There’s a lot to love about Lunar New Year — from the food, family, and fun events to the ultra-vibrant decorations that come out to play on this holiday. We’re excited for all of these things and more when Lunar New Year 2023 begins on January 22nd, along with the makeup looks that will make for your most memorable celebration yet. Red eyeshadow, glitter, red and gold eyeshadow enveloping a dragon-esque design… should we go on? Yes, yes, we absolutely should, and you’ll learn all about the best celebratory lewks with our latest Urban Decay arrival, the UD x Robin Eisenberg Eyeshadow Palette.
One quad palette and endless possibilities have arrived with one of our most unique collabs yet. LNY 2023 celebrates decades of traditional Chinese New Year Makeup while also providing a fresh take on the trends to fit your personal festive vibes. High-shine sparkle, warm radiant shades, and great vibes for 2023 are all guaranteed with these lunar looks. Celebrate the new year in style with red eyeshadow, glitter, and glam beauty trends from China and beyond.
Red and gold halo eye
Red and gold are your go-to colors when creating glam Lunar New Year makeup looks, paying tribute to the sparkling lanterns in the sky during the most lit celebrations. There are a million and one ways to blend these color besties, but none quite as sparkly and celebratory as the halo eye. She’s somehow both angelic and edgy at the same time, and we’re living for it. While this modern take on Chinese makeup may look intimidating initially, don’t let the intricate design fool you. All you need is your UD x Robin Eisenberg Eyeshadow Palette and the Eyeshadow Primer Potion. Start blending, packing, and defining to, in the words of Beyoncé, let them feel your halo with your Lunar New Year makeup looks.
This eyeshadow look isn’t too complicated, we swear. After you’ve primed your eyes with our world-famous potion, begin with a matte red eyeshadow, like “He Devil” from our Naked Heat Eyeshadow Palette. Blend into the crease of your eye with a fluffy blending brush, extending from the inner to the outer corner. Next, take a deeper red eyeshadow like “Cayenne” and apply it to the upper lid area, below your brow bone, and the “He Devil” hue you’ve already used to produce perfect red contrast. This sets the stage for a glimmering gold from the LNY 2023 x Robin Eisenberg palette.
Now is the time to pack on the shimmer for one of the best Lunar New Year makeup looks, ever. Firstly, apply a decent amount of glue, adhesive, or even an extra dose of our Eyeshadow Primer Potion to help the halo effect stick all day. Finally, it’s showtime. Use a blending makeup brush to pack on the gorgeous gold from our all-new palette, putting the “Lunar” in your best Lunar New Year makeup looks. This results in a radiant red and gold eyeshadow effect that’s celebratory, celestial, and all kinds of stunning.
Dragon winged eyeliner
Dragons were an epic part of the Lunar New Year long before they were the center of a certain mega-popular HBO TV show and its 2022 spin-off series. According to publications like China Culture and World History, this fictional creature is at the center of Chinese society. It’s believed to bring strength, power, and good luck to East Asian communities, which is evident in the dragon dance and parade decor. There are ways to honor the dragon in your Lunar New Year makeup looks without the need to be overly artistic, and all it takes is a little eyeliner and red eyeshadow.
How you wish to incorporate the dragon into your makeup is your prerogative, but we definitely have ideas. Those who want to keep things simple can simply add a few spikes to their everyday winged eyeliner, utilizing the 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in mega-black Perversion. This edgy touch is reminiscent of a dragon’s wing and obvious enough to the non-makeup-obsessed bystander, but it still only requires a handful of extra eyeliner strokes. Those with a steadier hand can attempt to extend their liner into a full-fledged dragon wing, complete with spiked edges and filled in with red eyeshadow to symbolize the breathing of fire.
Red lips
Your red and gold eyeshadow needs a friend, preferably in the form of one of the most iconic beauty trends of all time. That’s right; we’re talking about red lips. It’s not just an old Hollywood essential but also highly prolific in ancient Chinese makeup, and there are plenty of ways to play up your red pout. Matte is always an option, with a bit of help from our Vice Lipstick in the shades “Bad Blood,” “714,” or “Elote.” However, sparkle is also kind of a big deal when doing your Lunar New Year Makeup looks. We’d recommend taking a page out of Urban Decay’s “sweet but still sexy” playbook and opting for a glossy lip with your glitter red eyeshadow.
As much as we’re obsessed with Vice Lipstick, you simply need to meet her totally smudge-proof and transfer-resistant little sister. Vice Lip Bond Glossy Liquid Lipstick was made for grand celebrations, delivering instant shine for up to 16 hours. Trust us; your lips will stay a glam glossy red through all the delicious Chinese food and kisses from your babe. Our favorite Vice Lip Bond picks for your most out-of-this-world lips include the shades “Unbreakable” in power red and “Raw Footage” in merlot!
Glitter red with gold inner corner shimmer
The best vibe for your Lunar New Year makeup? Fierce, festive, and ready to find glitter particles all over your pillow the next morning. This quick yet ultra-captivating seasonal makeup is a total mood, and one that you can easily create with our LNY 2023 x Robin Eisenberg Quad Eyeshadow. It combines two of the best beauty trends, red and gold eyeshadow and intense sparkles, both of which have major cultural significance in Chinese makeup. This societal prominence is only played up further by the technique, which is basically a shining and symbolic representation of the moon that Lunar New Year is all about.
How so, you ask? The gold inner shimmer (or rather, the moon) is small and not always obvious to the naked eye, often overshadowed by the metaphorical sky in the form of your glitter red eyeshadow. However, it’s still undeniably eye-catching and remains one of the most powerful aspects of the universe. They work together to create a selfie-worthy spectrum of color that celebrates the moon in all its glory, and you’ll be seriously giving with this Lunar New Year makeup that takes less than ten minutes to complete.
The concept of this lunar eye effect is simple. After priming your eyes, simply sweep your favorite red eyeshadow shade across your lid with a fluffy brush. Maybe it’s a burnt terracotta from Naked Heat Eyeshadow Palette, or perhaps the deep red speckled with gold particles from Robin’s all-new palette? It’s totally up to you. Once your red eyeshadow has been shaded along the lid and lower lashline, use your finger to dab the glittery gold hue from the LNY 2023 x Robin Eisenberg palette into your inner corners. Top off with our iconic All Nighter Setting Spray, and your eyes are good to glow through after-hours through every Lunar New Year event.
Shimmery red eyeliner
You don’t need to spend forever in front of your vanity to show your love for Lunar New Year makeup looks. In fact, a simple red eyeliner is all you need to prepare for a Lunar feast, family event, or flawless parade or carnival in celebration of new beginnings. If you’ve already hit pan on your red eyeshadow shades from the UD x Robin Eisenberg Eyeshadow Palette, whip out your trusty Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner instead. The shade, “Stonewall,” checks off all the boxes for the best eye looks. It’s bright, beautiful, and the beginning of your obsession with glitter red makeup, which you finally realize isn’t as intimidating as it seems!
We’re always fond of a classic colored winged eyeliner, equal parts “total rockstar” and “ready to celebrate all that Chinese culture has to offer.” However, how you choose to rock this shimmery red hue is entirely on you. Deep red makeup like the Stonewall shade is known to increase the intensity in brown and hazel eyes, especially when paired with a bit of espresso eyeshadow to smoke things up. You can also use it to outline easy designs along your eye areas, such as tiny crosses in the shapes of stars and a tiny moon to represent Lunar New Year makeup at its finest. The options are endless with only a singular product, and we can’t wait to see your glitter red makeup creations.
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