FASHION Magazine

Alright gals! When it comes to New Year’s Eve, there’s no excuse to not go all out with your hair, makeup and of course, outfit. Even if you’re prone to spending a low-key NYE at home, there’s still something to be said about saying goodbye to 2013 with a bang. So: dig deep into your makeup bags, pull out all the products you skip over on a daily basis and plan a beauty look that’ll make you pop. Because there’s no such thing as too bright or too glittery on New Year’s Eve.

If New Year’s Eve makeup inspiration is what you’re after, the Beauty Panel is here to help. A Pop of Colour’s Shayna Wiwierski loves to go all out on New Year’s Eve, but this year swapped her usual shimmering smoky eye for an icy-blue shade. However, she’s still going to sparkle when the clock strikes twelve thanks to a bejeweled headband. Also adding interest to her hair with glittery headwear is Alison Leong from Alison*Elle. Her makeup continued the shimmering theme, thanks to a glitter-packed eyeliner and dewy highlighter. And finally, Twenty York Street’s Marilou Moles loves to go all out on NYE and will be ringing in 2014 with bouncy curls, a smoky eye and a bold lip. Happy New Year, indeed!

Challenge 42: What are you doing with your hair and makeup on New Year’s Eve? See the answers now! »

With the holiday party circuit reaching its fever pitch this weekend, a girl can run out of festive hairstyle options pretty quickly. And given the time crunch between now and December 25, we’re betting you wouldn’t mind putting down the blow dryer and curling iron for an evening. Enter the braided hairstyle: with endless variations (ranging from cute and casual to off-the-charts impressive) and possibilities for all skill levels, it only makes sense to work a braid into your holiday beauty routine.

To help you generate some ideas for your next braided hairstyle, we turned to the Beauty Panel. They shared their best braided looks and helpful tips that’ll make it easy for you to duplicate the looks with ease.

Challenge 41: What’s your go-to braided hairstyle? See the answers now! »

Ah, the holidays! Forget last minute shopping scrambles—the real frenzy comes when your all-business daytime face needs to transform into a head-turning party look in the blink of an eye. With very little time to prepare it’s imperative you have some expert advice on the makeup products and beauty tools you’ll need to be party-ready in a jiffy.

Ideally we’d all have a fairy godmother to wave her wand and make us instantly holiday-stunning, but realistically a well-edited beauty bag will do the trick. First of all, aim for a night look that builds upon your daytime face with the addition of just a few key products: A swipe of your favourite sultry crimson lipstick, a smear of warm, smoky eyeshadows or a hit of bright blush will you have knocking it out of the beauty park. So empty your filled-to-the-brim makeup bag and read on for some essential holiday beauty tips from the Beauty Panel.

Challenge 39: How do you transform you office make up into a holiday party look? See the answers now! »

Somehow when fall rolls through we’re so enamored by the deep-toned lipsticks and warm eyeshadows that we tend to neglect our cheeks. While we wish we could still embrace the bronze-y glow of summer, when winter comes calling nothing looks better than flushed, “just in from the ski slopes” cheeks.

As the colder months tend to dull our complexion, we thank the beauty gods for blush to highlight the cheekbones and brighten up our faces. Wine-stained shades ranging from rosy-pink to deep-plum provide the perfect complement to the berry and jewel tones that we’re also coveting for our clothes . That being said, it can be a challenge to decipher the right product for you—from finding the right colour to choosing between the creamy consistencies of cheek stains, polishes and powders, there’s a lot to consider when it comes to blush. But fear not: We’ve enlisted our Beauty Panel’s wealth of knowledge to help you achieve the perfect fall flush.

Challenge 37: What’s your blush must-have for fall? See the answers now! »

Is there a better holiday than Halloween? It’s the one day of the year that we have free reign to create—and live the life of!—an alter ego, the more outlandish the better. From sci-fi heroes to spooky spirits, everything is possible on Halloween, especially when you have a makeup bag full of product to help you out. As anyone who recalls a childhood full of pans of primary-coloured face paint, you’ll agree that the best costumes are the ones that come with a crazy makeup requirement.

Plus, when else do you have reason to wear your biggest false lashes, your brightest eyeshadow colours and every glitter you own? Never, that’s when! As such, we turned to the Beauty Panel to share their Halloween makeup looks, and the results range from inventive to fantastical to downright gruesome.

Challenge 33: How are you doing your makeup for Halloween? See the answers now! »

Can we get a what what for eyeliner? With endless formulas and application methods, eyeliner is one of the most versatile products in our makeup bags. While some prefer a subtle smudged line, others dig the high drama that comes with cat-eyes and winged tips. Seeking a pop of colour? Add a quick swipe of bright-blue liner. Want to make your eyes stand out? Smudge a little kohl at your lashline. However you wear eyeliner, there’s no wrong way to do it. But there’s always room for new tips and techniques, which is why we’ve turned to the Beauty Panel.

Challenge 29: What’s your favourite way to wear eyeliner? See the answers now! »

It would be an understatement to say that nail art hasn’t completely saturated the beauty world. From Anne Hathaway’s neon manicure at the Met gala to Hailee Steinfeld’s pop art nails at Comic Con, nail art is still going strong throughout summer.

While A-list stars turn to nail gurus like Kimmie Kyees (Rihanna’s go-to) and Tom Bachik (he does Beyoncé, Zooey Dechannel and Jennifer Lopez) DIY nail art can look just as red carpet-worthy. Although scrolling through thousands of nail art images on Pinterest may be one way to get inspired, the Beauty Panel is here to lend us a hand. This week they’re sharing top tips and tricks on the best nail art looks for summer. From pastel shades to chevron nail art to glitter top coats, we’re pretty sure you’ll be reaching for a bottle of nail polish before you finish reading this post.

Challenge 22: What’s your favourite nail polish colour to wear this summer? See the answers now! »

The beauty of makeup is in its ability to transform. While full-on makeovers may come to mind, the use of one just product—an eyeshadow, mascara or blush—can alter your appearance in the most subtle way. And when it comes to enhancing your eye colour, there’s no better way to make your eyes pop than with a swipe of complementary shadow.

But how do you know what makeup shade will complement your eye colour best? Do you turn to a colour that matches your eyes or choose one that’s the opposite? Blue eyeshadow may have been a favourite colour on the Spring 2013 runway, but for some of us it may not necessarily be the best choice.

Before you start testing every eyeshadow in your makeup bag, read on. Whether your eyes are blue, green, brown or hazel, the Beauty Panel is here to share their expert tips on makeup that makes eye colour stand out.

Challenge 20: How do you complement your eye colour with makeup? See the answers now! »

Let’s be real. Some nights you just need to look like a total babe. While we love to keep our makeup looking fresh and natural during the day, when it comes to a big night out in the summer, we want to have some fun. Whether you’re going to the Power Ball, a night out with the girls or a date with someone special, it never hurts to play up the drama. To help inspire your next date makeup look, we asked the Beauty Panel to share tips and tricks on bombshell beauty.

Challenge 14: Some nights you just need to look like a total babe! How do you do your makeup for a big night out during the summer months? See the answers now! »

Summer wedding season is here, and whether you’re walking down the aisle, standing up for your best friend or just showing up and dancing the night away, it’s important to consider how you’ll look. In terms of outfits, we certainly have you covered. But what about your hair and makeup on the big day?

More and more brides are taking the DIY approach to their wedding makeup (even Kate Middleton was rumoured to have done it herself!) and it goes without saying that most wedding guests aren’t spending a day at the salon before a friend’s nuptials. But with photographers everywhere and some weddings starting at the crack of dawn and going into the wee hours of the night, it’s advisable to put some extra effort into your hair and makeup.

To get the best advice on wedding day makeup and hair, we turned to the Beauty Panel. With a number of professional makeup artists on the panel, these experts have many weddings under their beauty belts—and plenty of tips for you, regardless of your bride, bridesmaid or guest status.

Challenge 12: How would you do your hair and makeup for a wedding? See the answers now! »

This season it’s all about the statement lip. Moving away from the darker hues of fall, designer after designer sent models down the spring runways wearing vibrant shades of lip colour. From Prada to Rochas to Dries Van Noten, the statement lip was certainly the beauty statement of the season.

When done right, the statement lip can look stunning, but it can be tricky to find the right colour for your skin tone. And when you’ve found that perfect colour, how do you make sure it stays on all day (or night) long? Luckily, with a little help from the Beauty Panel, we have all the tips and tricks you’ll need to find the best lipstick out there—and to keep it on your lips.

Challenge 11: The statement lip is a big trend this season. How do you make your lipstick colour stand out and last?

Pop quiz! You have a big event coming up. Do you spend more time thinking about what to wear or obsessing over how you’re going to do your hair? If you answered “hair,” welcome: the Beauty Panel has been waiting for you. While landmark occasions like prom, your best friend’s wedding or, say, attending the Oscars, might seem like the only times worthy of an elaborate hairstyle, there are plenty of reasons to upgrade your look, even if you’re not graduating or walking down the aisle. This week’s challenge is all about how to style your hair for a big night out.

Challenge 8: How do you style your hair for a big night out? See the answers now! »