ALL THAT glitters

Fresh faced

RMK's holiday look features on-trend colours such as deep green for a fresh take on traditionally heavy evening make-up. Trainer Ann Lai recommends blending two or more colours with a touch of shimmer to create a more festive look. She begins with a thin veil of Make Up Base and Control Color Base N on the face and eyelids to even the skin tone and reduce redness. She follows with Super Basic Liquid Concealer and Concealer Pack under the eyes and to cover blemishes before applying a layer of Creamy Foundation for more even, lasting coverage. To control shine, she finishes with Pressed Powder. Lai uses the Christmas Palette for the eyes, choosing dark brown as the base followed by purple. 'If you want the eyes to appear larger, apply a darker colour in the centre to outer eye area, then highlight with lighter colours,' she says.

For parties, she recommends a gel eyeliner, which lasts longer than a pencil. In this case, she uses a black gel eyeliner on the eyelid and the Christmas Palette's dark green eye shadow to line underneath the eyes. Light green is used on the inner corners of the eyes.

After curling the lashes, Lai applies three layers of Separate Curl Mascara in black. For the lips, she applies a base of lipstick followed by a shimmering gloss from the Christmas Palette. 'Applying lipstick first will make the gloss last longer,' says Lai. 'You can also apply more gloss in the centre to make the lips appear fuller.'

RMK's Christmas Palette (HK$1,080) includes six eye shadows, three cheek colours, pressed powder, lip gloss and mascara as well as applicators. It comes in a gold make-up bag designed for RMK by Kate Spade.

Ice queen

M.A.C's holiday theme is 'glitter and ice', a shimmering and festive tribute to cold winter nights. To prep the face, Event Artist Christy Ma uses Strobe Cream to moisturise and enliven the skin and Fast Response Eye Cream to obscure eye wrinkles. She then uses Pro Longwear SPF 10 Foundation to hide flaws.

'Hong Kong girls are often plagued by dark circles and eye bags - using concealer helps to mask these areas. Remember to use a small brush to help it blend with the whole look,' she says.

As the Christmas season entails dry weather, she recommends using lip balm, which she can double as a lip mask. For the eyes, Ma spreads Smolder Eye Kohl over the eyelid area as base. For a layered effect, she blends silver, grey and blue eye shadows from 6 Snowglobe Eye Shadows/Cool.

'If you don't want to wear mascara, use fake eyelashes which are thick. Apply a reasonable amount of glue to prevent them from falling off,' advises Ma. 'To make the look more party-like, use glitter powder,' says Ma, who wraps up the look with Cr?me Sheen (A61) light pink lipstick.

M.A.C offers a variety of make-up application services and lessons. Fees begin at HK$350, with some costs redeemable for products.

All about eyes

Shiseido's 2011 Cool Stylish party look radiates a vibe of youthful happiness. Make-up artist Yoko Tam gently applies a moderate amount of Perfect Refining Foundation Translucent Pressed Powder on the face to ensure a natural look. She uses the pink powder from Maquillage Aura Beauty (HK$880) on the cheeks to give the skin translucence.

After using Automatic Fine Eyeliner BK901, she suggests using a small brush to smooth the eye lines. 'The Cool Stylish party look is all about the eyes,' says Tam. Using the Luminizing Satin Eye Color Trio OR302, she covers the whole eyelid in black. Then she applies orange on the middle of the eyelid area and silver to highlight the outer edges. Nourishing Mascara Base Perfect Mascara Defining Volume BK901 is used to define the eyelashes.

After applying BR302, she dusts a shimmering powder from Maquillage Aura Beauty over the entire face. 'The weather is dry during Christmas so massaging your face for a minute before applying make-up helps the base look natural,' says Tam. 'This season embraces more dramatic eyes - use eyeliners that match the colour of your party outfit for an elegant look.'

Retro chic

For this Christmas season, Giorgio Armani's Holiday 2011 Madre Perla collection echoes the autumn/winter trend of retro glamour. National Face Designer Benjamin Leung uses the Designer Lift Smoothing Firming Foundation SPF 20 as the base for Giorgio Armani's festive look. 'Use a brush to put on the foundation for a natural look and apply blush to accentuate your features,' suggests Leung, who uses concealer to bring out the eyes.

Leung uses black eyeliner to draw delicate yet firm eye lines. To make the face glow, he uses Madre Perla Classic Edition's Face & Eye Palette (HK$595). To add an element of festivity to the look, he applies Eyes to Kill Eyeshadow No 17 (HK$250), a molten metallic silver. To complete the look, he uses Eyes to Kill Mascara No 1 in black. For a final dash of colour, he recommends a generous layer of Gloss d'Armani No 404 (HK$250), a rich cherry red.

'Glittering eye shadow creates a striking contrast with your eye lines,' says Leung. 'Graphic eye lines exude retro glamour, which is in vogue this season.'

Giorgio Armani offers make-up services from HK$750 up to HK$2,500 for event make-up with a National Face Designer. Fees are fully redeemable for products on the same day.

Healthy glow

Cle de Peau Beaute has built its reputation on radiant skin, so it's no surprise the brand's holiday make-up look begins with proper skincare. Make-up artist Bonnie Chan uses Gentle Balancing Lotion to clean and moisturise the face. 'Squeeze the lotion onto two cotton pads until they are saturated and place them on the cheeks for three to five minutes as a pre-makeup mask,' she recommends. The skin requires moisturising in the wintry season so Chan chooses their new Silky Cream Foundation which moistens the skin and is SPF20. To complete the foundation part of the Christmas look, she uses translucent loose powder.

Chan then applies Intensifying Cream Eyeliner 101, which is the darkest shade among the three available, giving the eyes a mysterious and deep set look. Chan, who blends the green and champagne shades from the Eye Color Quad 201 (HK$430), says: 'Green and gold eye shadows ooze a Christmas vibe.' To make the eyes look energised, she applies a white eye shadow beneath the eyebrows. She also recommends curling your lashes before using black mascara to complete the eye make-up. 'Use rose pink blush to create a natural look since the look is about the eyes,' says Chan, who also chooses the demure T8 shade of Extra Rich Lipstick to keep the focus on the eyes.

Cle de Peau Beaute offers complimentary make-up services at their counters and boutiques.

Get the look

See the make-up artists at work and find out about the latest holiday trends in our exclusive behind-the-scenes video.