The ideas run from a bare face with moisturizer and gloss to rhinestones on the eyes, so the real question is how much effort you want to spend before midnight.
Pick by where you want the drama: one bold feature, whether liner, lips, lashes or neon eyeshadow, with everything else kept quiet.
1. Glowing Skin Minimal Makeup
Skin that looks lit from within does most of the work in this look, and a glossy nude lip finishes it with no extra effort.
For a night when most faces will be heavy with glitter, this look stands out by doing less.
Spend your time on prep: a hydrating moisturizer, then a thin layer of base only where you need it. Dab a little of the same gloss onto the middle of the lips for a softer, fuller shine.
It’s also the cheapest look on this list, since a moisturizer and one gloss cover most of it.
A crease full of crystals with minimal makeup elsewhere feels incredibly fresh—and is a great way to use all those gems you bought for your Euphoria Halloween costume.
— Glamour
2. Bold Red Lip and Winged Eyeliner
Red lipstick and a sharp wing are a pairing that almost never goes out of style, and shimmering silver shadow gives it a New Year’s edge.
Pick one place for the drama. With a red mouth and a wing both in play, I keep the shadow to a single wash of shimmer sweeping over the lid, and I skip heavy mascara clumps.
Beginners should do the wing last, so a shaky line can be fixed with a cotton swab. A lip brush gives cleaner edges than the bullet, so use one when precision matters.
3. Metallic Eyes
Metallic shadow in a saturated shade like teal gives a bold, glamorous eye with very little blending. The shimmer does the work, so a single pot can carry the whole look.
Press the color onto the lid with a fingertip rather than sweeping it on with a brush; the foil effect reads brighter that way.
Test metallic shades on your arm first, since the color on the skin often differs from the color in the pan.
Metallics shift under different light, and midnight party lighting is rarely kind to a color you only checked in the bathroom.
4. Graphic Eyeliner
A graphic liner look breaks from the classic wing: think lines that float, double up, or extend into shapes. Paired with a dark purple lip, it reads modern and a little rebellious.
Start with a black pencil, not a liquid, and sketch the shape lightly. Pencil forgives mistakes; liquid doesn’t.
Plain skin and neat brows let the lines stay the focus, so leave everything else quiet. Go with one bold feature per face, and let the liner be it.
5. Bold Berry Lips
Deep berry gloss gives a lip that’s rich and dramatic without the commitment of a matte liquid lipstick. Gloss is easier to apply, easier to fix, and far more forgiving for beginners.
Dab it on with a fingertip for a stained, softer effect, or build it in layers for full depth. A lifter-style gloss, like the Maybelline one, comes in a compact tube that is easy to toss in a clutch.
Gloss does fade with drinking and kissing at midnight, so tuck it in your bag for touch-ups.
6. Colorful Waterline
Bright blue on the lower waterline adds color while leaving every other part of the eye bare, which makes it one of the lowest-effort ways to look styled.
Use a creamy pencil, and tilt your head back slightly.
Pull the lower lid down and glide the pencil along the inner rim in short strokes. Let it set for a few seconds before blinking.
Waterline pencils can smudge onto the lower lashes, so a quick cotton swab cleanup helps. If bright blue feels like too much, pick a softer shade.
7. Rhinestones and Vibrant Colors Eye Makeup
Rhinestones turn an eye look into an accessory, and blue shadow with silver glitter gives them a cool base to sit on. An iridescent lip echoes the shine without adding another color.
Apply the shadow and glitter first, then set the stones last with lash glue or a dab of eyelid-safe adhesive, using tweezers for placement.
Keep them on the brow bone, well away from the edge of the eyelid, so blinking doesn’t pull at them.
Stones add a dressed-up finish fast, but they do lift off when you rub your eyes at midnight.
8. Neon Eyeshadow
Neon green shadow asks for nothing else on the face, and glossy nude lips are the right partner because they stay out of its way.
Pat a white or light base over the lid first.
Neon pigments look dull over bare skin and bright over a pale layer. Press the color on with a fingertip, then soften the outer edges with a clean brush so the shape looks intentional.
Brows and a little mascara are plenty. If full neon feels like too much, wear it as a thin wash on the lid only.
9. Berry Blushes
Berry blush on the cheeks, echoed by a berry-red lip, makes a winter face that looks warm instead of pale.
Cream blush works best here. Tap it on the apples and blend up toward the temples, adding a little at a time, since berry shades go from flushed to heavy fast.
I like matching the blush and lip within one color family so the face looks planned. Skip a third berry product on the eyes.
10. Voluminous Lashes
Lashes can carry a whole New Year’s look, and you can skip shadow entirely if the volume is dramatic enough. A good mascara is a one-product way to get there.
Wiggle the wand at the base of the lashes, then pull through to the tips. Let the first coat set for a moment before adding a second, which builds thickness without clumps.
Comb through with a clean spoolie while the formula is still wet. Wiping the wand on the tube’s rim first keeps the coats thin.
11. Thick Smoky Liner
Thick, smudged black liner is the easiest dark eye there is, because the smudge is the style and nobody expects precision.
Draw a heavy line along the upper lashes and flick it out into a wing.
Then smudge the edge with a small brush or a fingertip before it dries. Press a black shadow over the top to set it so it lasts through the night.
Nude lips keep the eye in charge. I’d choose a pencil over liquid here, since it blends so easily.
12. Jewel Toned Glitter Eyes
Purple, teal and magenta shadows layered together look like cut gemstones, and a touch of gold glitter on top adds the sparkle.
Put the deepest shade at the outer corner, the brightest in the middle of the lid, and blend only where colors meet.
Press gold glitter on with a fingertip dampened with a little glitter glue so it stays put instead of falling onto your cheeks.
Long lashes help the look hold its own, but they’re optional. The glitter is the only part that’s fussy, so apply it last.
13. Sunset Eyeshadow Look
Orange, yellow and pink blended across the lid read like a sky going down, and a black wing keeps all that color from looking washed out. Glossy lips finish it without competing.
Blend where the colors meet, working light to dark: yellow at the inner corner, orange through the middle, pink toward the outer edge. Draw the wing last, in black, so it sharpens the edge of the blend.
Keep the brows tidy and the cheeks soft. A look this bright wants a calm face around it.
14. Monochromatic Peach Makeup
Peach on the lids, peach on the cheeks and a neutral gloss on the lips make a face that looks softly put together instead of made up.
Of all the New Year’s looks, monochromatic peach is the gentlest on the skin and the easiest to wear.
Pick one peach family and let blush and shadow share it. A cream blush tapped on the apples gives the glow, and a sheer wash on the lid keeps the eyes matched without heaviness.
I’d keep the gloss close to the natural lip color, since the peach is already doing the talking. Mascara is enough for the lashes.
Long-lasting Makeup Tips
Lightweight formulas last longer than they look like they should. Thick layers slide and crease as the night goes on, while thin ones move with your face.
Give yourself 30–40 minutes so nothing gets rushed. Skin prep takes about 10 minutes, base 8, eyes 12, glow and color 8, and setting 2.
Powder the T-zone only, and keep the rest of the face fresh. Flat, over-powdered skin is the usual cost of setting everything.
Finish with a setting spray, then check your face in good light and touch up any spots.
Use a long-wear formula on the lids as a base too, since the eyes are where wear tends to fail first.
Skin Preparation
A well-moisturized base needs less product on top, and less product is what stays put.
Start a week ahead. Exfoliate regularly for a smooth surface, and apply a deep moisturizer every night.
Water and sleep count as prep too. I treat them as part of the routine, since skin that’s rested and hydrated takes makeup better than any primer can fix.
On the day, cleanse and moisturize, then prime the face and eyes. Let each product absorb fully before the next one goes on, or the layers will pill and slip.
Photo-Ready Makeup
Plan for the camera. More photos get taken on New Year’s Eve than on any other night, and flash is unforgiving.
Choose an even, camera-ready base, and place highlighter on the high points of the face, where it catches light well.
Keep shimmer to small spots like the inner corners of the eyes, since a wide wash of it tends to turn into glare once a flash hits.
Brows, lashes and lips are where I’d put the definition, because those three frame the face when everything else is soft. Defined features hold up in a picture even when the lighting is poor.
A mix of matte and glow photographs best: matte where skin tends to shine, and a little luminous color on the high points of the face. If you’re unsure, take a test photo with flash before you leave.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some good ideas for New Year’s Eve makeup?
Bold lips, glitter or metallic eyes, and graphic liner all suit the night. If you want something easier, a glowing-skin face with a glossy nude lip does a lot with two products, a moisturizer and one gloss.
Whichever you pick, keep the drama in one spot, like the eyes or the lips, so the face looks planned.
What is the latest eye makeup trend?
Graphic eyeliner and refined metallics are the current looks. Floating lines, doubled wings and liner that bends into small shapes all count as graphic liner, and a deep plum lip balances them well.
Glitter is also showing up in a moodier version, pressed over a base of black, charcoal or smoky brown shadow so the sparkle looks dirtier and less sweet.
How can an older woman make her eyes look bigger?
I’d start with volume on the lashes. Start by wiggling the wand at the lash roots, then sweep up to the tips; wait for that first coat to set before a second one adds length without the clumps.
A clean spoolie run through while the formula is wet separates the lashes, and a thin line of pencil on the lower waterline in a soft shade adds definition without heaviness.
How should a 14-year-old do makeup?
Keep it light and skin-friendly. For a teen, moisturizer first, then a sheer layer of base on the spots that need it, then a glossy lip; keeping everything thin is kinder to young skin than heavy coverage.
Gloss and pencil liner are also the most forgiving products for beginners, since mistakes are easy to fix with a cotton swab.
