Festive hair and make-up

Forget the natural look. Ditch boring beige and brown and say no to those nude shades. The party season is all about daring to have fun with colour and flair

Colours
There are no hard and fast rules about which colours to use so long as they're bright. Chuck the rule-book out the window? For eyes, try blending purples and greys together and using a dark liquid liner on your top lids. The party season is for creating dramatic and eye-catching effect. Lips should be striking in deep red or burgundy (for darker skins) or cooler reds (for pale skins).

Top tips
The secret to wearing bright colours is in the blending. You don't want to look like you've stepped out of a bad 1980s movie. Add colour gradually to build intensity, and remember to blend using a soft brush between applications.

Concealer can change your life. It can make dark circles disappear and make you look like you've had eight hours of sleep when you've only had three. Look for a yellow-based concealer two shades lighter than your skin tone. Use your fingers or a concealer brush to apply concealer under the eye, up to the lashes. Don't forget the innermost corner of your eye, which can appear the darkest. Then smooth and blend, tapping concealer gently with your fingers. Finish off by setting concealer, using a velour puff to press on a sheer loose powder.

One of the biggest problems with party looks is how to maintain them through the night with minimum effort. You don't' want to spend half the night touching up your make-up when you should be out there on the dance floor striking your best poses. We asked make-up guru Bobbi Brown for her expert advice on making your make-up last.

Foundation
"Using Face Powder will help your makeup will stay locked in place and keep it from evaporating too quickly.

Eyes
For long lasting eyes, begin by applying Eye Cream to the under eye area only--any extra moisture on the eyelid will cause the shadow to crease. After that, use a puff to press powder onto your entire eyelid and then sweep eye shadow over top from the lash line to the crease of the lid. For liner, use a touch of water to dampen the Eye Liner Brush before dipping it into the Eye Shadow-it lasts much longer when applied wet. Using feather light strokes, make a thin line across the top and bottom lashes, connecting them at the corners.

Lips
For the lips, the best way to achieve long wear is to create an adhering surface on which to apply lip colour. Start by filling in the entire lip using a neutral Lip Pencil and then apply Lip Gloss on top. When the lip gloss does begin to fade, it will still leave a pretty stain on the lips. And, once you get to the party -- forget about your makeup and have fun!