Holiday beauty tip: The essential office face

Biggest mistake: Wearing your party makeup to work. "Not only will you look out of place, but by the time the party comes around, you will look smudged, messy and very un-sophisticated," explains Doug Atkinson, Canadian spokesperson for Rimmel London.

An office look is conservative and very polished. To get an easy everyday office look, keep everything neutral. Use sparingly and dust on powder for a fresh look. Eyes should look "done" without bright or bold colours — stick to a neutral palette for a sleek, muted eye. Lips bring the look all together in a sheer, neutral gloss.

Holiday beauty tip: The playful holiday face

Biggest mistake: Taking off your workday makeup. "Don’t take it all off and start all over again," says Atkinson. "It wastes too much time and you already have a good base to work with."

• Begin by touching up your foundation and adding some powder to soak up any excess shine.

• Use an eye shadow quad (the same shades from your day look) and work with the two deeper shades. "Use the second darkest shade over the moving part of the lid blending it to look soft," explains Atkinson. "Then take the deepest shade and lightly sweep it in the crease and blend to create a deep contrast." Using a flat all-over shadow brush will help with blending.

• Add drama to the eyes with a fresh coat of liner. Atkinson suggests taking either a pencil liner or liquid liner and go over the day time liner to exaggerate the line. "If you want a very smoky eye, use a kohl liner and smudge it a bit being careful not to let the look get messy," adds Atkinson. For liquid liner, draw a thicker line over the lashes and sweep it up slightly at the outer corner. "It opens the eyes and creates a doe-eyed look," says Atkinson. To add even more depth to the eye, use a pencil liner or the deepest shade from your eye shadow quad (use a fine angled brush to apply) to line your bottom lashes and smudge slightly. "Never use a liquid liner on the lower lash line — it’s far too harsh," explains Atkinson.

The do’s and don’ts of holiday makeup, eye makeup tips and other beauty tips on the next page…

• Top the eyes with a fresh coat of black mascara, applying slightly more than you normally would, and a touch on the bottom lashes.

• Finish off with a sheer dusting of pressed powder on cheeks to refine pores, then top with a gentle sweep of a pinky rose, soft blush.

• Red lips are a must. "I really like to work something in red especially for holiday. It’s the one time of the year you can always pull it off," says Atkinson. To ensure that you won’t be sipping or kissing off your red pout, line your lips completely with a red lip liner, then top with your fave red lipstick. "Gloss is totally optional," adds Atkinson. "You can apply a clear gloss in a tapping motion to the centre of the lower lip and very, very sparingly on the upper lip and blend it out. Don’t wipe or you’ll smudge your lipstick!" he warns. Try Rimmel’s Lasting Finish Intense Wear Lipstick in #170 Alarm for a vibrant red lip. Secret weapon:To get a fresh and glowing face blend along the top of the cheek bones and the bridge of the nose to create a lifting effect. "I would keep it in a clutch for the evening with lipstick and powder to freshen up throughout the party," suggests Atkinson.

Full out glam:
If you want to be the diva of the holiday party, don’t shy away from bold look-at-me colours. Play up your eyes with either bright plum or purple (a hot fall runway look), or go for ultra-dark shades of grey and black. For a show-stopping look, add a touch of sparkle to the eyes, but don’t over do it, warns Atkinson. And even though you are playing with more dramatic eye colours, you can still pull off a red pout. "It will give you a more confident look," explains Atkinson.

Biggest holiday no-no:
"The biggest no-no of the holidays? Too much of everything!" says Atkinson. "Not being judicious with your makeup and looking messy. Shimmer or sparkles are ok, but not everywhere — just a little along the top of the cheek bone, or a little bit on your shoulder blades or décolletage."

Read more:
Holiday beauty: Putting on the glitz
Holiday party outfit ideas
Winter fashion: Holiday heels