Beauty Late Than Never

Happy Holidays New Beauties! Yes, MNB knows that she's a few days late with those yuletide greetings, but you must be forgiving of her since she knows you still have oodles and oodles of holiday cheer still in your system. Ms. New Beauty was busy shopping for presents (at the last minute!) and then came home only to pick up a head cold on Christmas Eve, and then woke up early to hit the stores on the day after Christmas on a search for the perfect outfits for New Year's Eve in Las Vegas. MNB had been on a quest for party dresses and planning to enjoy the warm weather, though now she's just learned that Vegas won't be any warmer than New York for the New Year. But, in all that time spent scouring the malls, Ms. New Beauty did happen upon some great new makeup purchases. And though she planned to do a makeup gift post, this one will just have to be for the post-holiday goodies you can treat yourself to!

Smashbox Photo Op Under Eye Brightener

Did making your list and checking it twice leave you looking tired sleeping and a morning that started early enough to be at the mall right as Neiman's opened left my eyes looking worn out and haggard. I'd seen this tube around Sephora for ages but that "flesh toned" color of the product made me think that it would never, ever, ever, ever, ever blend in with my skin and leave me looking like a reverse raccoon. But, with as tired as I looked, I figured I try this. Couldn't hurt could it?

Quite the opposite. It worked. The formula is ridiculously sheer and blends in immediately. At first I didn't think it did much, but when and ragged instead of give you a holiday glow? I know that yesterday morning the result of a night spent sniffling instead ofI applied it under just one eye the result was undeniable. My dark circles were noticeably diminished and my eyes were definitely brighter. Plus, the tiny, purse-friendly tube and low price had me hooked. Now this little find lives at the bottom of my bag, next to the sunscreen and lip balm.

$18, available at Sephora

Too Faced Border Line Anti-Feathering Lip Pencil

Did your lip color run for the border during your marathon of holiday parties? My perfect holiday red gloss suits my complexion beautifully but tends to leave only a trace by the end of the night. Well, since you still have to gear up for this weekend of pre-New Year's celebrations and then your actual New Year's celebrations, pick up this lip liner to keep your color in tact. Wait, wait, I know you just got ready to navigate away from the page thinking "Ms. New Beauty has lost her mind, she's recommending lip liners!" but trust me, this is a great one. Banish those horrible memories of mouths outlined in black and filled in with frosty silver lipstick. (Ugh, just typing that took something out of me!) This is a colorless matte lip liner. And, you don't use it on your actual lips; you trace this just outside your lip line. It creates a border to keep your lip stick or even your goopiest gloss from feathering and migrating past your lips to the rest of your face. You'll stay pout perfect from now until next year.

$18.50, available at Sephora

Sugar Perfect 10 Palette

Did your day-to-night beauty transition go about as smoothly as Britney's transition to motherhood? Magazines and talk shows will make you think that going from work/daytime appropriate to party perfect is as easy as another coat of mascara. But anyone who's actually done it knows that it takes a lot more thought than that. You have to consider your ensemble and make sure that your clothes and accessories are simple enough for day but not so simple that your fellow party goers think that you're on staff for the venue. You have to change your subdued daytime makeup look to something party appropriate in just a few minutes in an office bathroom under fluorescent lighting (eek!). Most importantly, you have to be able to fit everything you need for this kind of quick change into your purse without breaking your back.

And, while you'll still have to handle the outfit woes, this palette can seamlessly take you from day to night without taking up much room. Most holiday eye palettes are big, honking gifts meant to display at home. This one had to be designed to drop in a tiny clutch. Narrow and sleek, inside the palette are ten small eyeshadows in every shade a girl needs, from ivory and gold to navy, black and bronze. Use the lighter shades for work and then just blend the darker ones on top for an evening smokey eye.

$28, available at Sephora


Stay beautiful through the rest of the holiday season, and finally pick up something for yourself, but just don't forget that Ms. New Beauty told you!