Shiny happy people

I haven’t worn eyeshadow since I was in a tap dancing show when I was about 6 years old. I was so excited to put on ‘grown-up’ makeup but I have to admit I have never revisited…it always felt too ‘done’ for me, and dealing with the creasing in the eyelids was all too much. But after attempting to get out of a bit of make-up rut, I tried a product sent to my office (Bobbi Brown ‘copperhead’ liquid eye shadow) and it felt refreshing to try something different. And it didn’t crease! (I did reapply once during the day to keep it feeling fresh, however).

But what if you’re someone like me, who doesn’t often do ‘fancy’? My advice? Don’t wait until you have a black-tie party to go to, wear it with your favourite jumper to dinner with friends or use it to jazz up your after work party look with your old jeans.

I’ve put together a little list of sparkly extras you can add to your usual wardrobe to help add some festive cheer without necessarily going all out, because let’s face it, chances are I’m going to be wearing my warmest jumper and slippers on Christmas day.

NAILS

I had so many queries about my Topshop sparkly nails this week (sadly the one I have is sold out), I rarely get time to paint my nails anymore but I love a sparkly nail at Christmas time plus a glitter one means that no one can really see any chips in it, so it lasts ages!

SKIN

Highlighter drops are a great way to add warmth and shimmer to your skin – I prefer them to bronzers often as they help keep a nice sheen to my skin, also great for holiday. The Beauty Pie strobing drops are great, but I also love L’Oreal’s drops here – you don’t need much, a little goes a long way.

But if budget doesn’t stretch, I can wholeheartedly recommend The Natural Collection’s range at Boots: cruelty-free and everything under £3 – the highlighter stick is great and the primer is a nice addition under your foundation, or use a bit as a highlighter.

Here I’m using a Topshop ‘Glow’ from a few years ago which is a little like Benefit’s ‘High Beam’ but sadly they don’t sell it anymore (like most products I adore!).

HAIR

There is no getting away from it being the season of the hair accessory, I always love Anthropologie’s but Asos and Accessorize often do afordable headbands as well as clips. My tip is to go for more classic styles (like pearls) rather than logos that might date, and go for hair clips rather than slides if you have thin hair as these tend to pull out thin, post-baby hair (this could be just me, though!).

EYES

I am a sucker for high/low dressing, so you will always find me in something cosy with a hint of glamour – a sequin skirt, a pair of jewelled earrings or a glitter eyeliner. I love Pixi’s bronze pencil for under my eyes (it doesn’t run, at all) or Urban Decay’s glitter eyeliner for my eyelids – it’s subtle and buildable, so you can keep it subtle and catch an occasional sparkle when you blink, which I love.

Slippers: just out of shot.