From glam nails to Andy Warhol, holiday style pops

Fresh scents

Several fragrances on the shelves at Sephora (various locations) are just right for the holiday season. Following the success of eau de parfums Daisy and Lola, this past summer Marc Jacobs released Dot ($69 for 50 millilitres), a fruity, upbeat scent punctuated with berry and honeysuckle notes—light enough for a daytime holiday occasion. Plus, the fun black and red polka-dotted bottle looks festive and pop-arty. If winter weather has you craving heavier, musky scents, Dahlia Noir, the new eau de toilette from French luxury label Givenchy ($49 for 30 millilitres) just may fit the bill. The name of the perfume refers to a mysterious flower that doesn’t exist, and the scent is marked by notes of pink pepper, peach, sandalwood, vanilla, and amber. The light pink-tinged glass bottle is sleek and sophisticated, much like the perfume itself.

Ginger-iffic

’Tis the season for gingerbread scents, and not just those emanating from the kitchen or your seasonal latte. The Body Shop (various locations) has a huge new roster of special-edition Ginger Sparkle products for those addicted to the spicy fragrance—enough to use head to toe. Check out the Body Polish ($19), ultrarich Body Butter ($19), or the Lip Balm ($6); the Hand Wash or Hand Lotion ($8 and $6) would make a perfect gift the next time you head over to someone’s house for a Christmas party. Not jazzed about ginger? The store’s other signature fragrances, Cranberry Joy and Vanilla Bliss, definitely have a holiday air about them too.

Metallic shadows

Give the smoky-eye treatment a metallic touch this holiday season with Pure Color Gelée Powder eye shadows from Estée Lauder’s Pure Color Vivid Shine collection. Designed by makeup artist and Estée Lauder creative director Tom Pecheux, each eye shadow ($28 for 0.9 grams at the Bay [various locations]) comes in a luxe gold compact that includes a specially designed sponge-tip applicator. The series features 16 hyper-metallic shades in a formula that’s a liquid, powder, and gel all in one. For a bold holiday-party look, layer the silvery-white Cyber Ice over Arctic Sky, a cool deep-blue hue. Meanwhile, blending Cyber Gold and Cyber Copper eye shadows will leave a shimmery impression that works on every skin tone. If you need help perfecting the look, visit Estée Lauder’s new expanded makeup counter at the Bay downtown.

Snow-globe nails

Create a winter dreamscape on your nails by layering a sparkly blue or silver nail polish over a glistening metallic one. To start, we like Butter London’s icy-platinum Diamond Geezer polish ($17 for 11 millilitres, at stores including Spa Boutique [3630 West 4th Avenue] and BeautyMark [1268 Pacific Boulevard]) or lavender-tinged Lillibet’s Jubilee, which is infused with holographic glitter. If you prefer a darker hue, channel the night sky on your nails with Butter London’s Big Smoke, a metallic midnight blue, or Chimney Sweep, a smudgy charcoal grey. Then, layer a festive sparkle polish over top, such as Deborah Lippmann’s teal Across the Universe ($19.95 for 14.8 millilitres) or silvery-blue Today was a Fairytale ($25.95 for 14.8 millilitres) to complete that celebratory snow-globe look.

Oxblood lips

Oxblood is officially the “it” colour this fall and winter. Bring the dark-purple–red hue into your makeup routine by painting on a plum pout. French cosmetics company Clarins has added a number of darker hues to its premium Rouge Prodige Lipstick line ($26 at London Drugs [various locations]). If you’re nervous about making the move to the dark side, start by trying a berry-coloured lipstick, such as Raspberry Sorbet or Blackberry, for just a hint of oxblood. Once you’re ready to rock darker lips, we like Pretty Plum and Mystic Plum for their sultry, purple-based hues. For extra boldness, use a lip liner in a similar shade, such as Lise Watier Crayon Contour Des Lèvres Imperméable ($17 at London Drugs) in Bourgogne or Soft Plum to complete the look.

Wild For Warhol

The pop-art fan on your holiday list will be thrilled to party like it’s 1968 at the Factory wearing Nars’s new Andy Warhol makeup collection. The line celebrates the platinum metallics and bright colours the artist was known for. We love the Edie Factory Set, which holds all the elements you need to re-create her bold brows, smoky eyes, and muted lips, all packaged in a film canister bearing her image ($85 at Holt Renfrew [737 Dunsmuir Street]). And we dig the eye-shadow palettes bearing his highness’s self-portrait—embedded right in the glimmery trio of powders. Check out the black, periwinkle blue, and bright green or the more straightforward black, white, and silver versions ($65). And the Beautiful Darling gift set ($55) bears all the emeralds and fuchsias you’ll recognize not just from his paintings but from the makeup worn by his muse, Candy Darling. In other words, they’re eye-catching enough to bring you at least 15 minutes of fame.

Palettes With Punch

We go ga-ga for the gift sets from Stila: the packaging is all about the holiday but the colours are definitely usable for everyday. Take the Stila Snow Angel Color Palette ($39 at Kiss & Makeup [925 Main Street in the Village at Park Royal): it has a range of shadows and blushes splayed out in a cute snowflake shape. There are plenty of neutrals to take you through the entire year, yet it’s spiced up with enough shimmery bronzes and plums to glitz up the party season. A less-expensive option is the Stila Written in the Stars Eye Shadow Palette ($20), with a dozen neutral shades that can be mixed and matched, or used wet or dry for countless variations.