Back in college, some girlfriends and I had an interesting conversation about what we never left the house (or our dorms, as the case was back then) without doing, and noticed a funny trend: about half of us always wanted to have our hair done but didn’t care about being made up, while the other half felt the opposite way. I fell into the latter camp, and still do! Especially now as a mom, I’ve been known to dry shampoo my hair more days in a row than I’m willing to admit on the internet, but I always have at least a little bit of makeup on. I keep things pretty simple (most days, I just use my Flawless in Five set), but now that the holidays are upon us, I’m having so much fun taking things up a notch. Beautycounter came out with a bunch of amazing holiday sets this year and I intentionally purchased two that I thought would be perfect, festive additions to my everyday routine. I’d love to share them, plus the easy holiday makeup look I came up with using them, with you today!

(Biggest hugs to Amy Rae Photography for these fun photos and The Glass Box for h!)

To amp up my everyday makeup for the holidays, I chose the Ultimate Nudes Eyeshadow Palette and Poppy Lip Duo. I’ve used a Naked palette for years, and while I liked the colors, I was never happy with how sheer they were–it felt like I had to really dig into the palette to get any color to show up. I LOVED the shades in the Ultimate Nudes palette (I think it includes literally every eyeshadow color I could want) and had high hopes that it could become my new go-to, and I was completely thrilled when it showed up at my door. And best of all? All I need is a small swipe of color for a look that lasts all day long–no primer necessary.

For pretty holiday eyes, I swiped “Champagne” under my brow bones and into the inner corners of my eyes (a trick to make your eyes look brighter) and then added “Mink” to my eyelids and some “Copper” to the creases and outer corners. I finished the look with some liquid eyeliner on my top lids (I use Stila Stay All Day in Intense Black) and Beautycounter Volumizing Mascara.

You know there was no way I could turn down a color called Texas Poppy! I love the pinky-red shade of the Poppy Lip Duo even more than true red, and actually think the color looks a lot better on me. Don’t let the photo below make you nervous–the Lip Sheer on its own isn’t too bright! In fact, here’s a little list of how to use this duo for sheerest to brightest color:

Sheerest: one coat of Lip Sheer
Sheer: two coats of Lip Sheer
Medium: one coat of Lip Gloss
Bright: one coat of Lip Sheer plus one coat of Lip Gloss (what I did for this post)
Brightest: two coats of Lip Sheer plus one coat of Lip Gloss

Like all Beautycounter lip products I’ve tried, both of these are moisturizing, not sticky, and have great staying power. Pretty much a home run :)

Pair this makeup look with vintage-inspired curls and a cocktail dress (love this long-sleeved LBD and this sparkly number!) for a winter wedding or holiday party, or wear it with an imperfect top knot, your favorite sweater, and velvet pants like I am here! Dave was a little skeptical when I told him I was buying velvet pants, but they’ve quickly become one of my favorite recent purchases–so comfy, cute, and versatile, not to mention, machine-washable (praise hands, fellow mamas!). I highly recommend adding a pair to your closet so we can match all winter long :)

Do you do anything differently with your makeup for the holidays? I’d love to hear!

P.S. December marks six months (!) since I joined Beautycounter, so I’m going to be doing a Q&A about it on Instagram Stories later this week! If you have ANY questions about my experience as a consultant, the products, the Never List, etc., comment/send me an email/DM me on Instagram. I have a cold and can barely talk right now, so keep an eye out for the date of the Q&A on Instagram, as soon as I get my voice back!