Georgia Day’s Top-To-Toe Festive Essentials

During party season, heavier make-up is usually a given, which means skin needs extra TLC. With this in mind, my seasonal skincare kit has evolved to include a few hardworking extras that are designed to boost radiance and encourage hydration. Skinwork, one of my favourite places to get a facial in London, has just released a neat edit of products and, since it’s famous for its peels, the Homework Exfoliating Peel is my pick. I love that, despite a punchy formula that includes lactic and salicylic acids, it doesn’t tingle and goes on like an essence. I’ve been using it overnight and leaving it to do its thing before waking up looking much more refreshed. To brighten, tighten and generally rejuvenate, I am obsessed with Chanel’s Red Camellia Essence Lotion which I use pre-moisturiser as a quick skin pick-up. The active ingredient is said to increase cellular vitality and it shows. Because I am nothing if not thorough, Whind’s newest sensorial serum is in there too; the Oasis Bright Multi-Brightening Serum does what it says on the tin and my skin is looking fresher and more even in tone. And finally, Kate Somerville’s HydraKate Recharging Water Cream is like a battery pack for dull, dehydrated skin that’s seen more 2am bedtimes than is often advised.

As much as I love the hustle and bustle of party season, I also need my home to function as a sanctuary for those nights that don’t have an RSVP against them. An ambient mood is a must, so I’ll either light something pine-scented (it’s Christmas after all) such as Nette x Tata Harper’s Into the Forest Perfumed Candle or Diptyque’s Sapin Scented Candle or I’ll fire up my Aromatherapy Associates Atomiser, add the Forest Therapy oil and pretend I’m in some relaxing Nordic hinterland instead of my living room. Sleep can elude even the most exhausted at this time of year, so a pre-bed bath is a must to help me wind down. Soapsmith’s limited-edition festive Bergenhus Bath Soak is my go-to. It softens skin like nothing else and the fig, amber and ginger lily scent is hypnotic. I’ve also been trialling Artah’s Sleep Tonic, a tincture that contains valerian and Californian poppy, and which always helps me reach sleep more quickly. If too much festive food and drink leaves you feeling bloated or sluggish, start taking a good probiotic if you don’t already. Seed’s DS-01 Daily Synbiotic contains 24 probiotic strains that help keep your gut on the straight and narrow. Taken regularly you’ll also start to see better skin, energy and immunity.

When it comes to festive nights out, I tend to experiment with my hair which means I need a trusty kit that I can rely on to style, sort or save my hair depending on whether it’s the night before or the morning after. Because party-season hair means more heat than usual, I need a good heat protector, and Sam McKnight’s Save the Do Heat Protection Style Starter is it. Like all of Sam’s products, it performs flawlessly, leaving strands silky and strong. If I’m opting for a sleeker look that requires a bit more finesse, then I’m loving JVN’s Complete Blowout Styling Milk. It’s fairly viscous because it’s loaded with nourishing hemisqualane, but the condition of my hair after I use it is just something else: ultra-polished, super soft and, frankly, like I’ve spent a fortune on a professional blow dry. Talking of heat, my tool of choice this Christmas is without doubt BaByliss’s Wave Secret Air which is, in a word, genius. The ceramic barrel scoops up sections of hair in its chamber before releasing them in perfectly tousled curls. It’s a game-changer for anyone who usually struggles, and it means party-ready curls in under ten minutes. Finally, Fable & Mane’s Sahascalp Purifying Scrub is there to save the day when my hair needs a bit of post-styling love. It gently exfoliates to remove product build-up, leaving both hair and scalp feeling zingy and refreshed.