Need a show-stopping, go-to makeup routine for all of your holiday parties this year? We’re here for you with an affordable, holiday-ready makeup routine that will help you glow at every festive event you have lined up for 2025. Whether you’re heading to a cozy family gathering, a gift exchange with your besties, the perfectly planned holiday date night, or a sparkling New Year’s Eve party, we have all the must-have makeup essentials to have on hand for the holiday season.
Throughout this guide, we’ll be giving you all of the inspo needed for a glowy base, sculpted cheekbones, a sparkling eye look, and a juicy, shimmering pout. Grab your makeup bag, grab your tools and get ready to sparkle—this holiday makeup magic is about to begin!
Step One: Prep, Prime & Perfect Your Complexion
You can’t have a holiday glam look without a flawless base! Since you’ll want your look to last all night, we recommend starting with our fan-favorite mattifying face primer. This primer will help you to create a smooth canvas for your base and it will grip to any products you layer on top to ensure your look is locked in place. Once your face primer is in place, we recommend applying a layer or two of our Halo Glow Liquid Filter if you’re going for an extra-glowy base.
Now that your base is ready to go, it’s time to choose your complexion products. For a holiday glam makeup routine we recommend grabbing our Soft Glam Satin Foundation if you’re looking for buildable coverage with a satin finish. If you want more of a glowy and luminous look, reach for our hydrating skin tint with SPF. Then, to cover up any blemishes or dark spots, we love the 16HR Camo Concealer. Available in 24 flexible shades, this long-lasting concealer is perfect to stay on all night long!
After your complexion is blended to perfection, you’ll want to add some color, dimension, and sculpting back into your makeup look. For the perfect party blush, grab our cheek and lip tint. This watery-formula is actually a stain, so it won’t budge during all of your holiday festivities. Whether you’re looking for a sunkissed-looking bronzer or a cool-toned contour for sculpting out your features, our Camo Liquid Bronzer & Contour is a must! Grab a warm-toned shade to bring back your summer tan or reach for a cool-toned shade to help your contour to perfection. And it’s not a holiday party look without some highlighter! Our highlight wand is perfect for adding some shine to all of your highpoints, to keep you glowing for all of your holiday selfies.
For the last step of your face makeup, it’s important to set your makeup look in place! If you prefer a pressed setting powder, Halo Glow Powder Filter) is our go-to for ensuring that our liquid formulas keep their radiant shine. If you’re looking for a setting spray, Power Grip Dewy Setting Spray is essential for keeping your face products locked in place no matter where the holiday festivities take you!
Step Two: Add Sparkle with Eye Makeup & Brows
Get ready to dazzle at your holiday gatherings with this e.l.f.ing fabulous eye makeup look! Start by priming your lids with the e.l.f. Lock it Down Eyeshadow Primer for long-lasting color. Now, it's time to bring on the festive sparkle! Apply the e.l.f. Liquid Metallic Eyeshadow in a shimmering gold or silver shade across your lids, blending it out for a seamless finish. For added dimension, use a deeper metallic shade in the outer corners and crease. Don't forget to highlight your brow bone and inner corners with a light, shimmery shade for that extra pop!
Now, let's make those lashes truly mesmerising with the e.l.f. Lash Xtndr Mascara. This innovative formula will extend and volumise your lashes, giving you a festive look that'll last through all the holiday cheer. For an extra dramatic effect, apply a second coat focusing on the outer lashes. With this eye-catching look, you'll be turning heads and spreading holiday magic wherever you go!
Step Three: Complete Your Holiday Makeup Look with Lip Makeup
Of course no holiday makeup look is complete without a festive lip look! Whether you want a shimmery finish, a glossy shine, or a pigmented and bold look, e.l.f.’s lip lineup has you (and your lips) covered! Lets dive into some of our holiday makeup look faves for dazzling lips.
For any makeup look, it’s essential to start off with a lip liner pencil. Our fan-favorite, holy-grail Cream Glide Lip Liner is available in 14 pigmented shades that are the perfect base for any lip look. For the holidays, we love opting for shades like deep berries, bold reds, neutral pinks, and warm browns. To match the pigment of your lip liner, we recommend reaching for our Glossy Lip Stain, or the O Face Satin Lipstick to fill in the rest of your pout.
If you want a beautiful, glossy finish, reach for our mega-viral Glow Reviver Lip Oil. This has become a staple in every makeup-lovers’ routine and for a reason! Available in 10 shades, with nourishing ingredients, and a high-shine finish, this lip oil is a must-have for the holiday season. Another great option for hydrating shine is our Glow Reviver Melting Lip Balm. These balms have super pigmented formulas, a rich and buttery feel, and that must-have glossy finish.To plump-up your pout, our Glow Reviver Plumping Lip Oil comes in both glossy and shimmery finishes, making it perfect to top off any holiday lip combo you choose!
Now let's get into some shimmery lip makeup products! A sparkling lip look for the holidays is our favorite, so of course we have the best lineup to help you achieve it. Our Glow Reviver Lip Oil Glimmers combine gloss with a mega amount of shimmer. If you don’t want a glossy finish and are looking for just some high-shine sparkle, our O Face Shimmer Balm is for you! It comes in 2 natural-looking shades and gives the lips a beautiful pearlescent finish.
This combination of lip products will create a stunning, party-ready lip look that's both comfortable and long-lasting. Whether you're sipping hot cocoa or stealing a kiss under the mistletoe, your lips will stay flawless all night long!