelashes. These do take some practice, but once you’ve got the hang of it, these will not take more than five minutes to put on. I do not recommend layering on more mascara at the end of the day if you already put some on in the morning; this will likely cause clumping or flaking.

Line the eyes

If false eyelashes are too daunting, enhance the eyes instead. Use a shadow stick in dark brown or dark gray to quickly smudge on a smoky eye. Bobbi Brown Longwear Cream Shadow Sticks glide on smoothly and can be used both as shadow and liner.

Highlight the cheekbones

If you rarely use that gorgeous highlighter because it’s more for special occasions, parties are the best times to make those cheeks shimmer. Benefit Watt’s Up highlighter comes in a cream stick for easy on-the-go application, and won’t make you sparkle too much like tinsel.