‘ Tis the season to be glamorous by Helen Taylor
It’ s that time of year again; the annual office get-together, catching up with the girls and accepting more invites to nights out than you could ever possibly attend.
Christmas is great, but all that socialising can become stressful and a packed diary means less time to prepare for those all important dates. So, what you really need is an easy, effective and wellplanned beauty routine that’ ll save you hours of time spent getting ready, yet still guarantee you’ ll look gorgeous.
Being transformed from dingy to dazzling doesn’ t have to take long, but preparation is certainly essential.
Book hair appointments well in advance because it’ s the busiest time of year for stylists and a marvellous mane is a musthave accessory. As great as it is to try out a new look, be cautious around the holiday season as hair disasters are sure to kill party spirit. Instead, stick to a look that you know suits you and that is easy to manage and leave the re-styles until the new year.
Cold winter days, centrally heated rooms and the usual bouts of seasonal flu can play havoc with your skin, leaving it dull, dry and lifeless. So it’ s a good time to take notice of your skin type and invest in a routine that will leave it glowing.
Dry, sensitive types suffer more in the winter and need to be regularly moisturised. Apply a day cream in the morning and a heavier night cream in the evening to keep moisture levels topped up.
Oily skin shouldn’ t be neglected, it too needs moisturising. A light product works best, and should be used twice daily.
Combination skin must be managed using a specially formulated range, in order to balance the dry and oily sections of the face.
Don’ t forget the delicate eye area, use an eye cream daily to avoid wrinkles.
With hair styled and skin prepped, its time to find your perfect party make-up look.
It’ s a really good idea to take advantage of the free makeovers offered by most of the top beauty brands at your local department store. Having a specialist consultant offer their expertise when it comes to the way you apply your make-up can result in a great new look for you, after all, it’ s so easy to become stuck in a make-up rut. And the best thing is, you get to try out the products before you buy.
Take notice of professional application tips and invest in the right tools- quality make-up brushes leave a great finish. Establishing what you want from your cosmetics means that you can find the right ones for you. Long lasting foundations, lengthening mascaras and vibrant lipsticks work wonders for evening, and are sure to keep you looking great well into the small hours.
And finally, get your nails looking as polished as you are. Repair breakage and reinforce damage to the nail surface with a strengthening treatment. File and shape before applying nail varnish.
With everything now in place to make you look fabulous, all that’ s left to do is enjoy every minute of the party season.
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