Suddenly, the holiday season is here. Um, how did that happen? As someone who is self-employed and in grad school, I spend far more nights at home working than I do bar-hopping with my fabulously-dressed BFFs or whatever, but even I have a few extra things to look forward to this month. And by “things,” I mean events at which I want to look good. Or okay, who are we kidding—awesome.

A balanced diet, adequate sleep and exercise go a long way in ensuring we look and feel our best, but a little help never hurts. When the folks at Make Up For Ever sent me a few products to try, I was excited to play around.

Left to right: Moulin Rouge Lipstick in Rouge Artist Intense; Star Powder; Aqua Liner

This year, apparently, it’s all about shimmer and bright red lips. Now, I am a year-round red lip devotee, and this shade totally did it for me. It appeals to both my bold and my no-nonsense sides. It goes on smoothly and stays put. Yes, I know I sound like an infomercial, but this stuff rocks. It took me through 4 hours of class the other night, including a huge-ass presentation I was quaking in my boots over.

Blurry red lipstick smirk

I dug how easy the aqua liner was to use as well. I love liquid black eyeliner (it’s one of my daily habits), so this was another no-brainer for me. The one area in which I was a little intimidated was the Star Powder eye shadow. I’m sure this would be fantastic to do a smoky eye look with. Unfortunately, I lack skills when it comes to the smoky eye thing, so I opted for a look that was a little more “afternoon walk through Central Park with that guy who makes you smile a lot” than “You. Here. Now.” 

However, a girl can dream a little. Let’s pretend this walk is an after-morning-after-brunch stroll through the park, and that you didn’t even need all those fancy makeup tricks in the first place to find yourself in good company (regardless of whether you used them anyway)—because it’s all about the inner beauty, right? Or, you know, products that make you feel like the best version of your naturally-beautiful self. *

What makeup or fashion looks are you planning to rock this holiday season?

*disclaimer: these photos are not a particularly great representation of the best version of my “naturally beautiful self,” as I suck at photography, but hey…