Prepare To Party

There’s no denying that the festive season is well and truly upon us, and for most of us, that means a dizzying round of parties and, if you’re lucky, a few snogs under the mistletoe. So, unless you want to spend the festive period watching reruns of Oliver! over the sound of your uncle’s snoring, it’s worth doing some homework. That’s why this week we’re going to do our best to ensure you’re fully prepared with an arsenal of the best products around. Party poppers at the ready girls!

First of all, preparation is everything, so before shimmying off to your next party, wash away those winter blues with an uplifting shower gel. Hip beauty brand Anatomical’s Are You Looking To Get Picked Up? shower gel here for £2.49 has a great peppermint smell and is guaranteed to put you in the mood for a night on the town.

Now for the moisturising. We all love that rosy-cheeked look but for those with dry skin, winter can spell dermatological disaster. Slathering on a rich facial moisturiser such as Pond’s Dry Skin Cream will keep your skin snowflake-soft, but remember, just because our legs haven’t seen sunlight for a gazillion light-years doesn’t mean they should be neglected - keep those pins silky smooth with Champney’s Skin Comforting Body Butter for £9.00 here. After devouring my first tub, this ultra-nourishing moisturiser is already on my Christmas list. (What, you’d think I’d cough up myself?).

With an endless round of parties to attend, maintaining that wide-awake look without a dozen matchsticks can be quite a feat. They say eyes are the windows to the soul and thanks to Boots No.7, you can now open those windows even wider! Their new Lift and Curve Mascara for £9.79, here Boots.com gives you thick, luscious lashes while creating a look most girls could only achieve with falsies. For a more dramatic look, Bourjois Liner Effect Mascara £8.32, here from asos.com, enhances the eye shape by coating every lash from the very root.

For those hoping to get lucky under the mistletoe, Touch of Cosmetic’s Touch of Lip is a glossy lip plumper that smells amazing and can be used alone or with lipstick. So, there you go! Pucker up - just make sure you don’t end up snogging Kevin from accounts in an alcohol fuelled bout of festive goodwill….

When I was young, my mother always told me that if I misbehaved, Santa would bring me a lump of coal. Going to bed without removing your make-up should, in my opinion, result in the same punishment. For the girl on the go, a cleanser which effortlessly removes all traces of grime and makeup at the end of the night is a must.

REN’s Mayblossom and Blue Cypress Facial Wash, £16.50 here, does just that. Contained in a handy pump bottle - perfect for hungover peeps whose coordination might be still affected from the night before – this product leaves skin squeaky clean and works wonders on over sized pores. Best of all, REN products are all dermatologically tested and sulphate-free so you can rest assured that the only nasties are the ones going down the plughole. My only complaint is the packaging. I noticed that despite its size, the REN bottle actually contains a meagre 150ml of liquid. Upon further inspection, I noticed the product is actually contained within what appears to be a smaller plastic bag inside the container, which seems quite strange for a brand which markets itself as being environmentally friendly.

Now for the dreaded morning after. With all that mulled wine it’s essential to keep a good hangover remedy to hand. Anatomicals have created another wonder product that no medicine cabinet should be without. The Bender Mender herbal remedy, £3.50 for six sachets here, is a lemon favoured hangover cure that can be taken before bed as well as the morning after. Genius! I recently tested this product at a company work do, and, after drinking copious amounts of champagne (all in the name of research, obviously) I awoke feeling surprisingly hangover free.

Personally, I love nothing more than a long hot bath the morning after a night out and Marks and Spencer’s Fruity Beauty range (www.marksandspencer.com) is perfect for just that. Their bath bombs are some of the best around while their Bath Caviar smells fabulous and come in a range of dayglo colours that look great in any bathroom. For the traditionalists, Sainsbury's Active: Naturals Pomegranate & Fig Bath Essence for £2.49 here is packed with antioxidants and is without doubt the best smelling bath essence I’ve come across.

Lux Bath products are also worth checking out - I particularly loved the Heavenly Milk Indulging Cream Bath and, if you’ve recovered enough to stomach the reference to alcohol, their Wine & Roses bath and shower products take some beating - get yours for £1.42 from Tesco here.

So there you go. Hopefully we’ve gone some way to helping you prepare for the party season, and with a bit of luck, the only nightmare before Christmas you’ll be experiencing is the one you’ll watch on TV. Again.