With the holiday season buzzing and party after party for you to attend, you’re busier than Ryan Seacrest on New Year’s Eve. That could mean you swipe on as much makeup as possible to get glammed up, but don’t forget that, as with many things, your makeup included, less is usually more. So before you pile on the sparkles and dig out the false eyelashes, we say take a step back and reconsider. Is a face full of sparkle really your best look? Or should that trick be left to Nicki Minaj (really the only person who can legitimately pull it off).

GALLERY: SHIMMER MAKEUP for the holidays

“The number one mistake women make with holiday makeup is going the ‘more is more’ route,” says David Allan Jones, a makeup artist at Page One Management in Toronto. “This works on a Christmas tree but not for your makeup.” So, what does work? Jones fills us in on his best beauty tips for the festive season.

Beauty tips: Choose one feature to highlight
A full face of makeup can be difficult to get just right. “Full makeup requires perfect balance and that takes years for us professionals to achieve and requires a balanced face as well,” explains Jones. “To avoid this, you must pick one feature to use as your standout moment when you enter a room.” Jones says to choose between your eyes, mouth, cheeks, brows, eyelashes and skin; let one feature shine and let the others star in supporting roles. “Whatever you do, your support features should be groomed and whatever you what you want to show off, you need to turn up the volume and that’s it,” he says.

So instead of going the ‘more is more’ route (put those false eyelashes aside), here’s how to look dazzling this holiday beauty season, without going over the top.

GALLERY: The best HOLIDAY MAKEUP PALETTES

Beauty tips: Instead of … False eyelashes
Try … Dramatic eye makeup

Here’s how: “Take a black pencil and fill in the base of your lashes to make the roots of your lashes look thicker,” says Jones. “Then, with a cotton tip with makeup remover, take away the extra so the black is just at the base only. With an eyelash curler, give your lashes a full curl until it feels like they’re about to touch your brows. Start with the top of the lashes, then push the mascara wand from the under side, swaying it side to side as you push and roll the wand up the length of your lashes. As you get to the end of the lashes, hold the wand for a moment so that you don’t lose the work you did on the curl. Do this three of four time or until you get the thickness that you are happy with.” False eyelashes need not apply.

Beauty tips: Instead of … Sparkle on your face
Try …Beauty balm

Here’s how: “There is a big trend of beauty balms for the cheeks right now,” says Jones. “They give colour and a beautiful sheen of glow to the cheeks. Givenchy has a beautiful lip and cheek balm that gives shine and a touch of colour. Marcelle has a foundation balm that I’ve just come across that gives a beautiful feel to the skin.”

Beauty tips: Instead of … False nails
Try …Making your real nails look fab

Here’s how: Jones says he prefers natural nails in demure colours but we think brightly coloured nails are the perfect party accessory. The best way to rock a bold nail colour is to keep your fingers nicely manicured and your nails short and shapely. Long nails paired with bold colours look like claws. That’s a holiday don’t!

GALLERY: 11 holiday HAIR IDEAS

Beauty tips: Instead of … An overly coiffed hairdo
Try …A soft, loose bun

Here’s how: Jones says to leave the curling iron and hot rollers in the drawer! This season, amp up your hair style by adding a soft volume mousse to your hair to give it some texture. “Take a large round brush and a blow dryer to give your hair some soft, loose waves,” says Jones. “Then softly pull your hair back into a loose bun. Let your face shine forward. Be confident and don’t hide behind a curtain of hair.”

Beauty tips: Instead of … Overpowering perfume
Try …Shower gel

Here’s how: “We’ve all had the experience of someone’s perfume coming into the room before they do, right? Perfume should entice a person to come closer, not repel them,” says Jones. The solution? He recommends a shower gel; many companies make shower gels in the same fragrance as your favourite perfumes. “It will leave a light hint of your fragrance veiled over body. Only in the most intimate setting will someone notice your fragrance.”

Beauty tips: Instead of … Heavy foundation
Try …Tinted moisturizer

Here’s how: According to Jones, heavy foundation never covers the problem. In fact, it’s more likely to highlight the very things you’re trying to hide. “I usually start with a tinted moisturizer to balance the colour, then I’ll go over with a pencil brush and pick off the problem areas one by one,” he says. “If your skin is good with just a few small areas that need help, you can skip the base and go where you need it with a foundation brush and just blend in some liquid base in a tone that makes it appear the same colour as the rest of your skin.”

How to get perfect holiday PARTY LASHES

5 dos and don’ts for perfecting your holiday makeup
Party dress? Check! Louboutins? Check! Flawless makeup? Jones provides these final tips before you race out the door to dazzle your friends:

1. Do keep your skin looking fresh.

2. Do blend your colours; don’t overdo the colour.

3. Don’t over correct your brow or lip line, as it will only give a drag queen feel to your makeup.

4. Do make sure that your foundation blends with the rest of your body.

5. Don’t go too dark or sharp on your eyebrows.

Read more:
Holiday beauty: Party lips
Holiday beauty lust list
Holiday beauty stocking stuffers
5 never-fail holiday hair looks