Winter Beauty Tips for the Upcoming Party Season

As we head into the winter and party season, we know our calendars will soon be filled with work do’s, drinks with friends, gift giving family occasions, shopping dates, Christmas markets, sparkly parties and little black dresses. I love it all don’t get me wrong, but it can get super stressful without thoughtful preparation in the lead up. In preparation and in the spirit of planning, I’ve compiled a list of 5 beauty tips to get you ready for the biggest social season of the year and ensure you’re looking and feeling your best. Let me know if there’s anything you try and don’t forget you’re fab with or without these tips, enjoy your time and all the relationships, love and sparkle of this period.

Get your Party Outfits Sorted Now

We all hate that feeling when a social occasion starts creeping up on us out of nowhere and we don’t have an outfit planned. We’re then frantically searching online, paying extortionate delivery charges, to buy and wear something that we only feel okay about. Well, not on my watch, this year is all about carefully crafted wardrobes that we love and serve us for the whole season. Start looking now and find a few staple pieces that you can mix and match for all occasions. For example, a pair of black jeans or wet look leggings can be a great base for the winter. Layer up with chunky knit and a fab pair of boots for lunch out and a shopping trip, add a sparkly top and heels to transform them for a night out or a blazer and crisp white shirt for an evening with colleagues. In addition, it’s always useful to have a couple of little black dresses in the locker for when you don’t have the energy to be a stylist, or an event comes up unexpectedly. Find two dresses that you love, feel amazing AND comfy in, you’ve got plenty of time if you start looking now. Get your black tights on (no tanning, shaving, prep required), LBD, sparkly earrings and you’re good to go.

Get your Winter Skincare in Check

It’s the time of year to transition your skin routine and get out your rich, thick creamy skincare ranges and with all this going out, it’s a really important time to take care of our skin. Firstly, start to go for a moisturising face wash, my favourite brand is simple, it’s a little thicker than usual cleansers so leaves your skin feeling hydrated. Next up, a good toner, I prefer one I can spray directly onto my face, or you can apply with a cotton pad. A toner is not to be skipped as it can help replenish the skin after cleansing and keeps it nice and hydrated, as well as, closing pores and protecting the skin from the environment – which is especially useful in the colder months. Next, let’s get a deeply rich, thick vitamin filled moisturiser on but still with SPF. Winter isn’t the time to turn your back on SPF products, we need these all year round to protect our skin from sun damage. Finally, don’t forget a good eye cream, nothing tells the world more that winter has caught up with you, than dry puffy eyes. So, treat them well with their own dose of the good stuff. Don’t forget an occasional face mask to keep the skin refreshed, I like a hydrating sheet mask and cucumber clay mask. These help my skin feel super refreshed and revived. If you feel like your skin in suffering, I recommend heading off to a dermatologist to get their opinion or taking the time to get a facial giving you a good base to build your new skincare routine from.

Refresh Your Look with Teeth Whitening

Our teeth have such a huge impact on our confidence and how we feel, especially over this season, with lots of photos, smiling, conversations and socialising. If you’re teeth are something you feel self-conscious about or have always wanted to undergo dentist teeth whitening, then there is plenty of time to get this done and feel great to for the upcoming season. Although there’s lots of products on the market for at home teeth whitening, I really recommend starting this journey with a dentist and then using their aftercare and take-home products to maintain results. I would highly recommend PureSmile who offer a variety of teeth whitening treatments to get your bright smile back. You have expert care from your initial consultation, to making sure your application is even on your top and bottom teeth and tailored for you individually. They also prepare you for how best to take care of your teeth after treatment to maintain results, alongside lots of great at-home products. Also, I’ll let you in on a secret, if you book online with PureSmile, you can save a huge 20% – you heard it here first!

Get Your Fake Tan Routine Underway

Who doesn’t love a golden glow during the darker, gloomier months. It is a sure-fire way to feel fantastic for all kinds of occasions. There is definitely an art to fake tan so I’m going to share some tips and tricks that I use. Before applying fake tan, there are some key preparation steps for the skin, and you can turn these into a lovely self-care pampering evening. Run a bubble bath, grab your exfoliating gloves and do a full body exfoliation. You can add in a product here such as The Sanctuary’s Sugar Scrub. Make sure to focus on areas of the body that can get dry and, therefore, the tan with cling to such as ankles, elbows, hands and knees. It’s important to shave your legs and under your arms to help with the tan application as well. After this, apply moisturiser to your ankles and heel, elbows, wrists and hands and knees. This will help with making sure these areas don’t go too dark. Wear a pair of disposable gloves (the kind you find in a hospital), I recommend these as they don’t absorb as much of the tan as a tanning mit and I find them easier to use as you get more motion. Something to cover your hands is crucial or you’ll end up with dark palms. Start with your legs and count the number of pumps you do to ensure you copy exactly for the other leg. Follow this process over your body. Finally apply a very light layer to the back of your hand and I recommend using a fluffy make up brush to support with blending. Use a baby wipe to remove excess tan from your palms and also wipe over your finger and toenails to stop them going orange. If using a dark tan, I recommend a light layer and then waiting 6 hours before showering off. If an ultra-dark tan, leave for 3 hours and wash off. When washing off, do not use any shower gel products only water as it needs around 9 hours after this to fully develop. After showering, apply a body oil (I like Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula oil and swear by it for amazing tanning results) or a thick body moisturiser. Et Voilà, a fabulous sun-kissed look for the winter months!

Transition to a Winter Make-Up Look

Winter make-up is super fun, a time to get out all of your metallic colours, sparkles and bright lippy for an extra pop. If like me, you tend to stick to the same make-up routine, this can be a time to blast away the winter blues and add some colour and energy to your look. My staples for this season include a bold lipstick, I go for either a red (Mac’s ruby woo) or a bright pink (Mac’s pink pigeon) and keep the rest of my make-up quite simple with a sleek liquid eyeliner flick and mascara to go with. You can keep your lips matte or go for a matching sparkly gloss for an easy way to switch up your look. Although, this is definitely a high maintenance look with monitoring and reapplication required throughout the night. My other winter go to (and this one is definitely low maintenace!) is making a staple of the eyes with a sparkly gold eyeshadow, a thick liquid eyeliner flick and dramatic mascara. Pair with a nude glossy lip for the perfect winter party look and you won’t need to do any touch-ups throughout the night so this is great if you’re looking for something quick and easy.

I hope this guide has sparked a bit of inspiration in you for the upcoming winter season! It can be hard adjusting to the colder, darker months so let’s get the ball rolling and onto more positive and fun times. Remember, these steps are all about feeling prepared and fabulous for the upcoming season – wishing you a great end to the year!