The party season is on its way, which means drinks, dancing and, of course, an excellent excuse to buy that dress you’ve been eyeing up. So dust offff those sparkly towering heels and be bold when it comes to your make-up palette…
Make an entrance
It’s the perfect time of year to go all out when it comes to your make-up, so if you’ve got a party lined up, why not opt for a standout lip colour? We adore the Be Legendary Lip Lacquer from Smashbox (£19, Boots). Available in a huge range of shades, it contains Vitamin E as well as glossy staining pigments so your colour is vibrant and long-lasting. For a super-sassy pop of pink, Sleek’s True Colour Lipstick in Fuchsia (£4.99, Superdrug) is amazing, and for those who like a palette, try Sleek’s in Show Girl (£8.99, Superdrug). For a softer look on the lips, Arbonne’s Lip Polish in Posh offers a sweet slick of colour (£18), and for dramatic eyes, Mary Kay’s Ultimate Mascara does what it says on the tin and offers a full flutter (£14, www. marykay.co.uk). Finish with a quick brush of BeautyUK’s shimmer box (£4.99, www.beautyukcosmetics.com).
All that glitters
For an all-night party glow, don’t forget your bronzer. Summer may be over but a light dust of the gold good stuff will see you dazzling all night long. TanOrganic Duo Bronzer (£29.99, www.feelunique.com) has two shades for contouring cheeks and décolletage. And for added glam, add a sprinkle of Lustre Gold Body Powder (£10.25) and a slick of Fantasy Gold Eyeliner (£14.50) both from Lush. To really open up those peepers try Baked Eye Trio in Neapolitan from Mary Kay (£8, www.marykay.co.uk) for a subtle shimmer, or start with the marykayatplay Eye Crayon (£7.50) as a crème base for a bolder look. Finish off your look with some statement nails. We love these stick-on nails from Impress (from £5.99, Superdrug) or these blinged-up Gel Fantasy talons from KISS (£8.99, Asda). If you’re partying with your friends, chances are you’ll be using your mobile to snap pics and stay in touch – and for you we found this genius charging pouch, which combines a cute make-up bag with an internal phone charger! (£63, www.wowthem.com)
Perfectly polished
Before you become a dancing queen, make sure you’re squeaky clean. Venus and Olay have joined forces to offer you silky smooth pins with their new razor (£10.99, Boots); once you’re hair-free, use a little Perfectly Pure Coconut Oil (£15.49, Holland & Barrett) for soft pins. Another natural product we love is Vitamin E oil, a favourite with Kourtney Kardashian, who apparently massages a small amount on to her eye area and lashes at night (£5.73, Holland & Barrett). We’ve recently discovered Revlon’s Professional Style Masters Volume Amplifier Mousse (£10.75, www. revlonprofessional.com) and the Volume Shampoo and Conditioner (£14.95 each) for maximum body and volume, with a soft bounce. But before you style your locks, it’s important to protect them from the heat, OGX’s Brazilian Keratin Smooth Flat Iron Spray (£6.99, Superdrug) and Biotin & Collagen Root Boost Spray (£6.99, Boots) both provide extra strength to hair, as well as smelling incredible. Or for more va-va-voom, try Bumble and Bumble’s surf range, including the Foam Wash Shampoo (£18.50), Creme Rinse Conditioner (£20.50) and the Surf Spray (£21.50), all John Lewis, for crazy good, messed-up hair.
The morning after…
Feeling a little groggy from the night before probably means you had a great time – but heavy nights can wreak havoc on your skin. Give it a little treat with Dr LeWinn’s Instant Beauty Radiance Booster (£26, www.drlewinns.co.uk) which promises to instantly give your complexion an eight-hour-sleep-and-eight-glasses-of- water glow – hello hydration! To relieve tired puffy eyes, try Janjira Pomegranate & Acai Eye Cream (£36, www.janjira.co.uk), an anti- ageing eye cream with turmeric extract and caffeine. And for those wanting a little Hollywood glamour, Glamglow Brightmud’s eye treatments with their secret bioactive formula aim to transform bleary eyes in just three minutes; keep them in the fridge for cooling relief (£39.99, www.feelunique.com).
We contacted Helen Ambrosen, Lush co- founder and product inventor to discover her top tips for surviving the party season. “Hopefully if you’ve been very good you will have taken off your make-up the night before. The morning after your party, be sure to give your skin a gentle, but thorough cleanse. After a late night you need to be a little bit more gentle, so I would avoid any exfoliating products. “Use a cleanser to take away any traces of make-up; once this has been removed you will be ready to tone. Take one of our lovely toner tabs and dissolve in a sink with warm water, then lean over the sink and breathe in all the beautiful essential oils and rinse your face thoroughly. This will be a lovely pick-me-up for the skin. Our Dream Steam toner tab (£2.50, Lush) is very calming and the essential oils are very effective for clearing a fuzzy head.”
