Your Thanksgiving Beauty Regime

Welcome to Thanksgiving—a holiday much loved for over eating, catching up with family you haven’t seen all year, and for some, travelling around. Whilst some of you will be spending it in the comfort of your own homes, others will set off on road trips to visit family, or even squeezing in a mini break just for a holiday.

In anticipation of the long weekend, you may have already mapped out your sartorial Turkey Day style in advance—but what about the beauty side of it? After all, it’s going to be a busy day regardless of your plans, and especially if you’re the hostess without a festive face?

thanksgiving table

To make sure you’ve got your Thanksgiving face all planned out, we’ve put together some of our best tips which skip on dressing the table, but rather on dressing your face:

If you: plan on doing nothing

Congratulations, you treat this holiday like a real, well-deserved rest day regular day off—with no need to make small talk with long-lost family. Instead, you can sprawl out on the couch, relax in a bathrobe, and just look after yourself in general—as well as your skin. If this is your current set up, you may as well make the most of this ‘down time’ and go bare-faced, treating your day off with friends and family as a secret spa moment.

You want to be using this opportunity to nourish and hydrate your skin, so start by giving your eyes a brightening treatment with an intense eye cream. We love the Erno Laszlo Phormula 3-9 Eye Repair which revitalizes, tackles wrinkles, and gives that wide-awake look.Then, use something really rich on the lips which conditions as well as adds pigment. And for the lashes, just a hint of natural color and slight lengthening.

After the Thanksgiving meal, pamper yourself a little more with a overnight face mask to help brighten and rejuvenate whilst you sleep. If you’ve got the time, you may as well use it wisely!

If you: play the hostess

If you’re the one playing the hostess with the most-ess this Thanksgiving, then you’re going to be the center of attention. We don’t mean to freak you out, but it’s pretty much a given. Be realistic with your beauty, hair and make-up approaches. It’s possible you’ll be sweating over a hot oven and rushing around all the guests for the majority of the day (and evening), so avoid any heavy make-up. The worst look is that of melted make-up, or dark liner sliding down your face.

Instead, play it safe and prep your skin efficiently beforehand. Apply a smoothing, long-lasting primer as your base, with a light application of long-wear foundation over the top. We love Pur’s 4-in-1 Foundation, which as well as being kind to the skin, is a lightweight complexion perfecter packed with brightening properties and longevity. Draw attention to your eyes with super groomed brows too, and don’t forget everyone will notice your hands!

Keep your hands silky soft for all those hand shakes, your nails pretty for passing the drinks, and a pop of subtle lip color to flash that warming smile.

If you: travel stateside for family

For those of you setting out on long car journeys to visit far away family, think about some refreshing, awakening beauty hacks to boost your beauty whilst you travel. Keep your skin make-up free whilst on the road, and slather your skin with an ultra nourishing, hydrating day cream. When you arrive at your host’s location – or your holiday destination, where ever that may be – apply a light coverage of BB cream, set with powder, and a flush of blush to your cheeks (Jane Iredale’s Cotton Candy Blush is our fave!)

It’s all about utilizing the travelling time to give your tired skin a boost, refreshing your face for when you arrive. And don’t forget to keep Kerstin Florians Rejuventating Rose Mist to hand – it’s the ultimate pick-me-up for both your skin and mind, rated by many beauty experts out there!

If you: head off to meet the parents

Feeling the panic around spending Thanksgiving with your significant other’s parents? Fortunately, help is at hand. The makeup look you should strive for is polished, joyous, and bright – especially if you are meeting them for the first time. Ditch the heavy try-hard look and opt for a tinted primer, like Sunday Riley’s Effortless Breathable Tinter Primer in lieu of foundation. Apply that with a beauty blender to make sure it is really sheer, and you have no tell-tale make-up lines.

As for the eyes, add a little definition. Give a touch of color to your lids by applying a warming but neutral eyeshadow shade, such as RMS Beauty Swift Eyeshadow in Sunset Beach. You can also add it to your bottom lash line and blend in for a slightly smoldering finish. Here’s a key tip that you should follow: Don’t overdo it. You aren’t going to a club. Just keep thinking of the occasion as natural and cozy and romantic, if you need a reference!