Here are makeup tips for Christmas, Halloween and other hoildays and some inspiring special effects tips that you can use too.

Special Effects

• To create smokey eye effect, cover your eyelids with nude and shimmery eye shadow. Use grey or brown eye shadow with a little glitter just above the upper lash line to just above the crease of the eye. Sweep black matt eye shadow from inside to half way towards the outside of the eye below the eye crease. Using a moist q-tip, smudge a line of black eye shadow across the top lash line, extending it a little on the outer corners. Add white eye shadow just below the brow and the inner corner of your eye. Line the lower lash line with the eye shadow, moving your brush from outside of the eye to the middle of the eye. Apply mascara to finish eye makeup.
• For red festive lips, coat your lips with concealer or foundation to add vibrancy to your shade of red and make your lipstick stay put for longer period of time. After the foundation is set, use a lip liner that matches your lip color to define the lips. Apply the lipstick with a lip brush from outer corners of the mouth to inside. Tissue odd the extra color and apply another coat of lip color. Coat it with red gloss. You can accent your lips with gold sparkle too.
• A light coating of a gold-toned nude and cream-based eye shadow across the eye followed by a coat of pale pink eye shadow from the upper lash line to just above the crease and a light coat of pale minty green over the eye, working from the inside corner to the middle of the eye is the right way to achieve subtle yet festive look for an informal Christmas gathering.
• Scary beauty has its charms too. So paint your face for this Halloween using the mixture of 1 tsp of cornstarch, 1/2 tsp of water, 1/2 tsp of cold cream and some food coloring. Wash and dry your face before painting it and use fingertips for large areas and paint brush for making specific designs. Be creative and innovative. It is easily removable and can be washed with soap and water.
• If you are performing shows, you will realize how important it is to know how to produce fake injuries, bruises and blood sometimes. To make a bruise, apply deep blue powder eye shadow with a dampened makeup brush. Add blots of charcoal gray and blue shadows for a realistic effect. You may also touch up the edges with shimmery olive green and smudge the edges.
• Of course, you can use tomato sauce as fake blood but then ants may cause a problem, if you are going to wander all night haunting your neighbors. So here's a sugarless blood recipe, you can prepare at home. Pour 1/2 bottle of light corn syrup in a bowl and keep on adding hot water while stirring continuously until you have the right consistency. Add a little liquid soap to make it easier to wash off. Use red food color as much as you want. For darker blood color use a drop or two of blue or green food color.