I’m ambivalent about Christmas, and the parties it brings. Christmas is as much of an annual reckoning (where was I this time last year? Where will I be, this time next? Am I more, or less, happy, loved, successful, fulfilled? What does it all mean, anyway? Et cetera), as it is a period of celebration. As for parties… I have really only ever viewed their purpose as being cop-off facilitators, and it’s my understanding you’re not supposed to do that if you’re in a relationship. I like a dance, but you can always do that in your own kitchen, I like people, but they’re everywhere these days, have you noticed; increasingly, I view booze as little more than a fast-track to baggy eyes, slack jowls, a headache and The Fear. Still. Parties have to be endured lest people start thinking you’re a right dullard, and so it is that I’ve evolved some tactics, which I believe the young people call “hacks” (unless they don’t any more?), for skin survival during this taxing, sorry, joyous, time.
In preparation for a par-tay, the single best thing you can do for your face IMHO, is get a facial at Skinwork at Alex Eagle in Lexington Street in London. In terms of product, it’s beautifully stripped down, relies on proven classics like Vitamin C and magnesium. In terms of delivery, it’s excitingly high tech, incorporating a terrifying looking but v effective mask which pumps Galvanic current through your face, pushing the ingredients deeper, and tightening your moosh up. It doesn’t hurt, you can (should!) get one on the day of the event, and it will plump you up and out beautifully, and ramp up your glow.
In terms of hair – I like to make a massive effort with skin and clothes, but keeping my make up subdued, and my hair borderline chaotic. I think that makes me more French. Winter tends to make my hair drier – that’ll be exposure to central heating and cashmere beanies, eh? – so I hair-mask it at least once a week (Coco and Eve is my current fave), wash it every third morning, and find it’s at its very best in terms of texture and charmant French messiness, on night two of a wash cycle, which I keep in mind when scheduling parties/ washes. I’ll whack WOW’s Dream Coat spray on before blowdrying (using a Dyson hair dryer, last year’s Christmas present from the ball n chain, and yeah it’s a delight!) for extra finesse, or rough it up a little with Bumble and Bumble’s Pret-a-Powder shampoo, for less.
Re the elegantly subdued make up, designed to make me look like I’ve made very little effort (even though making little effort is a thing I literally never do,)… This whole Project Tweakment thing I have going on, has left my skin in good enough nick for really very light foundation; The Ordinary’s lightweight Serum Foundation, a dusting with Kjaer Weis’ Cream Foundation, or (on extra good skin days), a splattering of Charlotte Tilbury’s Flawless Filter in Medium over cleansed, SPF coated cheeks, will do it. I spend rather more time on the under eye darkness (which precisely matches the darkness in my soul, coincidentally). I start with Becca’s Undereye Brightening Corrector –a make up artist once told me that if you go straight in with the concealer, all you’re doing is painting white gloss onto a dark grey wall, as in: it’ll all show through, unless you get a base coat on it first – and top off with Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Away Concealer. Something fawn-ish and powdery on the eyelids, either MAC’s Chilli or Glossier’s deliciously textured Generation G in Crush on my lips (depending on the colour of my outfit), NARS’ cream Orgasm blush on the cheeks (because it’s pretty and I have never stopped being titillated by its name)… and I’ll do.
Once at the party, I never get so drunk that I won’t be able to thoroughly remove my makeup before going to bed, coat it in a serum (SkinCeuticals HA Intensifier usually), and pray for enough sleep that my face the following day will not prove scary to small children. Extra brownie points for sleeping in (Charlotte Tilbury Instant Magic Facial Dry) sheet mask.
I would pay for every element of this myself, and often do