Unsure of how to take your main character moment and your party makeup up several notches during the holiday season? Enter ‘mistletoe makeup’, a Christmas romcom-coded makeup look that is popping up on Tiktok and Instagram. Think Kiera Knightley in Love Actually‘s wedding scene, the viral ‘I’m cold makeup’ trend from a few years ago or Hailey Bieber’s infamous sugar plum fairy makeup look given a fresh twist and presented with a giant festive bow.
“Mistletoe makeup is romantic, angelic and understated,” says Karl Díaz-Hellín Hodson, Laura Mercier‘s international education manager. “Imagine you’ve just come in from the cold – your cheeks rosy, snow resting delicately upon your face and the warm glow of fairy lights reflecting off your skin.” So, to be clear, not tutorials for how to draw actual mistletoes on your eyelids, which also crop up with this search term.
Best ‘mistletoe makeup’ products
How to do ‘mistletoe makeup’ at home
Instead of foundation, Karl recommends choosing a tinted moisturiser to “allow your skin to show through and retain an element of freshness. Mistletoe makeup is all about romantic innocence.” It’s also all about flushed cheeks and blurred just-been-snogged-under-the-mistletoe lips.
“Cream or liquid blush is the best option as you want your skin to look as plump and dimensional as possible,” says Karl. “Choose rosy pink or berry colours to mimic the natural flush you get from being out in the cold.”
When it comes to placement, tap into the boyfriend blush trend where the rosiness sits lower down on the cheek rather than high on the cheekbones for a more outdoorsy feel. “Your blush application shouldn’t be apologetic – consider taking your blush all the way across the expanse of the cheeks and lightly across the bridge of the nose to create the ultimate romantic festive look,” adds Karl.