MA Beauty Insider: Eight Easy Ways to Look Great Tonight

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Donna Macdonald, GoLocalWorcester Beauty Expert

For a soothing start to your night, add bubbles and a subtle lavender oil to your bath.

Celebrating is always fun but especially so during the holidays. But how do you get party-ready when the baby’s been up all night or the boss tightened your project deadline causing you to work late? Here are some ways to look great by tonight:

Soak it off

Start with a bath. You choose invigorating or calming, depending on your harassment quotient. To get the blood going, try a minty bath wash to stimulate your senses and wake you up. For a soothing start to your night, go with subtle lavender oil. Another trick is to add bubbles to the scented water – nip some of your child’s unscented bubble bath and THEN add your fragrant oil. You’ll be saying “Ahhh!” in no time.

Pamper

Promise yourself to do all those pampering beauty things you haven’t had time for. Grab a razor with built-in conditioning for soft legs and underarms. While soaking, treat your feet to a rubdown with a good grainy scrub. A mild facial scrub will slough off any dull skin cells and reveal blushing pink skin again. Just knowing you’re doing these tasks at last gets you in a feel-good party mood. You’re worth it!

Massage

Dewy skin is perfect for absorbing a great body lotion. Use a rich one that absorbs fast and massage into legs, feet, elbows, and knees. Who needs a spa anyways when you got two good hands that know just where the knots are?

Quick dry

While skin is plumping under all that attention, swipe on a shimmering quick dry polish. The sparkles are way more forgiving than mat color. Put your feet up for a minute or two while they dry. Quick, this stuff is fast!

Face it

Start with this year’s Beauty Editor’s darling: BB Cream. It’s found in all price points and it really delivers the promise. Your face will look younger with just a dollop. Now you’re primed for color.

Paint job

Its night, the stars are out – you know what to do. Illuminators, shiny lips, warm cheek color and shadows with a bit of frost. Or try a true blue red and go more natural on your eyes. Either way, evening’s the time to come alive with color. It’s now or never.

Spritz

Don’t walk out without some of your favorite perfume. No need to baptize yourself, but hit all your warm pulse points. Or try your scent in a hair spray version especially if your locks are long. He won’t mind and you’ll find him leaning closer and closer as the night deepens.

Corners up

It’s a cliché but remember to smile and think happy thoughts. There’s a time to work and there’s a time to play. Psychologists say “get the body there and the mind will follow”. Enjoy yourself; put a smile on your face and a sprint in your stilettos. You look great. Go enjoy yourself!

Donna Macdonald is a freelance writer who enjoys covering topics of interest to women, especially fragrance, style, beauty. She has also written marketing material for a women's book that hit the New York Times Bestseller list and netted her an up close and personal discussion on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Donna currently writes her own personal blog, alovelyinconsequence.blogspot.com where she also writes about issues close to a woman's heart. Donna believes that when a woman finds beauty in the world, she will find beauty in herself.