BILLY

The holiday season is upon us. Nothing says “Christmas party” like abundant drinks and a room full of women with a smokey eye. What’s not to love about a smokey eye? The 2 hours it takes to remove it is worth it for such a sexy face.

As the experts and our mirrors tell us, a smokey eye calls for a pale or nude lip as to not alarm onlookers. Unless you’re going to an 80’s-prom-themed Christmas party or are 21 and living in New York, social norms dictate you must choose to play up your eyes OR your lips. Pale lips can be tricky because there are so many colors and brands from which to choose and it’s easy to accidentally pick a color that washes you out.

I have an affection for a pale lip that dates back to Revlon’s Silvercity Pink in high school. It may or may not be an exaggeration that I currently have 35 lipsticks in the nude/pink range. With that long tradition of light pinks and nudes, I have taken the liberty of currating the following shades for YOUR smokey eye season!

Laura Mercier 60's Pink. This is a pale pink with just enough color not to wash you out. I have a number of friends with varying skin tones that have tried this on and like it. Perfect for a cat eye/thick liner look.

Buxom Big and Sexy Bold Gel Lipstick in Naturally Daring: Another pale pink with just enough pigment. I've been into matte finishes lately and I like this one because it feels good on the lips. Like the Laura Mercier 60's Pink, it's a good choice for a Brigette Bardot thick liner, sweet lip look.

Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani Lipstick #100: I make no secret of my love for Armani makeup. I love this lipstick formulation in general because of the way it feels on the lips and the sophistication of the colors. #100 is a more beige nude without being too brown or too pink. A really good one for your gray/black smokey eye.

Hourglass Femme Nude Lip Stylo: Hourglass has five different nude colors that cover all the skin tones. I like the feel of this on my lips and I like the selection of nudes. I am fair and the "pale pink nude" is the color that works for me, but head to Sephora and check out the others to see which one is a good match for you.

Wildcard just for fun:

Nars Killer Shine in Redemption. Nars collaborated with fashion photographer Steven Klein for some limited edition holiday colors. Redemption is a metallic beige, maybe a little pink but mostly bronzy-beige. I love how metallic it looks-sort of like a gloss but it's a lipstick. The finish is sophisticated and fun at the same time. Great one if you're interested in putting a "look" together. Try it out!

Happy Holidays!!

Keely

Public Service Announcement: Tom Ford's Lips and Boys 2015 are available online at Neiman Marcus on Black Friday. I am fiendishly wringing my hands in anticipation! They are smaller versions of his lipstick in 50 different colors. Thrilling, really.