Health & Beauty
Originally published on Friday, 12th December 2008
Office-to-party glam made easy
So, the party season is upon us. Weeks of crashing any shindig with the slightest whiff of free bubbly and the future promise of mince pie-shaped handles to love. But before you start hurling yourself at the office cutie, make sure you’ve done the groundwork... on yourself, that is.
For all ye planners out there…
If you’ve got a bit of cash left to splash, get your skin nursed back to health before you abuse it again with sugary booze and sleep avoidance. The Como Shambhala Purify Holistic Facial at The Metropolitan is 75 minutes of therapeutic bliss and relatively affordable at £80. Herbal detoxification, purification, exfoliation and stimulation guaranteed. Just make sure you book this several days before the parties kick off… as healthy (but still hideous) breakouts may occur.
The Dove Spa Party Perfection (£45) is a 1 and a half hour body, hand and foot treatment. The package is designed to help you glow, leaving you feeling pampered and perfectly bronzed. It includes a mani, pedi and spray tan. Cheap as chips and good quality. can't beat it with a stick. The Party Perfection treatment package is available at Dove Spa and Dove Spa Re-aqua Salons. A full list of salons is available on Dove.co.uk. 
Or, save some cash and take heed from CB’s facialist with the “Midas Touch”, Emma Hardie, who says: "Brighten your complexion and give it vitality and tone with some simple finger massages around the eyes and cheeks. Makes for a great tension-buster too. Also, pinch your cheek muscles back into shape by working your thumb and fingers either side of the bone from the nose outwards. Pinch and hold, pinch and hold for 3 seconds at a time… Not firm yet? Then do it again!"
For the lesser last-minuters…
Still feeling more frightful ghost than festive glam? Fret not, our fair city is chokka block full of make up artists and hairstylists just waiting to give you a quick going over.
Good hair days
CB hair & make up expert Mathew Alexander recommends squeezing in a quick appointment for a “comb out”, when hair is clean and just needs some styling. “Tonguing is a good option,” he says. (Sadly this does not involve locking lips with a hot male). “As is a hair-up do. Or just have a stylist go over your blow dry to give it a professional finish.”
Tatler’s fave salon, Eleven , at 11 Blenheim St (just off New Bond St) is offering ‘The Winter Up-do Menu’, a fab choice of up-dos from simple twists to more elaborate pinned affairs, from hair-up ‘guru’ Russell Stevens. Appointments include a glass of vino and take just 30 to 60 mins. To speed things up even more, email a headshot to the salon beforehand and your stylist will plan a suitable ‘do’ for you ahead of time!
Eleven is open Mon to Fri 10am to 8pm, Sat 10am to 6pm. Call 020 7491 2390 for details.
Make up & make out
The team at Mathew Alexander Bespoke Hair & Make-up (just round the corner) will gladly paint your face as well. But if time is doesn’t allow, follow Mathew’s tips and have a go yourself:
“Take care of excess oil first as this will make a second application of make up tricky to pull off.” (Alison Raffaele Blotting Tissues, £7.20 are just the ticket.) He also swears by a light dusting of mineral make up powder. Alison Raffaele Transparent Finish To-Go , £34, is perfect – a talc-free powder and brush combo in one handy portable stick. Adding a smidgeon of BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector, £32.00, beforehand will iron out a multitude of skin sins, too.
“A little extra drama on the eyes is always good, be it a darker shade of the eyeshadow applied earlier that day or a contrasting kohl pencil. But avoid applying another coat of mascara as it will clog on the previous one and look messy.”
Also avoid making a spectacle of eyes AND lips, says CB’s fellow makeup artist Daniel Sandler. It’s an either/or situation, folks.
He says: “If you want eyes to stand out then pop some coloured glitter eyeliner on the root of the upper lash-line. Blue eyes suit gold glitter liner, brown eyes suit silver and green eyes suit purple. Keep the line nice and thin so it looks subtle.” The Bobbi Brown Lip & Eye Palette, £40, has some luscious metallic eye shadows that would compliment the liners very well, too.
“And, for a really dramatic eye, stick some half strip false lashes to the outer edges of your upper lash-line,” says Daniel. (Not only will your eyes look amazing but carrying all that extra lash weight is bound to burn off a few extra calories, right? Ergo, a fifth mince pie is no longer shameful.)
If luscious lips are your WMD, give them sophistication with a rich coloured lipstick a les Jaggettes, Elizabeth and Georgia May. Try Ballet Russe by 3 Custom Color, £14, for an unforgettably dirty red. Or if that won’t work with your skin tones, try one of the creamy pinks in the BB Lip & Eye palette for a subtler statement.
Finally, frost your cheeks with a subtle shimmer, says Daniel. Gold on warm complexions, and silver on fairer tones. The Daniel Sandler Limited Edition Watercolours in Gold Rush and Moon Goth, £11 each, (at Harrods) are perfect.
Right, that’s it. You’re good to go. Just don’t forget to take all the makeup off before you bed down after the fabulous partay. Unless of course you do manage to bag the cutie, in which case best not to frighten him off with too much naturalness, eh?