Christmas is almost upon us, and with that comes endless rounds of festive parties and meals – most of which require making a little effort and dressing up. Here, we look at a few of the beauty bits and pieces that should be in your bathroom cupboard to help you feel and look good from the inside out.

Hair removal cream

The great thing about the winter months is that we can hide our legs under thick tights and trousers and armpits under wooly jumpers, so getting rid of any body hair – if that is what you prefer to do – is not something that you necessarily do. However, when it comes to parties, many of us feel much more comfortable removing hair. Shaving, while probably the quickest way of doing it, needs to be done carefully to avoid cuts and knicks – which never looks great. One way of avoiding this by keeping hair removal cream in your cupboard, ready to do the day before a big event.

Makeup remover

No matter how tired you are, no matter how much alcohol you might have drunk, it is essential to at least attempt to take your makeup off after a night out. If you don’t, the next day, you will wake up to a grimy pillowcase and skin. While a full removal routine with something like micellar water is preferable, even a quick wipe over with a makeup removing wipe is better than nothing. Try to follow up the removal with a moisturizer – heavy makeup with hot and sweaty nightclubs before the waiting around in the cold for a taxi is going to suck all the moisture out of your skin.

Body scrub

Before you do any makeup or getting dressed for any night out, you are going to want your skin to be bright and soft, and the best way of doing this is to slough away the dead skin cells on top to reveal the new and healthier skin underneath. A great way of doing this is with a body scrub in the shower. It will leave your skin feeling soft and looking great. 

Eye mask

Late nights and alcohol can leave your eyes feeling tired, sore, and dull. To get the sparkle back, try a gel eyemask. Pop it into the fridge to chill, and then when you are ready, chill out with it on for an hour. It will help to contract the blood vessels around the eye, reducing the appearance of dark circles and puffiness and make them look bright and feel refreshed.

Deep conditioner

The heat tools used for styling your hair can leave it feeling dry and damaged, not to mention any hairspray and other products you put in to hold it in place. Once a week, pop on a hair mask or slather it in conditioner and leave it for an hour – put a plastic shower cap over the top to retain maximum moisture.