Christmas cracker

THE party season is in full swing and at this stage presents, food and plans for where you’re spending the 25th are sorted.

The one thing you’ve probably left to the last minute is you: what to wear on the day to deliver the right air of insouciant chic, and most importantly, what to use on your face for the events, drinks dos and meet-ups that inevitably happen over the Christmas period.

Step forward Brown Thomas beauty hall. A one-stop-shop for achieving the perfect party look this Christmas and new year, we asked makeup artist Derrick Carberry to select his top products from the store to deliver your best ever festive face forward. Think a flawless base, smokey eye and a classic nude lip that can be dressed up or down and which will take you through the festive season in style.

FACE FACTS

It’s all about getting a great canvas. “Spend as long on your face as you do on your hair,” advises Carberry, “and it’ll last the night.” Prep the complexion with La Prairie Gold Illusion Line Filler, €125. A beautiful shimmering whip, it adds a golden gleam. For an airbrushed finish, buff in Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, €41, with a Mac 188 brush.

Contour and blush are important too: Chanel’s Soleil de Tan Bronzing Powder, €42.50, was used to sculpt the cheekbones, with Chanel Joues Contraste Powder Blush in No. 82, €36, dusted on the apples of the cheeks. This season’s standout highlighter, Lumiére Sculptée De Chanel Highlighting Powder, €55, was used on the high points of the face.

EYE LIKE IT

“A classic smokey eye looks fantastic in colour,” says Derrick, who advises choosing a contrast to your own iris shade. For model Hannah, Through The Night, €20.50, from Mac’s Pro Longwear shadow collection was the main shade chosen. Derrick also used Mac shadows in Kid and Contrast, €15 each, as well as Mac Smoulder Eye Pencil, €17.50, on the waterline. The key to this look is in the blending. Pick a brush like the Mac 224 and work it well until you’re happy there are no harsh lines. Finally, brush lashes with Yves Saint Laurent Volume Effect Faux Cils Shocking Mascara, €31.

POUT ABOUT IT

With so much going on with the eyes and skin, lips play an understated role. Derrick applied Crème de la Mer The Lip Balm, €58, to condition skin, before applying Laura Mercier Lipstick in Brown Sugar, €24. Finishing touches? A dab of Laura Mercier Lip Glaze in Lilac, €27.

For further information log onto www.brownthomas.com and check out the beauty events diary. It contains the schedule of international visiting make up artists as well as exclusive sneak-peeks at product launches.

TIP: Don’t forget the decollete. Party dresses reveal neck and shoulders so smooth a little Mac Strobe Cream, €31, across the area before dusting Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Pink Quartz, €42, across collarbones and cleavage.

Five lust-have purchases from our beauty shoot for Christmas 2011

1. La Prairie Gold Illusion Line Filler, €125

2. Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation, €41

3. Mac Pro Longwear Eyeshadow in Through The Night, €20.50

4. Laura Mercier Lip Glaze in Lilac, €27

5. Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Pink Quartz, €42