“During the holidays, we tend to pull out all the stops,” says makeup artist Beau Nelson. “Glitter, heavier eyeshadow, more highlighting—the holidays give us an excuse to wear more makeup.” But moving into January and February, he says, you will want to transition your makeup (think red lip, smoky eye and monochrome). And you can even take your inspiration from the spring runways. Here are three looks that will keep you looking fresh and current.

What to wear now: Red lipstick
How to wear it: You rocked gorgeous red lipstick over the holidays, and the good news is you can keep that scarlet lipstick in your makeup case. “Just wear a lighter version of it, try a red stain on your lips instead,” says Nelson. “To apply it with a softer edge, blot the red lipstick on using your fingers rather than from the tube or with a brush.”

Another use for your
red lipstick? Using it as a cream blush, for a dewy, natural-looking flush. “It’s easier to wear the less pigmented the lipstick is—but really any lipstick can be used,” says Nelson, who is represented by Page One Management in Toronto. To apply as a cream blush, tap some red lipstick onto your index and middle fingers of one hand, and then rub these two fingers onto your index and middle fingers of your opposite hand. “This is to warn up the product. Then tap your fingers on the apples of your cheeks at the same time, so you know you’re putting the same amount of product on and that it’s distributed in the same way.”

What to wear now: The smoky eye
How to wear it: Put away the heavy glitter shadow from New Year’s Eve and move toward creamy, blend-able eyeshadows to create your
smoky eye look. “Cream eyeshadows tend to have a finer shimmer in them with a more natural finish than powder eyeshadows,” says Nelson. Some might look great as a sheer wash of colour on your eyelid, he says, but if you’re looking for more intense colour, you can always apply more, or layer some powder shadow over top to create a more dramatic smoky eye.

You have the red lip and the smoky eye … now get a monochrome look on the next page …

What to wear now: The nude, monochrome face
How to wear it: “I love this look as it’s sophisticated, polished and natural looking,” says Nelson. He suggests using peachy tones rather than true nude or beige. “Peach will work on almost any skin tone—if you have deeper skin, go with coral or orange,” he says. “It’ll brighten your face and you can add it subtly—just add a bit of apricot shadow in the crease when you’ve applied your regular brown eyeshadow, for example, to add some tone onto the eyelid.” Then pull the look together with a creamy peach lip and a taupe contouring blush. While this look as a great look for day or night, Nelson says you can dress it up a bit with a brighter coral lip (such as the Tom Ford lipstick in True Coral he put on Nikki Reed for her recent Twilight movie premiere).

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