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Something I look forward to every holiday season is gift sets! It’s a great time to score some awesome deals on brands you love and try new products at a fraction of the regular price. The only downfall is the hustle and bustle that goes along with the season.
In a perfect world, I would wake up early enough to give myself an extra hour to do my hair and makeup routine to its fullest, and then again before having an event in the evening. In reality, I have a fraction of that time to get out the door and look presentable.
Today, I’m sharing some easy hair and makeup looks that can get you out the door in five minutes and take you from weekend casual to date night. All of the products I used are from the Pixi by Petra makeup line that just launched at Target. The all-stars are their two new holiday sets: the Endless Silky Eye Pen Quartette and Mattelustre Lipstick Quartette, which include four shades of lipstick and eyeliner pens in their respective sets.
MORNING MAKEUP LOOK:
Here’s a very pretty, soft weekend-brunch look for when you’re going for that natural I-woke-up-like-this look, but everything is flawless. Contouring and highlighting play a large role in the look to define cheek bones and overall brighten your complexion.
Eyes:
Using the Pixi Mesmerizing Mineral Palette in Plum Quartz, I blending the second and fifth shade from the left on my eyelids. The tones of this palette mix well together and aren’t too pigmented, so it offers more of a tinted, pretty shimmer than anything too in-your-face for the daytime.
I then applied a light, single coat of the Endless Silky Eye Pen in shade Black Cocoa (deep matte brown with no red) from the holiday set along my lash line.
Cheeks:
I sculpted the cheekbones with the Pixi Natural Contour Powder. I’ve used a lot of Pixi products, and this is my new favorite. It’s an outstanding formula and blends beautifully.
I then went in with the lightest pearlescent white shade from the Mesmerizing Mineral Palette (who said eye shadow has to be just for your eyelids) and highlighted the area above my cheekbone. I also did a light blend down the center of my nose.
Lips:
All four lipstick shades from the Mattelustre Lipstick Quartette would work for a day look, but I picked the pinker tint in shade Petal Pink. It gives a light pink sheen to lips, and it is very natural and pretty.
Finish with the Pixi Makeup Fixing Mist—spritz it all over your face to give your skin a more dewy look and to set your makeup so it stays in place longer.
EVENING MAKEUP LOOK:
If you want to take your look from day to night, there’s no reason to start over. Give yourself five minutes to do some quick updates, and you’ll be out the door in no time. And the best part is, you don’t need to reinvest in more makeup. We’re going to use all the products from before, with the exception of mascara, which was more optional in the first look.
Eyes:
Using the Pixi Mesmerizing Mineral Palette, apply the first and darkest shade, that’s like a plum quartz hue, over your existing eye shadow. Spritz your eye shadow brush with the Pixi Makeup Fixing Mist before dipping it into the eye shadow to intensify the color slightly. This is a great makeup tip for anyone looking to get some extra pigment. As I mentioned before, this palette tints and gives a beautiful finish, but it isn’t a drama palette. So if you’re looking to take it up a notch, the Pixi Makeup Fixing Spray delivers.
I then updated my eyeliner with a more intense Endless Silky Eye Pen in shade Black Noir, which is also from the holiday set. I went in with a few applications through the waterline and lightly in the lash line, so it’s very obvious without being too thick.
Finish with two coats of Pixi Large Lash Mascara (or your favorite drama mascara).
Cheeks:
I didn’t reapply my highlighter since the eye shadow shade holds all day. Instead, I used the Natural Contour Powder like a bronzer and did a quick touch-up for the evening.
Lips:
To keep it easy, I picked the darkest pink shade from the Mattelustre Lipstick Quartette set, Bitten Rose, to keep the drama on my eyes and balance it out with a light lip color. All of the Mattelustre lipsticks from this set are very natural and from the pink/nude family, so if you prefer a darker red or berry or something more pigmented, then go for some of the darker colors from the collection, like their Plum Berry shade.
Casual Friday Hair:
Playing off this day-to-night, hair-on-a-time-crunch theme, an easy hair look for a causal Friday is what I like to call a faux straighten. If you have some natural wave to your hair but the roll-out-of-bed look has more frizz than definition, take your flat iron (I like the CHI Air Classic 1-inch Tourmaline Ceramic Flat Iron) and, going with the grain of your hair, lightly flat iron it from root to mid-section. In my case, I go down to where the green starts to form in my hair color. Do this in larger chunks of hair so you keep the volume and natural texture but get the shine of the flat iron. If you want a more perfect ’70s-iron effect, flat iron the hair in smaller chunks with more precision. The look I created is more for a quick five-minute spruce-up that’s meant to keep the hair texture and not look overdone.
Another great tip is to use the Pixi Makeup Fixing Mist on your hair to control any flyaways.
Holiday Party Hair:
To update the look for a holiday party or evening event, one of the easiest and quickest updos you can do is what I like to call the double knot.
Step 1: Separate your hair into two even sections and tie it together like you’re making a knot. If you have short hair (like me) or want a very tight low bun, you can put your hair in an elastic first and then split it into two parts before making a knot. If you’re looking for something more ethereal, keep the knots looser and lose the elastic.
Step 2: Repeat the knot pattern and tie it with an elastic. Again, if you have short hair and there isn’t much hair left after the double knot, tuck it under your knot with a few bobby pins to create a very pretty low bun. Otherwise, let the ponytail hang free.
Step 3: Use the Pixi Makeup Fixing Mist on your hair to control any flyaways. If you prefer something fixed, then use your favorite hairspray.
What’s great about this updo is it should take only a few minutes to go from casual to polished—especially if you flat-ironed the top part of your hair earlier in the day, like in my original look. Also, center parts have been a huge trend this season, and this is a great opportunity to master that look. If you prefer a different part, this look is flexible enough to make it your own.
I hope you enjoyed these quick five-minutes-or-less looks.
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