Countdown to your dream Christmas party look

With parties back on the agenda and soirées in full swing again, it’s once more time to turn our attention to hair and makeup looks that work in real life. Forget the 2D Zoom iterations of last year,  it’s time for the full 360 degrees of beautification.

While we may be a little out of practice in the art of getting ready, there’s a look to suit all, whether you have one hour, half an hour or just ten minutes. Let’s face it, even with the best of intentions, it can often end up as a race against time anyway, especially if heading straight out from the office.

We’ve enlisted the A-list’s favourite glam team, hairstylist George Northwood and makeup artist Mary Wiles, to show you how…

MAKEUP
‘With a bit more time on your hands you can indulge in a little skin prep to provide the perfect canvas to your makeup,’ says Mary. ‘Apply some targeted eye patches and a face mask before giving yourself a face massage using a facial roller to help boost lymphatic drainage and give your skin a glow.’

Mary advises starting with your eye makeup. ‘An hour is enough time to achieve a great smoky eye and – as this is a party look – opt for a glittery eyeshadow palette,’ she says. Using a soft kohl pencil, line the inside of the eyes for added intensity before applying your chosen eyeshadow around the entire eye blending out any hard edges and taking the colour just beyond the outer corners of the eye for a gentle feline effect. Add two coats of mascara and some individual lashes to add length and volume.

‘Well-groomed brows help to pull the look together so define using a pencil,’ says Mary. ‘Then it’s time for your skin. Once you have perfected your complexion with foundation and concealer, lightly contour under the cheekbones and add a touch of blush on the apples. Charlotte Tilbury’s face palettes are genius for shading and have some great blusher shades. Highlight along the tops of the cheekbones and temples before moving on to the lips. Use a lipliner all over to define before applying lipstick. Finish with a dab of gloss in the centre.’

HAIR
‘What I love about the messy bun is that it’s the perfect combination of style and practicality as your hair is up and out of the way,‘ says George. ‘There’s a formality to it, but the messy texture gives the look a more relaxed, undone feel. I do this look a lot on celebrities as it really works for every scenario.’ There’s a video tutorial of the look on George’s social channels should you need a little extra help.

Start by creating a bit of shape around the face with a holding product that contains added heat protection before tonging away from the face on both sides. Keep the ends of each section untouched to lend a modern finish. Next, create some texture and height on the crown by lifting the sections at the top of the head, spritzing them with hairspray and backcombing down towards the roots. ‘Don’t forget to do the nape too as that’s going to act as a pin cushion when you secure the bun in place,’ George advises.

Once you’ve got the texture throughout, pull it back into a ponytail at the nape and tie securely lightly teasing out the hair on top to create height. ‘Then simply twist the ponytail and coil into a bun shape at the back using a grip to secure into the backcombed hair at the nape of the neck,’ George says. ‘If you’ve done enough backcombing, three or four grips should do it. Finish by applying a touch of styling cream to the very ends of the hair framing the face and spritz with hairspray for hold.’

MAKEUP
‘As eyes will be the focal point for this look, start by applying an eye mask which you can even leave on under your eyes while you concentrate on the lashes and lids,’ says Mary. ‘Contrary to popular belief, eyeliner is actually a relatively quick and easy party look to master.’  Start by using a pencil to trace your desired shape, she says, and once you’re happy with it, go over it with a liquid eyeliner for drama. Apply two coats of mascara (Charlotte Tilbury’s Legendary Lashes is a personal favourite), before moving on to the skin.

‘Apply your foundation with a brush, using your fingers to blend before adding a gentle contour, some blush and a bit of highlighter on the tops of the cheekbones and temples,’ says Mary. ‘Finish with a stain on the lips.’

HAIR
‘The Flat Iron Wave is a grungy 1990s inspired style that creates a subtle wave in the hair, producing a casual yet sophisticated look with a more androgynous, lived-in vibe compared with a tong wave which is a more pretty, detailed curl with a wider finish,’ says George.

This style works best on bobs and shoulder-length hair and also works really well with thicker, bushy hair types as the iron flattens it at the same time while finer hair types can also benefit from the texture and body it gives. ‘Start from underneath the hair and work up, spritzing each section with a wave holding spray,’ advises George. Clamp the section with the flat iron and always start with an upward motion to create volume at the root before zig zagging the iron slowly through the hair (‘Beware – too much will produce a crimp’), finishing with an inward motion to create a bevelled edge.

‘The beauty of this look?‘ he concludes. ‘You don’t need to be too precise.’

MAKEUP
‘With just ten minutes on the clock, you can’t go wrong with a statement red lip,’ says Mary. Start with a radiance-enhancing BB cream and apply over the entire face before brushing a tinted brow gel through the brows for a more polished finish.

‘Add a sparkly glitter gel to the lids in order to add a bit of interest before applying plenty of mascara,’ she continues. ‘Finish with a good matt red on the lips for a stay-put stamp of colour.’

HAIR
‘Hailey Bieber’s look at the most recent Met Gala is the perfect example of great party hair,’ says George. ‘Instead of looking too “done”, it’s a laidback approach that is all about looking like you, only a little bit extra – I like to call it barely there hair. These days people want the opposite of big bouncy curls as natural, effortless-looking hair has become the new glamour hair. It’s essentially the hair version of no makeup makeup – simply styled with a subtle wave to give the illusion of having just rolled out of bed with that perfect, undone texture.’

To achieve this look at home, give your hair a quick rough dry with a hair dryer and spritz with a holding spray to ensure the style stays put while providing heat protection. Next, tong random sections of hair to add understated waves and finish with a pea-sized amount of moisturising styling cream through the lengths and the ends. ‘This helps to add texture and definition, giving hair that effortless beachy appearance while still looking polished,’ says George.