It’s that time of year when we want to keep our makeup pretty, yet simple (there’s enough going on, right?) So I put together some easy makeup ideas to make your holidays merry and bright.

What I’ve got below are three different looks. You don’t have to use them exactly – hopefully they are easy makeup ideas so that you can make a few tweaks to make them your own. In general, when I think of holiday makeup, it’s not about applying more makeup, it’s more about adding some “shimmer” and more boldness. That’s why I think they will make your holidays merry and bright.

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Here are my easy makeup ideas:

Easy Makeup Ideas Look #1: Using Purple Tones

I probably wear purple more than most people so I always have a “purple look” in my makeup bag. Part of the reason is because I have hazel eyes and “they” say that purple shadows make hazel eyes pop and look more green. That’s been my experience as well.

I also love purple clothing for the holidays – it’s so festive and it’s just a little bit different than reds and greens. Although I do wear them too, as you’ll see next.

Because I am using purple shadow, which can seem a little bright, I went with a softer lipstick in a pink tone, still keeping my makeup in the cool shades. For all three looks, I’ve used the same bronzer/blush combination which is fairly neutral. I have a lot of pink naturally in my face, so I don’t like to add any more through blush.

I used the top right all over my lids, middle left in the crease and the bottom left on the outer corners to add a little shimmer.

My three makeup “staples”. I use these products in all my looks. They are my go-to’s! My Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation, Hourglass Illume Trio (Bronzer, Blush, Highlighter) and MAC Fluidline Eyeliner. I have to add that the Illume Trio is much lighter in person – it’s not this dark. It only comes in one shade, so this is the same one I use.

Left: Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation, Center: Hourglass Illume Trio, $62, Right: MAC Fluidline Eyeliner, $19 (I use the color “Dipdown”)

Look #2: Brown Tones

For the warmer tones for the holidays, such the green blouse I have on above, I have a warmer look that I like to wear. It’s a little different from what I would wear for true fall colors, like rust and mustard. With those colors I like to use colors that I have a little more orange in them.

This look is a little more neutral and it’s one that I would also wear with winter white, which is another one of my favorite holiday colors to wear.

I love this palette from Maybelline called “The Nudes of New York”. It has neutrals in all shades of brown – golds, pinks and taupes. I used the warmer shades in the palette, more true browns as you can see below.

My lipstick is what I would call a “pinky-brown”. It has a cast of both colors in it. Because I am wearing a green with blue tones in it, I liked how this blended with the entire look.

My mascara for the two previous looks has been It Cosmetics “Superhero” Mascara. This was something new I tried and I really liked it.

Look #3: Red Lipstick

What are the holidays without red lipstick? I usually save my red lipstick for black or white outfits since they are the the least likely to clash. As I mentioned above, I have a lot of pink in my skin, so I try to look for red lipsticks that have more blue tones than orange tones. The one I chose has more of a brighter pink caste to it.

For my eyes, I chose a shadow that I feel fits my natural skin tone, so I am back to what I call the “pinky-brown” color. I just want my shadow to blend in, not stand out. Standing out is the job for my red lipstick!

An additional product that I recommend when using a matte lipstick like the one above is MAC’s Prep & Prime Lip. It really does help with getting a smooth application with a matte lipstick. I love this product.

I was sent this mascara from Prime Causemetics to give it a try. It’s designed for “older” women with sparse lashes. It was the first time I used when I took this photo – so far, so good. I will keep you posted after additional wearings.

All the looks – do you have a favorite?

Do you have your own easy holiday make looks? Let me know in the comments below.

If you like these easy makeup ideas, then you should check out my “Under 100 Makeup Looks” and “How to Update Your Makeup Look and Still Be You”.