From Desk To Dancefloor

The Christmas season is now in full swing and many in-boxes and in-trays are full of emails, texts and memos arranging after work drinks and office dinners and parties. Those last minute invitations are great but can prove more than a little stressful if you don't feel you have time to prepare for the occasion.

Regardless of whether you are wearing your office civvies or keep a just-in-case outfit on the back of your door, here are a few hints and tips that take no more than a couple of minutes but will make sure that you make an impact (for the right reasons) on the office dance floor this Christmas.

If you know in advance that you are going to a party that evening but won't have much time to get ready, then pair back your office face during the day and simply build on it before you hit the tiles. A reasonably neutral eye make-up can be easily turned into a smokey eye with one brush and a single eyeshadow in a matter of moments (or by cheating - see below).

Use that kohl liner to your advantage and mess up those painstakingly created lines by smudging the hell out of them (gently of course) and creating an instant smokey eye. This works best if the line is fresh so if you have a liner pencil to hand then go over the line before smudging - use a firm eyeshadow brush or if necessary your (clean) finger tip. 

If you are lucky enough to have permanent desk then keep a little bag of essentials in your bottom drawer. A bag containing a concealer, tinted lip balm, pressed powder and a blusher would be enough to take you from desk to important meeting or party at a moments notice. Make sure you have some cotton buds, a small travel pack of tissues (organic of course) in there too - I like the Simply Gentle range.

Do an under-eye check. Nothing tells of a tired, end of the day face than under-eye fallout. If time is short then take a cotton bud and run it under the eye picking up any flakes of mascara and shadow then go in with a little concealer. This will brighten your face and will help disguise those air-conditioning induced bags.

I don't usually make hair suggestions on here but one of the easiest ways to hoodwink the opposition (in this case your unsuspecting colleagues) is to do the opposite of what you usually do. If you usually wear your hair down then tie it back and vice versa; create a messy bun with an elastic band (obviously this is a once a year thing so don't call the hair police) or twist a couple of pencils into your hair to hold an impromptu chignon (I do this one a lot) and Bob's your Uncle. On the flip side taking down usually up hair will make a similar impact; simply flick it upside down and ruffle your hands through the roots for instant volume.

If you work in an open plan space the party is coming to you (i.e. in your office) and you have literally milli-seconds between the computers shutting down and the water cooler being filled with booze then Spritz your face with a hydration spray such as Jane Iredale D20 Hydration Spray. This will wake up a tired, dehydrated complexion and give your make-up an instant refresh.

Remove any remaining lipstick from the day and apply a light coating of balm or moisturiser to give your lips a bit of a pick-me-up. If you have any other make-up to apply then do this before re-applying a fresh coat of lipstick.

I am a big fan of the Multipurpose product and they are a fab way to touch up your face whilst carrying very little (surely a must if you are planning on taking the worlds smallest bag). My multipurpose favourites are Ilia Multi-stick and W3ll People Universalist.

A sure fire way to create a fresher face is to brighten up your eyes with a little highlighter. Simply dab a little on the inner corners and under the arch of the brow for immediate effect. You can also use it on your cheek and collar bones, length of nose, cupid bow and even shoulders... The options are endless!


These suggestions are in no particular order so feel free to pick and choose depending on your available time frame and the products you have to hand... Have fun! :)



Images: A fabulous 1950's Christmas party shot - they certainly look like they are having a good time!! Simon Evans via Flickr