The Christmas party season is well and truly upon us and this time of year always requires high levels of glamour (and quite rightly so). Whether you have the whole day to experiment or are looking for desk to dancefloor inspiration, we’re here to get you into the party spirit with a selection of our top party worthy favourites to see you through the party season in style. Go on, whack on that Christmas party music and get beautifying!
PREP & PRIME
Prepping your skin before a night out or big event is vital if you’re wanting your makeup look to slay all night. There’s little point in going hard out on the makeup if your skincare routine is lacking – you may indeed be ready for a night of partying and celebration, but is your face? As a last step before makeup application, we swear by the Maskeraide Pre-Party Prep mask for creating a perfect canvas for foundation application. The silky, lightweight blend of natural argan oil, orange peel oil, super fruit extracts, rice extract and honey works to energize, hydrate, brighten and prime your skin for a flawless finish.
What comes after prep? Prime, of course. Look no further than the number one brand for primer, Laura Mercier. This lightweight gel primer offers a subtle pearl tint, which provides skin with a soft-focus finish and minimises the look of imperfections (AKA #nofilter). Enriched with vitamins A, C and E, Radiance Primer also protects skin from harmful environmental effects. Apply prior to your foundation to keep makeup looking fresh and colour-true throughout your party (even when you’re breaking a sweat on the dancefloor!) Add it to your box!
We think it’s safe to assume that none of us want to go to a party without perfecting our skin first. Right? Party season can take its toll on our skin, and in our case, those pesky eye bags especially. This Ellis Faas Concealer is all you need to disguise any evidence of those many late nights and works as your very own real-life retoucher that will perk up tired eyes, conceal dark circles and hide imperfections. Not only does this work wonders at covering all skin concerns, vitamins E and C in the formula hydrate and have anti-ageing and regenerating properties. Furthermore, the built-in brush applicator ensures precise and comfortable application, allowing you to conceal like a pro!
TWINKLE EYES
Since the eyes are the so-called windows to the soul, eyeshadow is going to be your wing woman when enhancing your eyes is concerned. Ladies, you can go subtle in the daytime, but our motto for evening shenanigans? Go hard or go home (a bit like our attitude towards the cocktail menu, actually…) Although mini, these eyeshadow shades by Sleek MakeUP are rather mighty and each of the 12 shades is flattering and pigmented enough to suit all skin tones for all occasions.
Once you’ve got your eyeshadow blend mastered and added lashings of mascara (we LOVE the Maybelline False Lash Epic), how about adding a little glitter? Is it really a party if it doesn’t include glitter? We think not. Roll us in glitter and call us a unicorn because we’ve discovered Glitterlution Bio-Glitter, the original biodegradable, sustainable, vegan and cruelty-free glitter. Perfect for the more conscientious party animal, the superfly unicorn blend will knock your horn off. Go on, leave a little sparkle wherever you go!
Finish off the look with false lashes for extra va-va-voom! For a sexier and highly volumised look, we’re big fans of the Ardell Mega Volume Lashes. The tapered tips of these lashes have a daring C-curve for maximum drama, providing lavishly long lashes that extend in multiple lengths, tripling the layered fibres that stack and stagger for the fullest lash volume without excess weight. The feather light lash fibres and flexible band make Ardell Mega Volume lashes the fastest and easiest way to add curl and inches to your lash line.
SANTA CLAWS
Party season is, quite frankly, about pulling out all the stops to take your usual glam up a notch, or five. If transforming your nails into something exceptionally festive isn’t on the top of your Christmas party to do list, it should be! Every woman deserves to be treated like a goddess and every goddess deserves a manicure blessed by the Gods. If you haven’t got time to squeeze in a last minute nail appointment, don’t fret, you can get those claws in check with this gorgeous shade by LOLA. Copper is the colour of the season and thankfully, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. This versatile shade brings all of the glamour in the form of an intense high gloss finish.
BIGGER LIPS AHEAD
Amp up your pout without resorting to the needle with CODE Beautiful’s Lip Intense Plumper, the perfect accompaniment to your party pout. Providing a long-term boosting effect for a fuller, more defined pucker, this lip plump can be used as a treatment on its own, or underneath your fave lipstick or gloss. The best thing? This enhances your lip shape without having to resort to drastic filler injections or having to place your pout into a suction cup (why is that even a thing?) The magic ingredient in CODE Lip is hilurlip, containing a blend of lip treats such as hyaluronic acid, tripeptide-1, and dimethicone. This exclusive combination helps to redefine the natural contours of the lips and create a more youthful, sculpted look. How about trying it for yourself this month?
Now it’s time to flaunt your nudes. No, not those nudes. Looking for an alternative to those popular nude lip kits from that socialite? All hail Birthday Suit by Sleek MakeUP, a classic wearable nude with a light as air texture to provide you with comfortable wear for hours (yay!) Unlike other matte lip creams, this doesn’t cake, flake or dry out – hello long-lasting colour and a kissable pout!
PASS ON THE PARTY FEVER
Want to gift the party without the hangover this party season? Now you can with our latest collaboration with Cosmopolitan magazine – let us introduce you to the Cosmopolitan Party Edit. This box provides everything you could desire to get ready, beauty wise. For just £25 (£20 for subs with LIBCOSMO2), this box includes £121 of big night out prepping products, picked by Cosmo’s beauty director Ingeborg van Lotringen. Go forth and look fabulous…
