Beauty: Pamper or party? Your choice
I’ve got you covered, whatever your New Year’s Eve plans
FOR A QUIET NIGHT IN
I love this time of year: the quiet days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve that seem to stretch on for ever and everyone feels plumped up with goodwill.
Of course, this year so many days have felt stretched to the limit and time has taken on an unusual rhythm. Still, I hope that for most of us this patch between one year ending and another beginning will be one in which we can exhale, relax and treat ourselves. Or maybe you just want to hunker down, sofa surf and hide under your duvet till the clocks strike the arrival of 2021.
Either way, if that process involves a bit of beauty indulgence then here are my favourite options, some old and some new.
First, face treats. For a lovely, relaxing, hydrating and gorgeous-smelling sheet mask, try By Terry Baume de Rose Hydrating Rose Mask (£14, spacenk.com). This is an uplifting joy to use. The mask is infused with rose petals and leaves skin feeling tiptop. For eyes, the Shiseido Vital Perfection Uplifting and Firming Express Eye Mask (£67, shiseido.co.uk) really does leave the eye area looking and feeling better. Even if I’m not going anywhere I use one regularly.
This is also a great time to slip your hands and feet into some masks. Patchology Best In Snow Set (£18, cultbeauty.co.uk) is excellent. It includes a Perfect Ten Self-Warming Hand & Cuticle Mask, which heats when it comes into contact with skin so it feels really relaxing and snug and is super-moisturising, too, and also a rejuvenating Best Foot Forward Softening Foot & Heel Mask. You can buy each product separately should you prefer.
On the mask front for hair is Josh Wood Colour Everything Mask (£19, joshwoodcolour.com). This is just the bee’s knees of hair masks and helps boost condition, beat colour fade, add shine and works for all hair types.
To aid sleep, I recommend Dr Teal’s Foaming Bath With Pure Epsom Salt and Coconut Oil (£7.99, amazon.co.uk). It gives seriously good bubbles, is relaxing and leaves skin feeling nourished. Also try Aroma Active Laboratories, a new affordable high-street brand from the people at Aromatherapy Associates – its Sleep Salt Soak (£15, boots.com) really helps you to unwind.
And lastly, as you prepare to hit the pillow, try popping on a limited-edition embroidered Out of Office Silk Eye Mask from Slip (£50, slipsilkpillowcase.co.uk). It’s fun, pretty and I find these help me to nod off as well as prevent some pillow wrinkles in the morning.