Christmas Party Panic Solutions

Twas the night before the Christmas party, and all through the house, nothing was fitting, and nothing looked nice… MELANIE MORRIS shares her smart party preparations.

Oh, we’ve all been that soldier, standing in the bedroom, in front of the mirror, wishing we’d tried on our party options a little more previously than when the taxi is revving outside, and imploring our false eyelashes to adhere.

Thirty Christmases of ?pulling it together? has taught me that no matter how challenging the situation might look, there’s always a solution, most of which can be found either at the bottom of my make-up bag, or at a good salon. When dresses aren’t looking as streamline as they should, I’m a long-term advocate of the Universal Contour Body Wrap, €99 at The Buff Day Spa, 52 King Street, Dublin 2; thebuffdayspa.com. This messy treatment is as old as the hills, involving mummification in bandages, lots of mud, and a fair amount of sweat. The result is serious inch loss, which may have long- term benefits, but I’ve never had the fortitude to investigate. All I know is that if there’s a party coming up, one of these can be a lifesaver.

With the toll that party season can take, there’s no point wearing every late night on your face. While Botox may be a more invasive type of face treatment, there’s no doubting its freshening effects on the complexion. The?rapie Clinic has introduced a method of injection with super-slim needles (from €140 for one area), the thinnest available in the world, that make the process almost painless; great for the squeamish, therapieclinic.com.

READ MORE: Christmas Party Beauty Packages

Beauty services that need to be done once, and that then last the party season, are always a bonus; brows, lashes, gel nails and waxing all take up valuable time, so work smart and hit the ground running. Jenni Mahon in The Waxing Rooms, 124 Ranelagh, will wax you smooth and apply the most beautiful, natural, kick-ass curly lashes your heart might desire, while upstairs, The Brow Artist’s Liz and Lorna Farrelly can frame your face perfectly with regular and semi-permanent treatments.

For a real insiders? secret, cheat with a CACI bum or boob lift. Just a few minutes with this machine pushes muscles back to where they started, with a boost of electric current. A real Cinderella treatment, its effects only last for about 12-24 hours, but your pumpkin will never look so good, €30 from Elysian Therapy, Dublin 18, elysiantherapy.ie.

But in the midst of Bridget Jones pants, lash glue, chicken fillets and duct tape, please remember it’s Christmas. This is time to have fun, dress up, make up and then have fun!