KEY POINTS:
If you can't break the rules at the Christmas party, then when can you?
Keep hair simple and skin luminous, but have fun with colour so you stand out from the crowd. For once, ignore the sensible advice about highlighting only lips or eyes and instead try a smoky or strongly coloured eye with boldly coloured lips, because this is the season to kick up your heels and have a little fun.
The bronzed pink look pictured on this page is a subtle day-to-night transformation of fairly neutral makeup tones, with depth and golden sheen added round the eye, cheeks flushed prettily and nude lips made kissably coloured.
If pinks aren't your thing, substitute peachier tones on lips and cheeks and go for smudgy browns, soft charcoals or golden greens around the eyes.
Fast fix
* Concealer, blush and lip-gloss are the best touch-up tools if you don't have time to start from scratch to prep for a party.
* If you can do a little more, but not a full makeup, use wipes to soak up the dirt of the day and then apply a little tinted moisturiser to the skin. Loose powder will help set the look if you carry it round.
* Liquid or compact bronzer is another foundation substitute (or extra on top). It gives you a real gleam; just don't forget your decolletage.
* Eyes should need little more than liner, a glimmer shadow and an extra coat of mascara to really open them up. A strong brow adds drama.
* For lip colour that lasts, use a moist chunky crayon as a base, then top with a creamy lip shade and/or gloss. Dark or red lips need lip liner, blotting and touch-ups to last the distance, so if you're planning a long night go for matte shades or something less high-maintenance such as a richly tinted gloss.
* Brush your hair out and work in some shine serum for an effortlessly groomed loose look or try a light back-combing from the forehead to the crown to lift hair before smoothing back into a high ponytail or scrunchy up-do.
* Spritz on some scent and then slip your pre-pedicured toes into your most comfortable strappy heels for a big night on the town.
Colour clues
If you really don't have a clue what suits you or you feel stuck in a rut, don't be shy about asking advice from makeup counters or be guided by ranges which spell out the best matches. L'Oreal's Made for me Naturals and Revlon's Beyond Natural collections both do this, with eye and lip shades coded to suit everyone from blondes to darker skinned brunettes. L'Oreal even lets you match shades with celebrities' favourites, so you can play star for the night.
Blondes
The eyes, lashes and eyebrows will need a little definition for night. If you're a wan blonde you'll need blush, but if you're prone to flushing try a light bronzer instead. Your delicate colouring means you should go lightly with foundation (concealer or a tint may be all you need) and lips are best near natural or oomphed up with sheer tints. (Try Clinique and Chanel red and orangey lip glosses which look full-on in the tube but aren't at all scary on). Blondes come in cool and warm tones, so some of you can carry off raspberry lips and smoky eyes with silver highlights, while others look best in nudes or need the subtle depth of earthier tones and golden accents.
Redheads
Spice tones are your best friend, so try brown mascara, taupe shadows and peachy lips and cheeks. Mineral makeup will give youagood even skintone capable of disguising freckles without looking too heavy. A touch of gold works well with your tones. (Ranges including Bobbi Brown and Becca have good natural colours for you). If that all soundsabit monotone, then dare to be different- one of the most stunning women I knew was a redhead who always wore bright red lipstick and often lilac eyeshadow. A step back from that, especially if you have brown eyes, is to try turquoise eyeliner for impact.
Brunettes
Skin tone and eyecolour will dictate what suits here, but paler brunettes often need concealer and full foundation coverage. (Estee Lauder and Elizabeth Arden do good versions of both). Heavy blushers are aging, so bronzer is worth experimenting with, as are cream blushers in freshly flushed shades.
Most brunettes can carry strong lip colours, especially true reds and berry tones. If you want lighter lips, try rosy nudes or warm terracotta shades depending on whether you're best with cool or warm tones. Those with dark skin can have fun with metallics on the eyes and carry off bright, dark lipsticks in purple and berry shades. (Check out M.A.C Dazzleglass in Date Night and Revlon's Chrome glosses).
* If your hair is grey, your original colour should give pointers to what shades suit you best, though with age skin colour can dull and become more sallow so make sure you counteract this. Avoid glosses and glitter when your skin becomes less elastic and more lined, but don't feel you can't have a little glimmer (check out Bobbi Brown for this).
Sunset sensation
1 Revlon Beyond Natural Skin Matching Makeup $35. 2 Clinique Quick Eyes cream shadow in Sunlit Palm, Rock Violet and Sparkling Nude $46 each. 3 Becca Lip and Cheek Creme in Blossom $63. 4 Smashbox Doubletake lip liner and colour in Sugar/ Spice $ 44. 5 Revlon Beyond Natural in Plumberry $22. 6 L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara in Carbon Black $ 33.99. 7 Shiseido Shimmering Lipstick in Rouge Irise $46. 8 Smashbox Halo Hydrating Perfecting Powder and brush $ 68 9 Clarins Gloss Appeal in Lilac $38. 10 Lancome Le Vernis in Purple Victoria $38. 11 M. A. C Liquidlast Liner in Visionaire $40.
Stockists: From leading department store and pharmacy brand counters unless otherwise stated. Clarins also available at selected beauty salons. L'Oreal also available at supermarkets. M. A. C exclusive to M. A. C Chancery and St Lukes and Smith & Caughey Newmarket and Queen St. Smashbox from selected Life pharmacies, Smashbox, Ponsonby, www. smashbox. co. nz Becca from Glamorpuss Newmarket and Albany.
