The holidays are upon us, my friends!

Whether you’re heading off to drinks after work with friends, attending a posh holiday party, or just sitting around the fire with your loved ones, the holidays are an excellent time to add a little spice to your everyday look.

Just adding some purple eyeshadow and this purple scarf (borrowed from Bree’s closet) to my outfit today put me in a festive mood.

Over the next seven days, Bree, Bailey and I will be sharing some ideas for easy holiday looks to dress up your season, no matter what the occasion.

Erika’s Look:

• Hair– My hair fell to a center part this morning as it air dried so these easy waves made perfect sense. All I did was lightly spray Redken Fabricate 03 heat-active texturizer over my dry hair before creating big curls with a 1.5″ Hot Tools curling iron. Because my hair is so fine, it took me less than 5 minutes to gently roll sections of hair away from my face. This style is so quick and easy!
• Elizabeth Arden Prevage Day Ultra Protection Anti-aging Moisturizer SPF 30 Chock full of antioxidants and sun protection, this moisturizer is my favorite medium to mix with foundation (a winter trick I find helps to keep my skin looking fresh while still giving me the coverage my skin needs). Today I mixed it with my favorite La Mer The Treatment Crème Foundation.
• Make Up For Ever High Definition Microperfecting Primer Last week I picked up a sample of this primer at Sephora hoping it might help with the ruddiness I’ve been noticing in my face lately. There are six color-correcting shades in this range (I picked green) that promise to nourish skin while creating a smooth canvas for foundation. While I don’t think it helps my redness much, I am thrilled with how my foundation stays looking fresh and even all day long.
• Jouer Mineral Powder Blush in Blossom I haven’t used Jouer products as much as I’d like to (they’re not the easiest to find) but I LOVE how the pieces click together to create your own personal makeup palette. And the colors are so pretty. I love this Blossom blush, the softest peachy pink with no shimmer.
• bareMinerals 100% Natural Lip Gloss in Chiffon I don’t know what took me so long to try these lipglosses by bareMinerals but OMG! They are amazing. (Thank you to everyone who recommended them to me this summer!) Paraben and preservative-free, these glosses have ingredients like pomegranate and honeysuckle that make we want to lick my lips all day. The color I’m wearing today is the perfect nude— a nice complement to heavier eyes.
• NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Eurydice Last year when I did my ’7 Days of Holiday Looks’ feature the most popular look was this one I created with NARS Jolie Poupee. I’m happy to say that Eurydice is even more gorgeous than Jolie Poupee because it has a graphite-hued shadow in addition to an electric shade of purple. Definitely a must-have for this holiday season!

Bree’s look:

I LOVE this look on Bree mostly because she never wears dark or bright lipstick so it’s fun to see her change things up a bit. Bree, on the other hand, hated it. The second I finished snapping photos she immediately washed her face, all the while begging me not to post them here on Makeup Bag.

Because I’m the boss, I get to make all the editorial decisions so here you have it: Bree’s red lips.

• Maybelline ColorSensational Lipstick in Red Revival (645) I have to admit I’m really impressed with the pigment of this lipstick. I mean, just look at Bree’s lips! If I didn’t know any better, I’d think this was shu uemura lipstick (at a fraction of the cost).
• Givenchy Mister Bright Illuminator Pen in Moonlight I’m a sucker for highlighters so this is right up my alley. Just a tiny bit on the top of the cheekbones adds a certain specialness—and makes you look like your skin is lit from within. Be sure to use a light hand and blend really well.

Bailey’s Look:

• Moroccan Oil Bailey got a blowout after her trim so her hair is looking extra full and bouncy today. Her stylist insisted she start using Moroccan Oil on her damaged ends, but Bailey nearly freaked out when she saw IT WAS OIL. (Like my husband, Bailey has an aversion to anything slightly resembling grease or oil—especially near her hair.) I saw her cringe and nearly gag (no joke) when the stylist applied the Moroccan Oil but once she realized it was a weightless dry oil that’s instantly absorbed into the hair, she relaxed a bit. Now that she’s seen how healthy and shiny it makes her hair, she’s a full blown oil convert. Bring it on!
• MAC Sweet Thing Lipstick Of course Bailey had to choose a lipstick for her holiday look that is no longer available! Any hot pink lip color will give bouncy hair and an otherwise clean face a nice pop of interest. MAC Utter Fun is a similar color that I like equally well.

Holiday Fragrance Picks of the Day:

You can’t leave the house for a special holiday fête without a spritz of a gorgeous-smelling perfume. Here’s what the girls and I are wearing today:

Erika’s Pick: Tom Ford White Patchouli ($60-138)

I’ve had a sample of this fragrance for several months that I’ve unintentionally ignored until last week. The notes of bergamot, white peony, jasmine and patchouli had me on the first spritz. I especially love the dry down—it’s sexy with a little infusion of bohemian chic.

Bree’s Pick: Mally The Fragrance ($65)

This modern floral citrus is the epitome of Bree’s choice in fragrance. Light and pretty with a bit of fruitiness. Funny because, based on Bree’s personality, I would expect her to like heavier fragrances! This brand new fragrance from Mally Beauty has the Philippines’ sampaguita flower as the star ingredient and it’s quite delightful.

Bailey’s Pick: Kenzo Amour ($56-92)

I talk about Kenzo Amour a lot on this website because it’s truly one of my most favorite scents. And now Bailey has adopted it as her signature scent. This is a powdery musk with notes of plumeria (no wonder I like this so much!) and rice steam. If you haven’t yet experienced Kenzo Amour, be sure to sniff it next time you’re in Sephora.

Oh, I almost forgot to show you Janey’s holiday look! She couldn’t let us have all the fun without creating her very own “look” for the holidays. She thought it would be appropriate to showcase her “look” via candlelight:

Looks like she chose a vibrant blue eye shadow to match the butterfly on her top. Nice job, Janey.

And there’s our first day of holiday looks. Stay tuned tomorrow for more holiday fun from Makeup Bag HQ.

I want you, NARS I Want You Lipgloss set!

Generally, when I purchase a packaged set of cosmetics, I resign myself to knowing at least a few shades will be duds.

So not the case here, ladies! Every single one of these magnificent minis has a permanent place in my makeup bag – each shade is universally flattering, relatively neutral and oh-so-gorgeous. NARS doesn’t disappoint with this set of glossy minis in all my favorite colors!

Each set contains one each of Striptease, Greek Holiday, Turkish Delight, Orgasm and Dolce Vita.

NARS I Want You Lip Gloss Set is available from Sephora for $45.

I spotted this Funnel bracelet on Banana Republic’s site this morning, and couldn’t take my eyes off of it!

It’s unusual in a fabulous way that makes me feel as though I NEED it. The mixed metal bracelet is elegant and just a little edgy – the sharp lines are unexpected yet somehow work with the overall flow of the bracelet

Funnel Bracelet is available from Banana Republic for $42.

Celebrities, models and socialites came out for The Cinema Society and D&G screening of The Twilight Saga: New Moon last night at Landmark’s Sunshine Cinema in New York City.

Kristen Stewart looked lovely in her pleated olive-hued dress. I’m guessing it wasn’t too cold in New York last night as many of the guests attending this event went sleeveless. I have to say I’m always slightly disappointed that Kristen doesn’t glam it up a bit more for industry events. I get that she’s not into hair and makeup, but wouldn’t it be fun to see her go all out?

Robbie-boy looked quite dashing as usual. His red-stained lips look as though he might have had a make-out sesh in the limo on the way to the event, no? (Okay, you’re right. He was eating a pomegranate.)

Gossip Girl’s Jessica Szohr was also at the screening. Where was Chuck Bass? I mean, aren’t he and Rob BFF’s? Jessica’s extensions are looking a little more realistic these days. I love this girl, she’s just adorable.

Jenny Humphrey, on the other hand, looks a hot mess. I mean, I get that she’s trying to look edgy and all, but I don’t know. I’m just not feeling it.

Model Jessica Stam was too cute for words with her deep side part and super fun gray mini dress. She also had on some rocking lace-up platform booties. It’s no wonder this canadian model is a super star!

Hmmm, who else was there? Oh right. Taylor Lautner.

He looked fine all dolled up in a suit, but he’s missing a certain blonde accessory. A singing, guitar-playing blonde accessory.

Bailey is still asleep after attending the midnight screening here in our town last night, so I haven’t heard how the movie was. Did you see The Twilight Saga: New Moon last night? If not, will you be hitting the theater to see it this weekend? Or do you even care?

photos: wire image