Makeup Artists Urge You To Let Your Lashes Sparkle This Holiday Season 

It started with the “party” brow. As beauty fans became more daring with their delicate face framers—think bleached, alien-like arches, rhinestone decals, and ethereal, pastel hues—it only makes sense they’d want to invite their lashes to the function. And there's no better time than the holidays to trial a striking makeup trend.

Yet unlike other glam projects (graphic liners, glitter wings, and such), a colorful lash is an incredibly low-lift venture. Just as how a set of string lights easily brightens up a barren bush or Christmas tree, a colored mascara ornaments your tiny flutters in pink, silver, purple, bronze, and blue. 

When you think of minimalist yet bold makeup looks, certainly a red lip reigns supreme. But don’t underestimate the ease of colorful lashes! A mere coat or two of rainbow mascara can add some subtle color to your holiday ensemble—perfect for those who resort to the chic, all-black uniform. 

Donni Davy cosigns the growing trend: As the co-founder of Half Magic and head makeup artist for Euphoria, Davy is no stranger to intricate, show-stopping face beats (“Euphoria makeup” is now a beauty category in its own right!), but she tells me that colorful mascara is one of the simplest ways to play. 

“Mascara is a daily staple in most people’s makeup bags and is the easiest step when it comes to eye makeup,” she says, so swapping your everyday hue with a colorful coat is “literally the easiest way you can experiment with color on your eyes.”

If you’ve read this far, I’ll go ahead and assume you want your lashes to make a statement this holiday season. And a quick curl goes a long way in helping them stand out. Just take it from Davy: “Curl your lashes really well before a colored mascara to get the most color and definition pay off,” she notes. 

Time to wiggle on your colored mascara of choice. Remember that purple hues fabulously accentuate green, blue, and hazel eyes, blues and greens make brown orbs pop, and burgundy looks superb on green and brown orbs. Feel free to play around with shades, too: For example, a rich navy or electric blue hue can help build contrast and visual interest for darker brown-eyed beauties. 

Generally, though, Davy recommends sticking to jewel tones for their festive flair, like purples, emeralds, blues, and burgundies. If you’re feeling extra fancy, you can even apply one color on top and another on your bottom lashes—Davy personally loves a violet-teal combo. 

You could totally stop right there, or elevate the look even further by pairing your mascara with a matching or complementary eyeliner. I personally love a monochromatic moment, so I decided to run a purple and blue shadow (courtesy of Thrive Causemetics and Neen, respectively) on my top and bottom lash lines to really help the colors stand out. 

As for the rest of your beat? Feel free to keep the makeup minimal. A soft nude shadow looks particularly pretty with a purple mascara, says Davy but you really don’t need much more eye paint than that. 

“I love how effortless yet striking teal [mascara] looks when I pair it with glowy skin and literally no other eye makeup,” she adds. Aside from an accent liner (if you choose), no need to dip into other eyeshadows or graphic liner looks—unless, of course, you’d prefer to go all out.