One Palette, 4 Looks: A Little Inspiration for Bold, Festive Makeup

The holidays are a time to pause our usual routines and embrace the special things in life. This year, we’re encouraging you to bring that sentiment into your beauty looks. Now’s the time to try out a new lipstick shade or experiment with eyeshadow, and we’re making it even easier with our limited-edition holiday collection.

Our brand new, 12-pan eyeshadow palette is an amazing place to start. The GEN NUDE Good Tidings Eyeshadow Palette features 12 blendable, richly-pigmented shades to help you create holiday party makeup that will bring a festive feel to even the smallest of celebrations. With a mix of bold jewel tones and understated nudes, this is the perfect palette for everyone, whether you’re a makeup beginner or you already love to play with color.

Even better? This low-waste, recyclable palette is made with 100% FSC-certified paper. When empty (which will take a while — this palette has so much richly pigmented color) simply remove the mirror and inner tray, snip off the elastic band and recycle the rest. It’s really that easy.

Here, our Global Makeup Artist Carly Giglio breaks down four eye makeup looks she created using the Good Tidings palette, each more festive than the next. Before we dive in, here’s some expert advice from Carly herself:

 Carly’s Top Tips for Holiday Eye Makeup Looks

-I love a full-on jewel-toned eye look. But if that’s not you, try applying a bold color as an eyeliner, using a small brush. This adds something a little different, without being over the top. I recommend the shade Night Sky for a dramatic liner, or Cinnamon Tea for a more natural look.

-If you want your eyeshadow to be the star of the show, pair it with a neutral lip.

-Not everyone loves shimmery eyeshadow. To tone down the shine and create a more satin finish, apply a matte shade over a shimmer. One idea is to apply Gingersnap over Magic Hour. 

-Remember, these looks are just a jumping off point. Focus on the level of intensity you’re looking for and the colors you’re drawn to and go from there.

-Most importantly, have fun! What better time to step out of your comfort zone and really play?

 4 Eye Makeup Tutorials Using Our Holiday Palette

Sugar Plum Dream

This is perfect for someone who wants to experiment with color. The cool tones might not be what you think of for the holidays, but the soft pinks and purples — with a hint of shimmer to brighten — make for a pretty magical look.

The color products and tools you’ll need to achieve the full look:

Good Tidings GEN NUDE Eyeshadow Palette
Expert Shadow & Liner Brush
Shade & Diffuse Eye Brush
BOUNCE & BLUR Blush in shade Pink Sky
MINERALIST Hydra-Smoothing Lipstick in shade Joy
GEN NUDE UNDER OVER Lip Liner in shade Freestyle
STRENGTH & LENGTH Serum-Infused Mascara
BROW MASTER Sculpting Brow Pencil

How to create the eye look:

-Sweep the shade Sugar Plum from your lash line to crease and wrap around to the lower lash line with the Expert Shadow & Liner Brush
-Using the Shade & Diffuse Eye Brush, apply a soft wash of the shade Twinkling to your crease, enhancing your eye shape.
-With the liner side of the Expert Shadow & Liner Brush (or your pinky finger), apply shade Glisten to the inner corner for instant brightness.

Pro tip:

-For a soft, wash-of-color effect, make sure to fully blend out the edges of your eyeshadow. 

Starry Sapphire

This look is the boldest of the bunch. Two strong jewel tones (blue and green) pair together for a beautiful gradation of color. If you’re ready take the plunge into head-turning eyeshadow, this is the look for you.

The color products and tools you’ll need to achieve the full look:

Good Tidings GEN NUDE Eyeshadow Palette
Expert Shadow & Liner Brush
The Blender Brush
BOUNCE & BLUR Blush in shade Pink Sky
MINERALIST Hydra-Smoothing Lipstick in shade Joy
STRENGTH & LENGTH Serum-Infused Mascara
BROW MASTER Sculpting Brow Pencil

How to create the eye look:

-Using the Expert Shadow & Liner Brush, apply the shade Night Sky from your lash line to just below your crease.

-To diffuse the edges and create a gradation of color, pick up the shade Holly with The Blender Brush and blend in your crease from corner to corner. Wrap around to your lower lash line.

-With the liner side of the Expert Shadow & Liner Brush (or your pinky finger), apply shade Glisten to the inner corner for instant brightness.

Pro tip:

-With any bold look like this, a properly prepped complexion is so important. I recommend doing your foundation first — for example, if you have a lot of redness in your face and will be concealing it, the eyeshadow colors will look off by the time you finish the full look. You’ll want to choose your eyeshadow colors based on your perfected complexion, not any discoloration you may want to balance. This way, your colors can compliment the finished complexion.

Earthy Glow

Ready to step out of the box? This eye makeup look is the way to go. The unexpected use of three different colors vertically across the eye creates an interesting visual effect. This is a great look to try if you have a lot of top lid space to work with and struggle to layer eyeshadows horizontally. 

Finish off the look by adding a sheer, glossy tint to the lip, which balances the shimmer on the eye.

The color products and tools you’ll need to achieve the full look:

Good Tidings GEN NUDE Eyeshadow Palette
Detail Shader Eyeshadow Brush
|Shade & Diffuse Eye Brush
ALL OVER FACE COLOR Loose Bronzer in shade Warmth
GEN NUDE Buttercream Lip Gloss in shade Minx
STRENGTH & LENGTH Serum-Infused Mascara
BROW MASTER Sculpting Brow Pencil

How to create the eye look:

-Using the Detail Shader Brush, apply the shade Bronze to the outer edge of your lid, from lash line to crease. Wrap around to your lower lash line, to just the outer corner.

-Next, blend the shade Holly along the middle of your lid from lash line to crease, and on the lower lash, focusing on the center. Ensure that Holly blends into Bronze with a seamless gradation, rather than a hard edge.

-Apply the shade Magic Hour to the inner corner, starting from the edge of Holly, and wrap around to your lower lash line. Ensure that Magic Hour blends into Holly with a seamless gradation, rather than a hard edge.

-Using the Shade & Diffuse Eye Brush, blend out any harsh lines in the crease.

Pro tip:

-If covering the entire lid isn’t for you, you can mimic the vertical 3-color look as eyeliner, using the same shades from the palette and a liner brush.

Fireside Smoky Eye

This warm, smoky eye is perfect for someone who doesn’t want bright colors on their eyes, but does want to create a standout look.

The color products and tools you’ll need to achieve the full look:

Good Tidings GEN NUDE Eyeshadow Palette
Expert Shadow & Liner Brush
The Blender Brush
BOUNCE & BLUR Blush in shade Blurred Bluff
MINERALIST Hydra-Smoothing Lipstick in shade Insight
GEN NUDE UNDER OVER Lip Liner in shade Borderline
STRENGTH & LENGTH Serum-Infused Mascara
BROW MASTER Sculpting Brow Pencil

How to create the eye look:

-Using the Expert Shadow & Liner Brush, apply the shade Cinnamon Tea from your lash line to your crease and wrap around to your lower lash line, focusing on the outer corner and blending the edges.

-To create a seamless gradation, sweep the shade Gingersnap into your crease with The Blender Brush and diffuse upward, then wrap around along the entire lower lash line.

Pro tip:

-This look is all about the blending. This helps to create a warm, sunset effect — perfect for this time of year. 

Meet Carly

Carly Giglio (@carlygiglio) is a celebrated celebrity makeup artist and beauty educator with a passion for color, glowing skin and celebrating her client’s unique beauty. With almost a decade of industry experience, including red carpet and editorial photoshoots, brand creative campaigns and New York Fashion Week, Carly is all about the details when it comes to creating beauty looks.

“My makeup and artistry philosophy is about enhancing each individual’s natural features, not covering them up,” says Carly. “I love helping people to feel their best and most confident, while exploring the possibilities with makeup.”

A self-taught makeup artist, Carly first discovered her passion for color and artistry at a young age through her love of painting and a background in fine arts. One of her favorite aspects of working in the beauty space is connecting with people and making them feel good about themselves through the power of makeup – transforming a blank canvas into a work of art.

“I love creating beautiful, glowing skin with elements of color and luminosity throughout, and I’m all about seamless builds of color and structure,” Carly says. “But the best payoff is seeing how confident my clients become once they learn some simple makeup tips.”

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