The season arrives with its particular rhythm: candlelit dinners, company gatherings, late-night toasts with people you love. Your hair and makeup deserve the same thoughtfulness you bring to everything else. Below, three looks — one for each register of the holiday calendar — built around Aveda’s plant-derived formulas and a few techniques worth knowing.
The Formal Evening: Retro Waves and a Red Lip
A black-tie invitation calls for something that reads as considered rather than effortful. Retro waves — voluminous, glossy, unhurried — have that quality. They pair naturally with formalwear of any silhouette: a column gown, something draped, or sharp suiting.
The Waves
Work in sections on second-day hair for better hold. Aveda’s Brilliant line offers the kind of light-reflecting finish that keeps waves looking luminous rather than lacquered. Allow the curls to cool completely before releasing them, then separate gently with fingers rather than a brush.
The Red Lip
Aveda’s approach to a bold lip follows a four-step method from Global Artistic Director of Makeup Janelle Geason: treat, prime, line, color. The sequence matters — it keeps color true and wear long. A cherry red with matte finish reads well against formal fabrics and works across a wide range of complexions. For those who prefer a bit more dimension, layering a shimmery gloss over the matte base adds depth without sacrificing the look’s integrity.
The Cocktail Party: Classic Updo and Smoky Eyes
Whether it is a gathering in Hannibal Square, a company celebration, or drinks with friends near Rollins College, a cocktail-party look benefits from contrast — something polished above, something dramatic at the eyes.
The Updo
Second-day curls are the foundation here. Apply Aveda’s Shampure Dry Shampoo at the roots for volume and texture — it absorbs oil while leaving hair with a clean, natural finish that carries the faint botanical scent the line is known for. Tease the roots lightly, gather into a low ponytail, then twist sections in opposing directions before pinning. The result is structured but not stiff — the kind of updo that holds through an evening of conversation and looks better as the night goes on.
The Smoky Eye
The smoky eye is reliable for a reason. Using Aveda’s eye definer pencil in Black Orchid, work from the lash line to the crease, then blend with a medium brush. Apply the same pencil along the lower lash line and set with an eye color trio in a deep, complementary shade. The finish is dimensional without requiring significant technique — the blending does most of the work.
The Casual Gathering: A Braid and Considered Brows
The friends-only holiday party — the one that happens in someone’s living room, involves a sweater with questionable graphics, and runs later than anyone planned — still deserves intention. A braid and well-groomed brows are the right register: festive, relaxed, and genuinely flattering.
The Braid
Aveda’s texture and volume products give fine or slippery hair something to grip, which makes braids hold longer and look fuller. A matte finishing product worked through the braid keeps it from reading as overdone. The style is cozy in the way that good things in Winter Park often are — unhurried, a little warm, entirely itself.
The Brows
Brow philosophy has shifted — away from precision-drawn arches and toward something that honors the natural shape. Aveda’s Brow Definers include a built-in spoolie: brush upward first for fullness, then fill only where necessary with the pencil side. Four smudge-proof shades cover most natural tones. The goal is not perfection but presence — brows that look like yours, on a good day.
The Aveda products referenced throughout — Shampure Dry Shampoo, Brilliant, Brow Definers, and the full makeup range — are available at Mint on the Avenue. Our team is glad to walk you through any of these looks or suggest alternatives suited to your hair type and coloring.
Find us at 228 N Park Avenue in Winter Park, or call 407.645.2264 to speak with someone before the season gets away from you.