Your Beauty Forecast, December 2016

You can't rush love — and you can't fake it either. This month, the expressive sun and serious Saturn ride together through Sagittarius — the zodiac's most candid sign. The time has come to bare your soul and tell the ones you adore how you truly feel. But don't just down a shot of truth serum and unleash all. With Saturn in the picture, a clear plan is crucial. Forget about asking questions like, "Are you into me?" or "Where do you see the two of us heading together?" Instead, take time to clarify your ideal vision of love, whether it looks like a white-picket-fence fantasy or a friends-with-benefits situation. Once you have a solid picture in your head, set up time for a heart-to-heart. Introduce the idea with confidence, like, "Hey, I'd love to go away for a long holiday weekend together. Would you be into that?" In other words, stargazers, take the lead in love — with a little bit of swagger and a dose of common sense.

It’s finally here: the one time of year that you can wear your brightest, boldest, and sparkliest beauty looks. Because, let’s be real, you’ll need a fresh and festive look for every holiday party and romantic rendezvous.

You’ll be blushing all month long as suitors vie for your attention, so embrace the look with this statement cheek. Yes, statement cheeks are a thing. After applying your foundation, sweep a long-wear cream shadow in a neutral shade over your lids. Next, use a twist-up stick blush to draw a C-shape around your temples and across your cheeks. Use a dense, short-bristled brush to blend and buff the color into a soft, rosy glow. Finish with a nude lip, and forget playing coy.

Our holiday-party M.O. is always the same. We spend so much time figuring out what the hell we’re going to wear that our makeup becomes an afterthought. It’s time to put an end to this beauty travesty (i.e. budget in an extra 10 minutes). Watch the video above for a quick and easy party look that’ll make you feel pulled together in a flash.

Holiday cheer doesn’t always have to be light and bright. To get this vampy look, start by applying your favorite foundation and filling in your brows. Next, softly contour your eyes with a neutral shadow. Brush on a few healthy coats of a volumizing and lengthening mascara to both your top and bottom lashes. Now it’s time for a deep, burgundy-red lip in a matte finish. Swipe on one coat, blot, and apply a second coat for the most payoff. The dark side looks good on you.

This month’s heart-to-hearts are going to require some confidence — swagger, if you will. And so does this beauty look: Sparkle and shine are not for the meek. Once your foundation is good to go, define your brows with a pencil. Give them a natural, fluffy texture by brushing hairs up and out with a spoolie brush. Next, dip a shadow brush into a gunmetal-gray cream shadow. Sketch an outline of the shape by imagining you’re creating a cat-eye that takes up your whole eyelid. Once you’re happy with your wings, fill in the lids completely. Use your index finger to tap a bit of blue glitter over your shadow (because, why not?). Apply mascara, and finish with a tinted lip balm.