Thanksgiving Makeup Looks You’ll Want To Recreate

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Thanksgiving makeup has a tougher job than most holiday looks. It has to hold up through hours of cooking, a warm kitchen, a long dinner, and the family photo nobody gets to skip. The good news is that this fall’s biggest trends, deep berry lips, soft brown eyes, warm blush, and fresh skin, are made for exactly that kind of day. Here are six looks you can recreate at home, from the easy everyday version to the one with a little sparkle.

6 Thanksgiving Makeup Looks for Fall

Neutral Brown Eyeshadow Look

A neutral look filled with brown shades is the easiest and safest way to go when it comes to Thanksgiving makeup. In most eyeshadow palettes, you can find a few really good brown shades and just blend those onto your eyes for a perfect Thanksgiving makeup look!

You can make neutral eyeshadow look as simple or as intricate as you’d like for your Thanksgiving makeup. One way to add some wow to your Thanksgiving makeup is by doing a cut crease! Take some concealer and carve out the shape of your eyelid for a stunning Thanksgiving makeup effect. Do a half-cut crease and blend shadow on the ends, or go all out with a full-cut crease!

To get you started, we gathered a couple of our favorite neutral palettes. A new favorite is the Well PeoplePower Palette Eyeshadow! It has so many beautiful neutral colors and some pink. Their shadows are amazing and blend seamlessly!

Another great palette that is a bit more affordable is Juvia’s Place The Chocolates Eyeshadow Palette. This one is perfect for beginners since it only has a few shades but follows a pretty color story!

Bold Fall Lip Colors

Fall lipstick runs darker, and this year the deep shades are leading. Burgundy, berry, and chocolate brown are everywhere, and a dark lip with simple eyes is the fastest way to finish your Thanksgiving makeup. If you want something warmer, a burnt orange terracotta still works, especially next to brown eyeshadow. It’s basically the color of pumpkin pie, which feels right for the day.

Maybelline’s SuperStay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick in the shade Voyager gives you this color with a formula that holds up through a long meal, which matters when dinner runs three hours.

Another classic fall shade is a deep burgundy. RabanneFamous Lipcolor Matte Lipstick is a deep red color with a pioneering vegan makeup formula, containing 90% ingredients of natural origin!

Another easy option is Merit Signature Lip Lightweight Lipstick. The line has both warm and cool shades, so pick the one that suits your skin’s undertone. Not sure which undertone you have? This guide to skin tones and undertones walks you through it.

Our final color for some bold lips is a deep berry shade. The difference between this and the burgundy color we mentioned before is the intensity the berry tones give.

Juvia’s Place has an Earth Lipstick collection filled with a bunch of fun lipsticks perfect for all skin tones! A couple of our favorites include Soil and Nile.

Pair your bold lips with a matching blush for a trendy monochromatic makeup look! REM Beauty’s Eclipse Cheek and Lip Stain in the shade Standing o is the perfect deep burgundy blush to pair with your deep lip color. Nude is the perfect color for a Thanksgiving makeup look. Fenty Beauty’s Stunna Lip Paint in the shade Unveil is a delicious chocolate brown shade that pairs perfectly with their Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush in the shade Rose Latte for a gorgeous brown monochromatic look!

If matte lipstick leaves your lips feeling dry by dessert, a layer of balm underneath helps, and these lip oils and lip balms are a good place to start.

Glitter Eye Makeup for the Holidays

A little sparkle goes a long way at a family dinner. The easiest way to add it is a glitter liquid liner, since the thin brush keeps the shimmer exactly where you put it.

Our favorite glitter liner at the moment is the Culture 2 Liquid Eyeshadow by Juvia’s Place, with 6 different shades to take advantage of for the holidays. We also have Cream Eye Shadow Stick by Ulta. For a subtle touch of glitter, apply them to your inner corner or bottom lash line. You can also apply it to your cut crease to take your minimal makeup look to the next level!

If you are looking for an even bolder Thanksgiving makeup look…you’re going to need some more glitter! Liquid glitter shadow is the easiest way to apply glitter all over your lid. ColourPop’s Chrome Liquid Eyeshadow is super affordable and gives a gorgeous color and shine!

To go even further, get some loose glitter, paired with their long-lasting glitter primer; it’s amazing! To use it, simply apply the glitter primer where you want the glitter to stick, then tap the glitter on top!

Burgundy and Brown Eyeliner

A neutral winged liner is the classic Thanksgiving makeup choice, polished without looking like you tried too hard. If black feels harsh next to fall colors, try burgundy or brown instead. Both soften the line and pick up the warmth in the rest of your look. Finish with a matching mascara.

If you like a graphic liner, the holidays are a good excuse to try one. Rare Beauty’s Perfect Strokes Matte Liquid Liner comes in a matte brown that’s forgiving enough for a first attempt. If you want ideas that carry you from Thanksgiving through New Year’s, this guide to holiday eye makeup looks covers liner and lashes too.

Bold Fall Eyeshadow Palettes

For a bolder eye, pick a palette with warm golds and one bright accent color, and keep your lips neutral. This palette from Jade Iredale offers gorgeous golden tones, with some electric shades of blue, green, and pink!

Suppose you would like an even bigger range of these stunning burnt oranges or reds to showcase your love for fall. This palette from Juvia’s Place has everything you need!

Keep the lips simple so your eyes do the talking. Kaja makes some favorite glosses for this. They add shine and a little plumpness without competing with the color on your lids.

Want more ways to add shine to your lids? These shimmery eye makeup looks are easy to try for any holiday dinner.

Natural Glow Makeup

Fresh, glowy skin is still one of the biggest looks this fall, just with a bit more polish than summer’s dewy version. It’s also the most low-effort Thanksgiving makeup on this list. Start with a natural-finish foundation like the Nars Light Reflecting Foundation. It gives medium coverage that evens out skin and blurs texture without feeling heavy.

The classic Rare Beauty Liquid Blush that we all love is perfect for this look. Its radiant finish gives a natural flush of color along with a beautiful glow. 

If you want the look of lash extensions without the appointment, false lashes do the job. The Kiss Lash Couture Luxtensions are lightweight and come in several styles.

Finish with a glossy lip. The Major Volume Plumping Lip Gloss gives a fuller look with a light tingle and catches the light nicely at the table.

How to Pick Your Thanksgiving Makeup Look

Simple and soft or glittery and bold, the best Thanksgiving makeup is the one you can put on before the oven timer goes off and forget about until dessert. Pick one feature to focus on, eyes, lips, or skin, keep the rest easy, and set everything with a little powder so it lasts through dinner and the group photo. Want your nails to match? These Thanksgiving nail ideas use the same burgundy, brown, and gold tones, and you can pull the whole look together with one of these Thanksgiving outfits.