Beauty Tips for the Holiday Season
The holiday season is upon us and this means not only will we be fighting to save our precious skin from the winter’s frosty bite, but we will also be juggling the numerous parties that pop up in December. Have no fear, with a few easy pointers you are sure to glide through the season!
Skin Prep
The wind can do more than make you cold, it can chap skin and make it rough. To keep your outer layer looking the best it can be adopt a few simple routines to give it the help it 
needs.
• Exfoliate your skin with a good bristled body brush or shower puff when you are in the shower. By doing this you are allowing the new skin underneath to breath and absorb moisture while also helping to stimulate the flow of blood and reduce cellulite!
• Don’t forget your sunscreen! I know this may seem like a weird piece of advice for winter, but actually dangerous UV rays are actually stronger in winter and can be assisted by the reflection of the snow. Get a moisturizer with sunscreen added to do double duty!
• Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize! I probably can’t say this enough but it’s true; not only is the cold weather damaging to your skin, but the dry indoor air created by cranked heaters and closed windows is actually worse. Grab that body butter and slather it on pretty much everything but your face; doing it after you get out of the shower is best as your skin is more absorbent when it’s a bit damp.
• If you Love your lipstick, don’t forget your balm! Just because you wear lipstick doesn’t mean you are protected, some of them lack the moisturizers found in proper lip balms and with a season full of chatting and stuffing our faces it’s easy for it to wipe away. Try and wear lip balm as much as possible, preferably with a built in SPF; if you are a lipstick gal, slather on the clear stuff in your off periods and before you go to bed, or multitask by finding a tinted variety.
Party Prep
Ditch your neutral colour palette for some sparkly, pigment rich hues, there is definitely one out there for everyone. The key is to start out with a fresh face, so if your party starts after work, scrub off the days dingies and start with a clean slate.
• The smokey eye doesn’t have to be black and for the holidays it shouldn’t be black! Use the same technique of starting with a neutral base and then lining the eye with a pencil. Then with a detail brush sweep the eye shadow colour finely over the liner to blend and follow the crease to shade. The key though is to pick a colour to compliment you, put aside the black and brown and reach for a teal, a sapphire, a burgundy or even a sparkly pewter shade.
• Become the Glitterati with a sparkly twinkle. Now I’m not talking about the horrid large sparkles you may have adorned yourself with as a child, but the fine shimmer that is added to many products at this time of year. You can buy shimmer powder in little containers in a variety of colours, opt for something subtle and iridescent and sweep on collar bones, under eye brows, in the corner of your eye and on cheek bones. Or pick up a lip colour or gloss with a hint of glitter, or reach for a shimmer body lotion for your arms and legs to attract attention to your gams. Remember: the key is less is more to avoid looking flashier than the club’s disco ball!
• Don’t forget those fingers! If you have time, pop on some polish it will complete your look! If you have short nails opt for something transparent and iridescent (the light will reflect and make them look longer) or if you are one of those lucky ladies who have a nice manicure try your hand at one of the deep colours that have returned this season. Hues of Bordeaux, Eggplant, Plum, Sapphire or Charcoal will certainly attract some attention.
Written By: Laura Norbury
The Honey Mustard Fashion & Media Services
