Holiday Party Makeup: Shiny Shiny Red Cliché

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Well, it's maybe getting a little late in the month for you to be "inspired" by my holiday party makeup look, but since I'm not exactly a makeup pioneer or a brilliant photographer, who gives a shit. Mostly I just want to blog about Milani Lip Flash pencils, which I wore last December to parties too. I tend to forget about them all year, and then get really excited about them for a few weeks. They are 50% off in CVS's clearance sale, so now is a good time to pick some up. I really like Hot Flash, which looks like metallic red foil on your lips. I've said it before: when you wear this, it looks like you frenched a Christmas tree ball. Hot, indeed. I matched my nails to my lips, which I don't usually do, with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Red Carpet. It's the prettiest red nail polish, period. And one of the cheapest, at around $3. You can get it pretty much anywhere. Photos are below.

Here's what these Milani lip pencils look like, but you should try to find them on sale at CVS, if you have one nearby.

Milani Lip Flash Full Coverage Shimmer Gloss Pencil in Hot Flash

It looks even more metallic in person. (I took this photo the day after the party I went to. I did a better job of coloring inside the lines when I actually wore it in public.) These pencils are easy to use, unscented and unflavored, and most of them are opaque. They wear okay. You might need to touch up if you're going to be drinking a lot of nog. Some of them are more shimmery or sparkly than foil-like, but all the ones I have a really pretty. They're definitely not subtle.

Swatches of Milani Lip Flash Full Coverage Shimmer Gloss Pencil in
Hot Flash, Flash Light, Flashy, In a Flash, and Star Flash

And on my nails I wore my favorite red polish, which I often forget about, because I don't wear red very frequently. The test of awesomeness is whether or not I stare at my nails all day like a weirdo, and with Red Carpet, I do. It's a red jelly full of small red glitter, and it's opaque in two coats. It is apparently a dupe for China Glaze Ruby Pumps.

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Red Carpet

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Red Carpet

My overall look was basically black gel liner with a little wing and this red metallic lip. Fucking revolutionary, I know.

Have fun painting your faces for the holidays! The longer you spend in front of the bathroom mirror, the less time you have to spend explaining to your family why you don't have kids. Or why you have so many kids. Or whatever else it is you're doing wrong.