How I Prepare for an Evening Out/Holiday Party

Hey everyone,

It's the most wonderful time of the year, and getting closer to the time where there are parties every weekend, lots of drinks to be had and not much sleep. At this time of the year it's nice to take a little bit of extra time to make up for those drinks and the lack of sleep, while still looking effortlessly gorgeous for the upcoming parties. Here's what I like to do! (In no particular order!)
Also: My top 5 tips are at the bottom of the post- so keep reading!

 A couple of days before an event I usually like to apply a clay mask. This will really help draw out any impurities and dirt, but it may result in a break out. It's great for a really deep clean and helps to exfoliate your skin, prepping it for other products you may use. 

 My personal fave is Soap and Glory's "The Fab Pore". It's great because you don't need a lot of product and it doesn't dry my skin out too much. I find that if you're experiencing breakouts before an important night out, bringing out a clay mask can make a huge difference.

The night before an event is a great time to use a different type of treatment mask. The Origins "Drink Up Intensive" overnight mask is essentially a really thick night cream which helps your skin to look plumped up and refreshed, and it also creates smoother, softer skin for a better makeup base. If you find that a clay mask or astringent toner is too harsh, sometimes following up with something like this can really help avoid any dry patches or flakiness. 

 When you have some spare time a few days before a party I like to get the little annoying tasks over with. These include whitening my teeth (something I don't do very often, but have recently started), cleaning my ears, tweezing my eyebrows and trimming my nails etc. I also make an effort to apply lots of lipbalm and avoid drying lip products, especially if you're going to be rocking a bright red at your next event!

 Something that will always make a dramatic change to your skin is to really make sure you cleanse your face. I like an oil cleanser to remove makeup and an exfoliating cleanser in the morning. By washing your face as soon as you don't need makeup on anymore, the more time your skin will have to repair and breathe a bit. If you finish work at 5 but don't cleanse your face until you go to bed at 11, thats 6 hours your skin could be absorbing moisturizers, serums and treatments.
(Caroline Hirons is a genius!) 

 I also like to make sure I tone my skin. I don't often use the Clinique toner because it isn't so great for my skin. It's incredibly drying and irritating, but when used on occasion it can help get rid of breakouts very quickly. To balance it out I like to use The Body Shop's Hydrating Toner from the Vitamin E range to soothe my sensitive skin.

 Keeping your skin hydrated will vastly improve the quality of your skin, and it will really affect the way makeup looks on your face. I like to switch up my moisturizers during the day and at nighttime for best results. In the morning I use The Body Shop's Vitamin E Moisture Serum and Indeed Labs Hydraluron Moisture Jelly. In the evening I use more intense products, like The Body Shop's Vitamin E Serum-in-Oil and Cliniques Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+. 

 I also like to treat my hair to some natural products that will help tame it before styling, but also keep it in good condition in the days and weeks before. I've used sulphate free and natural hair products for the past two years and have noticed my hair growing a lot longer and generally in better shape. My favourite product for a bit of heat protection is Live Clean's Argan Oil spray. Probably my Holy Grail hair product is Organix Coconut Milk hair serum. Not only does it add shine and softness, as well as keeping my hair hydrated, it also smells divine. 

 I also want my body to look nice too! I like to use Olay's Quench plus Touch of Sun to add a bit of colour to my skin and to keep it soft. I also have been using Tarte's Amazonian Self-Tanning lotion on my face to keep it the same colour, but you could also just use a slightly more tanned foundation to match your body.

 Here's my teeth with some whitening strips, cute, I know.

 And my lovely red face after dealing with some messy eyebrows.

 In the weeks and days ahead of an event I also try and drink as much water as possible. Unbelievably, this is the hardest thing for me to do! I'm so forgetful and definitely don't drink enough water, but this will make a huge difference to the overall quality of your skin, hair and nails before a party. It's also great if you're going to be drinking alcohol to stay hydrated before and after a party.

 I like to use a hair mask the day before an event. This is the Theorie Argan Oil Ultimate Repair Hair Mask. I found it at Winners for $8.00, but it retails for $36.00! 

The day before is also a great time to exfoliate and shave! My favourite razor is the Venus sensitive one, and my favourite scrub at the moment is by Soap and Glory! If you don't want to use a self-tanning moisturizer, now would be a good time to break out a thick body butter to keep your skin hydrated. It will allow your skin to look plumper and less dull (happens to face as well as body!) and it also adds a nice glow- especially important if you're wearing a dress!

I hope you enjoyed these tips! If I had to recommend 5 which make the most difference it would be:

1) Drink lots of water

2) Get as much sleep as you can

3) Wash your face every day and night with no exceptions at least for one week before an event- the difference in your skin will be incredible

4) Take as many days off of makeup leading up to an event, it's a nice chance to let your skin absorb more treatments and not be smothered in foundation

5) Don't be afraid of a weekly face mask. It will vastly improve the top layer of your skin if you exfoliate

Thanks for reading!
Megan