It’s at this time of year that we are looking for the perfect colours and products to compliment our pretty party dresses. Since being back home, I’ve found a selection of products that have been perfect for creating a fresh and natural holiday look. The great thing about this combination is that it can easily transition from a brunch to an evening dinner or party since all the products are buildable. I hope you enjoy my holiday picks! Merry Christmas, Gorgeous!

Fresh Faced & Glowing

PRIME: Haut Cosmetics Coconut Cream Primer

To start my holiday party look I began priming my skin (following moisturizer) with Clean Care* certified Haut Cosmetics’ Coconut Cream Primer. The vegan product is a blend of aloe juice, coconut oil, shea butter, castor oil and a blend of other beautiful extracts, which make for a beautiful surface for flawless foundation application. Use the coconut primer to “fill in any lines” so that foundation and concealer glide on effortlessly. It’s even gentle enough for the eye area – great if you have a few of those beautiful smile lines :) You only need a little, and the fluffy texture makes it easy to blend – blend with Haut [Vegan] Cosmetics’ Fresh Start brush. Grab a jar for $59 CAD from the Haut online shop. Oh, and keep it in the fridge, the jar will last twice as long (up to a year).

FOUNDATION: Haut Cosmetics Vegan BB Cream

My first [good] experience with natural BB cream happened with Haut Cosmetics’ a few weeks ago. This Clean Care certified*, hydrating, brightening, evening and water resistant product evened out my skin tone wonderfully. It’s made with many of the same lovely ingredients in the primer, so in the summertime these two products might be enough to keep you hydrated. The best way apply this is with the same brush I recommended on the primer, the Fresh Start brush. The vanilla bean bioferment is both brightening while the coconut oil is a great antimicrobial source for those with acne prone skin. I was wearing the BB cream in Almond, but I think I could have gone a shade lighter (vanilla) for my skin tone. The “blendability”, however, made it easy to create an even tone and complexion. The BB Cream retails for $39.95 on the Haut Cosmetics online shop.

CONCEALER: Vapour Organic Beauty Illusionist Concealer

Of course this little lovely come in handy for those funny things that pop up around the holidays (namely dark under eye circles from late nights and spots from too many goodies) but since using Vapour’s Illusionist Concealer this holiday, it is also my new favourite imperfection disguiser. It’s long been hailed as on of the best concealers on the natural beauty scene, and now I am joining those that send this product praise. This stuff is amazing. It’s pure and very effective. For those that need a thicker coverage, this is the perfect product. I also love RMS Beauty’s “Uncoverup”, but it isn’t as effective for very pigmented problems (i.e. spots). I am pretty fair, so shade 010 was perfect for my skin type. I used it under the eyes, over spots and anything else that looked less than even. I have to say the “weight” at which the product goes on makes it perfect for hiding imperfections, plus it is made with 70% Certified Organic ingredients and 30% natural mineral pigments and vitamins. I blended the product with my fingers and applied directly from the stick. It retails for $22 USD online and via Eco Diva Beauty.

BLUSH: ILIA Beauty Multi-Stick

This blusher came from the recommendation of a dear friend in Oslo, who was looking for the perfect blusher for a winter glow. She found this product during her search and I picked it up as soon as I touched down in Canada. The ILIA Beauty multi-stick is named “multi” for a reason. You can use this product on your cheeks, eyes, and lips. Tenderly (the colour I picked up) is a light pink that is great for those gals with pink undertones. It’s a sheer colour, so it’s not a dark pigment when you put it on the apples of your cheeks. It gives you a great and pretty “flush” and is made with HOrganic sunflower seed oil, castor seed oil, cocoa seed butter and beeswax. There are mineral pigments to give it the colour, leaving you with a pretty darn safe product. Shop ILIA’s multi-stick for $36 CAD on Eco Diva Beauty.

Colour Me Beautiful

EYE SHADOW: Living Nature Smoky Eye with Slate, Pebble & Shell + Red Apple Lipstick Mineral Eye Shadow in Buttercream

I used a blend of products for my eyes, but the highlight of the smoky eye was from the new palette from Living Nature featuring their new colour “Slate”. I started off with a base of Red Apple Lipstick’s gluten-free mineral eye shadow in a light base shade called Buttercream (retails for $18.75 per refill). I then used Living Nature’s Mineral eye shadow in Slate, a soft matte black ($20 NZD) to create a “cat-eye” shape – using an angled brush – from the lash line and up into the outside corner of the eye. I then used Pebble a matte dark grey ($20 NZD) and blended up from the crease in my eyelid up to the bottom of my brow bone (NOT my eyebrow). I Lastly used Shell, a shimmery pale pink ($20 NZD) under the eyebrow and in the corner of my eyes to highlight. I blended the product along the way with an eye shadow blending brush.

EYELINER: Living Nature in Midnight

After I finished the smoky eye look with the shadows, I used Living Nature’s eye pencil in Midnight ($29 NZD) to accentuate the “cat-like” blend I created with the late eyeshadow. It’s the perfect black eye pencil for those looking for a straight and solid line that sticks. This isn’t a khol eyeliner, but rather a great true pencil liner that won’t smudge. The perfect addition for the holiday party smoky eye!

MASCARA: Kjaer Weis Mascara

In line with her other beautiful products, Kjaer Weis has created the perfect “day to dramatic” 99.8% organic mascara. As my loyal readers know, I am a what some may call, a [picky] mascara “connoisseur”. I’ve tried them all and I am hard pressed to find one that I will repeat purchase. Here is one I can say will make it back into my makeup bag again. This is the perfect day-wear mascara – no lumps, smudges or flecks, just long, healthy looking eyelashes. It lasted me from brunch to late dinner without a fleck – this baby wears! While I would like it to build more for those nights out (I like those thick, thick lashes on evenings like New Years), it is a beautiful product in a beautiful packaging. This girl knows style and luxury. Additionally, there is another thing about this product that makes it one of my faves: it is also refillable (Kjaer Weis Mascara, $38; Refill, $24) so after you’re ready to throw it out, just order yourself a refill. Eco Diva Beauty carries this line, or find at at the Kjaer Weis shop.

Holiday Lips & Tips

LIPS: ILIA Lipstick Crayon

No holiday look is complete without the red-lip. I’m loving so many beautiful holiday lip products (cf. my last post which has a feature on holiday lips) right now, but today I wanted to feature the lipstick crayon by ILIA. These crayons are super handy for quick application and re-application. The colours are deep but the natural healing oils in the “stick” soften and smooth. With it’s 84% organic ingredients, this lip crayon won’t harm you when you eat and drink it away. Shop the beauty crayons at Eco Diva Beauty for $25 CAD.

NAILS: RGB Cosmetics Nail Polish

I wasn’t about to forget the tips! Pretty up your fingers with this lust-worthy (and 5 FREE: No Formaldehyde, No Toluene, No DBP, No Formaldehyde Resin, No Camphor) deep red from RGB Cosmetics – Oxblood. I waited patiently to get my hands on this sexy shade, which I received from Eco Diva Beauty last month. Shop it online for $18 USD. Don’t be discouraged if stock is out, check back often because this shade will take you well into February (great Valentine’s colour;)