Desk to Dance Floor

It's the most wonderful time of the year... no, not just Christmas but Christmas party time!
YAY!
But as well as the opportunity to get ratted and embarrass yourself in front of all your colleagues, Christmas party time also presents a major desk to dance floor beauty dilemma. Sometimes it's just not possible to do a new full face of slap. My office party (sigh) has moved from a really rather fab Soho club in 2007 to our reception in 2008. This is not only massively disappointing but also a major slap issue. You can't get 500 girls in the toilets tarting up at once (no matter what Boots might want you to believe) so you're left with the option of adding to what you've got.

I am going to TRY and keep it simple.
Ahem.

First things first, freshen up your base. Taking off your foundation and starting again is a complete arse, so go for a bit of a spritz - try the Trilogy Hydrating Mist - and then add a sweep of a pinky or peachy blusher, whatever looks most natural and don't forget the Touche Eclat for under eye shadows...

Once your eyes are looking fresher, add some sparkle. I'm so excited that the MyFace range has launched in time for Christmas because quite frankly the Eye Touch eyeshadow trios make Christmas party make up embarrassingly easy. I love Morococo and Band of Gold for browns and golds and Bell Bottom Blues for something a bit more OTT.

Go with the lightest colour as an all over base for the day, then add the darker colour into your upper and lower lash lines and socket line to add definition and ramp up the drama with the sparkly, sparkly wonderful blingtone shade in the middle. I bloody love this stuff. If you're feeling really dramatic, add a little smudge of eyeliner into your lash line and then slap on several thousand coats of mascara. I love the MyFace mascara too but Maybelline Colossal Volum' and Rimmel's Sexy Curves are also really good at the moment.

If lips are more your thing, there's only one place I'm prepared to go for a party pout - MAC. I will be slapping on layer after layer after layer of Dazzle Glass for a sexy sparkly sheen. They're usually limited edition and not the easiest things to lay your hands on so you could always cheat with a Lustre Glass or Lip Glass and add a pop of shimmer with a MAC glitter pigment. Gorgeous. Alternatively, Stila lipglazes and Lancome's Juicy Tubes are always a great option for a party, especially the limited edition Cinnamon Soho one that is out now or the sexy Juicy Black packaging. Gorgeous.

If you really want to do a classic red lip (it is Christmas after all) I heart Clinique's Red-y-to-Wear High Impact Lipstick and Ready or Not liner. I actually rocked this to a Christmas party on Saturday for the first time EVER in red lips and I loved it. Especially when I added a slick of Dazzle Glass in Love Alert but that's not one for the traditionalists. Just for those of us wearing a Mariah Carey Mrs Santa dress.
Don't ask.
Also do not try and combine the red lip with the dramatic eye for a work party. You will look like the office bike. Or tranny. I'm not sure which is worse.

And last but not least, add a bit of highlighter, either shimmer or sparkle (just don't go OTT PLEASE). Obviously High Beam is the old classic but not that portable so maybe try a touch of MAC's Strobe Cream. It's a classic for a reason...