Festive beauty: from glitter roots to red wine lips, these are the freshest ways to prep for your Christmas party
1. Get a tuck
Still not booked in your blow-dry ahead of the office Christmas party? Don’t bother. Why waste precious free-bar time when you could adopt the lazy girl’s hairstyle of choice - the tuck.
A by-product of the capital’s infatuation with cocktail roll-necks, the tuck involves little more effort than leaving your mane tucked into your top. If you find yourself sans roll-neck, this style also looks ace paired with a trophy jacket or, in the case of Henry Holland’s current catwalk offering, a silk scarf.
Key to this look - aside from the need to have hair shoulder-length or longer - is that you leave your locks alone. Too much meddling and you’ll find yourself with no other option than to take your jumper off and start again.
2. Embrace red wine lips
When seeking out a fail-safe lipstick this season, look beyond red and nude in favour of a deep, almost-black crimson.
No, I haven’t gone crackers - when chosen well, a rich, boozy hue can be surprisingly flattering to all ages and skin tones. Look for a shade that balances a hint of warmth with a cool undertone.
Tom Ford’s ultra-pigmented Black Dahlia lipstick (£38, tomford.com) is a cult classic. Ensure you keep the rest of the face clean to make a maximum statement.
3. Join the glitterati
Much like the wearing of novelty jumpers and excessive prosecco consumption, Christmas is a time to indulge your silliest side. For beauty, that equates to throwing some glitter at the situation.
For gilded eyes, try Stila’s Magnificent Metals Foil Finish Eye Shadow (£33.50, stila.co.uk). Available in 12 metallic shades, from antique gold to bright titanium, each comes with a vial of liquid primer to prevent the shimmer from sliding around your face. Dab a little for a sheer wash, or a lot for serious sparkle.
If you’re attempting to add some razzle-dazzle to your look at your desk, Urban Decay’s Heavy Metal Eyeliner (£14, urbandecay.co.uk) is a less fiddly way to make a statement.
Make like the models in Dries Van Noten’s latest catwalk show with a line of its navy Spandex shade on top lash, or try the iridescent Distortion for an alternative to gold and silver.
Add a coat of Deborah Lippmann’s Can’t Be Tamed polish to nails (£18, selfridges.com) - the honey-gold glitter is designed to complement all skin tones and is sophisticated enough for desk to dancefloor.
Over on Instagram, #glitterroots are brightening up feeds everywhere. Festoon your parting with Stargazer’s Glitter Spray or hand over your hairline to the professionals - the T-Bar Root menu at Hari’s West London salons includes the option to jazz up your ’do with lashings of glitter applied over gel. (From £20, harissalons.com)
4. Come on, strobe
If you haven’t heard of strobing yet, chances are you will have noticed that several of your colleagues are suddenly looking more luminous than usual.
This is down to the latest development in contouring, which uses cleverly placed beams of highlighter to sculpt the face. It’s also (thankfully) a lot simpler than its predecessor.
MAC’s aptly named Strobe Cream (£24.50, maccosmetics.co.uk) is one of the best tools on the market for this, while the beauty gurus at Harvey Nichols suggest applying a wash of Giorgio Armani’s Highlighting Palette (£60, harveynichols.com) to cheekbones and down the centre of your face to give a fresh-faced, dewy glow.
No one need know you’ve only had three hours’ sleep.
5. Get ready for your close-up
‘Tis the season for selflessness - and selfies. Ensure your complexion is always #nofilter ready with the latest crop of high-definition beauty bases.
Technologically savvy brand NIOD is a good place to start - its Photography Fluid (£20, niod.com) is specifically designed to create a complexion that looks as radiant through a camera lens as it does in real life thanks to a wide array of “light- refracting prisms and topical photo-finishing technologies”.
La Roche-Posay’s new Effaclar BB Blur (£11, laroche-posay.co.uk) also works to absorb excess oil and sweat - handy if you find yourself on the dancefloor surrounded by 100 of your colleagues (and their iPhones) - while Rodial’s Instaglam range offers an Airbrush Primer (£34, rodial.co.uk) and HD Powder (£52), which work together to smooth imperfections better than the Lark filter can.
6. Go for a smoke
A sultry, smoky eye is the ultimate party look. But this festive season, try going beyond the basics to make an impression.
Navy, deep purple and forest green are flattering alternatives to black. Kate Moss’s make-up artist, Charlotte Tilbury, knows a thing or two about how to create a supermodel-worthy smoulder - her Eyes to Mesmerise kits (from £38, charlottetilbury.com) come in an array of flattering, eye-colour-matched shades, while her website offers detailed how-to guides to see you from desk to dusk.
For an even bolder smudge, seek out Topshop’s purpose-built Smoke Sticks (£6.50, topshop.com).
Choose between four pigment-rich shades: navy, emerald, gold and silver. Note, black is not an option.
ArticleFrom glitter roots to red wine lips, here's the best of festive beautyChristmas 2015Deborah LippmannDries Van NotenKate MossCharlotte TilburyHenry HollandGiorgio ArmaniTom FordChristmas is a time to indulge your silliest side, so here's how to do festive beauty
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