Need to get a wriggle on with your party season prep? Well, we have a few secrets from the Super Staffers about how to get yourself a little more #sorted.
The yearly calendar tends to go a little like this: Januaryyyyyy, Feeeeeebruary, Maaaaaarch, Apriiiiiiiiiiil, May–JUNE, Jul-Augtember-Oct-vem-Christmas. I actually remember someone making this joke about this time last year and at the time I thought it was hysterically funny. But the November-Christmas period was over before I got a chance to use it. And now here we are, before you know it, starting to panic because we haven’t started our Christmas shopping yet… and I find myself with another chance to use the aforementioned gag. (Woo hoo! But also… eep!)
So, how on earth can we help ourselves out at this time of year, when we find ourselves crash landing into party season without quite knowing how we got here. Today, the Super Staffers are sharing their top tips for making it through the party season with ease and finesse. Jump in to discover how.
1. Book a spray tan once a week, every week
There’s nothing quite like being flawlessly golden brown. And if you want to be ready to party, see friends or say yes to any invitation at the drop of a hat, then a weekly spray tan is going to be your silly season BFF. Book it for the same day every week, make sure you shower, exfoliate and hair remove the night before. (Yes, you read that right: do not hair remove the day of, as any hair removal on the same day will mean your freshly opened pores absorb the tan, leaving you with little black all-over spots and a significantly reduced tan.)
The great thing about having a professional spray tan done during silly season is it leaves you free to focus on other things, like how great that new dress looks on you! The minute it hits November 1st, you should be booking that weekly baby. Trust me, you’ll thank us later. And it’ll make you look five kilos lighter and hella toned, to boot.
2. Get your nails and toenails done
We highly recommend a mani pedi to help you feel polished and put together. If you can, invest in Shellac or SNS because it will last three to four times as long. Although it might be tempting to go for a summery lilac, yellow or seasonal green/red with sparkles combo, you’ll get the most mileage out of a chic nude, fresh French mani or simple pale pink. If you want to feel a little more #fashion, opt for black or navy.
Ask for short, square nails to ensure they stay looking neat for as long as possible. Shorter manis are less likely to chip due to daily wear and a square shape grows out more evenly. The pedi will last approximately six weeks to two months and, presuming you opt for a shorter style, the mani around two weeks. Besides, is there anything more luxurious than reclining while one has their nails done? We think not.
3. Book in for a brow shape and tint
OK, we get it, brows can be scary. Especially if you’re new to the concept. And trusting your brows to someone else can be downright terrifying. But bear with us, because a well done brow shape and tint has the power to make you look younger, fresher and more polished in a fraction of the time.
A well shaped, full brow will lift your face, bring attention to your eyes and even take the focus off less desirable features like crows feet and laugh lines. Fuller brows are commonly associated with youth, so a good quality tint can drop your digits double time. Threading can sound scary (especially because people often mix it up with feathering, which is a form of brow tattooing), but threading is actually a really quick, simple way of removing all the stray hairs from your upper face with cotton thread.
The first time you go, ask them to stick with your natural shape and simply tidy the strays. A brow tint in a colour around 2-3 shades darker your hair will plump your brows up and make you look instantly more polished. If you have naturally darker brows and hair, you’re fairly certain you’re going to love the tint and have a tendency towards oily skin, opt for the henna option. It lasts around three times as long. Brow tints are addictive. Trust us!
One last free piece of advice: if you are new to brow tinting, don’t freak out if it’s a little dark to begin with. It’s quite common to feel like Bert from Sesame Street on the first day. A tint always appears slightly darker on the first day and it will fade significantly once you shower or wash your face the first time.
4. Invest in a new dress (or two)
When you’re wearing new clothes, you tend to carry yourself differently. You stand a little taller, square your shoulders, and maybe even pop that booty. This holds true for favourite outfits as well, especially those that we know we look great in. Many of us are guilty of never prioritising our own needs or enjoyment. So this party season, invest a little in yourself. You don’t have to go nuts and max out the credit card, but repeat after us: “a new dress from Glassons or Sheike will not breaketh the bank.”
We’re talking 50-70 bucks. More, if you wish. And if you can’t spare an extra fifty bucks, then invest in a pair of new earrings (cheapies, from Lovisa, Colette or some such.) There’s something about a little somethin-somethin new that just puts a sparkle in a gal’s eye and a spring in her step. Maybe it’s that old Hunter-Gatherer instinct? In any case, our main point is: reward yourself this party season. You’ve worked your butt off to achieve this weight loss, it’s time to show it off. And just in case you’re the one in the back muttering “But I’m only maintaining my weight loss…” then we’re here to tell you: maintaining your weight loss is just as important as losing weight in the first place.
5. Get a blow dry
There’s nothing like a movie star blow dry to make you feel like… ahem, a movie star. Us regular ladies don’t get to rock television hair that often, so what is summer party season if not an excuse? Exactly. If you can’t afford one every week, then pinpoint the biggest social week or two of the summer party calendar and make sure you book one in for said week. Invest in some good quality dry shampoo and a silk pillowcase and you’ll be able to keep it looking #fresh for a few days or more!
6. Start writing your Christmas list now
Ok, so… Remember when you did that last minute shop on Christmas Eve a few years ago and your internal monologue was all: “What was that thing that I thought would’ve been a great gift for {insert family member here}? Darn it all to heck! Why didn’t I get it then?” Ok, good, so we’re here to remind you of that and how stressful it was. And how grateful you would’ve been if your past self had just written. it. down.
Believe us when we say this: future you will thank y0u if you start your Christmas shopping, or at the very least, your Christmas ideas, NOW. Ideas always flow better when you’re not under critical time pressure to make them perfect at this exact second. These are our top five Christmas pre-planning tips that’ll make sure future you is grateful.
- Grab those Christmas catalogues as you see them and circle a few things
- Make use of the notes app in your phone
- Order things online (in advance) from places like RedBubble, eBay and Amazon
- Use the save functionality in your instagram and Facebook apps (yes, that’s a thing. You can even save things to special collections that you name yourself – like “Christmas Ideas”)
- Start a secret Pinterest board of Christmas ideas that you spot around the interweb and label them with each intended receiver’s name
- Make note of any cute things you spot for yourself along the way, so you can avoid those awkward “Errrrm… I dunno?” *shrug* moments when someone asks what you want.
And that’s how it’s done MasterFasters! Enjoy feeling super #sorted this summer party season and Christmas!
Got any organisation or beauty tips to share with the rest of the Super Squad? We’d love to hear them. Please jot them down in the comments.