The Essentials: Getting Ready

For me, as I know can be said for many girls, getting ready to go out can in fact be much more exciting than the night itself, something I know for a fact that boys do not and will not ever understand.  

Thats why I thought I'd let you in on what are my getting ready essentials!

You're going to have to excuse the mess after this tricky process is complete, my dressing table usually looks like I've dropped an atomic bomb, and in classic girl fashion I am far to late to worry about tidying until the morning after!

Setting the mood is my first essential, after pruning in the Bath after a short eternity I love to light my favourite candles, these being Jo Malone's Blackberry and Bay, Diptique's Saint Germain, and Max Benjamin's White Lillies (a slightly more affordable option!). I then throw on my favourite Spotify Playlist and let the beautification commence!

Eve Lom's Hot Cloth Cleanser is the perfect way to begin, removing any of the more stubborn make up left on my face, leaving me with a clean, blank canvas to start with. At £55 its rather pricey however I would sincerely recommend it to anyone with 'problem' skin as it has worked wonders on mine. With people on more of a budget Boots Botanics do a similar sort of product which I'm definitely going to pick up when I hit the bottom of mine. 

After cleansing, I then move onto moisturising which is again essential in the process. For my legs I love to use L'Occitane Almond Milk Concentrate as its creamy texture melts into the skin, leaving it feel smooth but not greasy and is great to use after shaving due to the properties of the soothing almond oil. For my upper body I think its great to use a moisturiser which matches your perfume as this helps the scent hold though out the evening without going to overboard with last minute spritzes! Miss Dior's Body Milk is my choice, however almost all perfumes have a moisturisers to match, so use which ever you wish! 

Not forgetting my face I use L'Occitatine Precious Perfection Cream as it is extremely moisturising during the dry winter months however I opt to use something lighter when my skin isn't so dry to avoid looking greasy later in the evening!

TIP - please be warned it does contain SPF which does effect how your face will show up in photos. I would definitely recommend products without it if you know you will be photographed in the evening. 

This next step is entirely optional, its not something I do before every night out. It entirely depends on the time of year, type of event and my natural tan situation at the time of getting ready. During the winter months I do try and let my skin breath and let my natural paleness (sigh!) show through. However as the weather in England does (eventually) start to warm up and we trade our jeans for spring dresses and skirts, I do opt to use fake tan as to prevent scaring others with my Edward Cullen like skin tone. 

If I do choose to tan, I love St Tropez Self Tan Mousse as if applied to exfoliated and moisturised skin with a mitt, it gives a great even colour, which has green undertones to cancel out any orange colours which are so often associated with fake tan! Leaving you with a nice natural colour rather than a bad TOWIE job! For my face I like to use St Tropez Instant Tan Lotion as the gel is much easier to apply to the face than the mousse - understandably! 

Personally I choose to tame my mane before doing my make up, as I struggle with the heat from the products and can often find my make up doesn't go on as well if I am boiling hot! Whilst my hair is still damp I use the Aussie Take the Heat spray to protect my already damaged locks from whatever tools I choose to use and then blow-dry. 

My hair is naturally very curly, which unfortunately I cannot tame without using my GHD Straighteners. These are my absolutely life line, and I quite frankly don't know where I'd be without them! Once I've styled my hair I like to use a tiny spray of the Matrix Spray Wax to keep down fly aways. This is serious stuff and should be used sparingly or else you'll end up looking like Elvis. 

Last but most definitely not least I move onto my make up. Now this step varies massively depending on my mood, how long I have and whereabouts I am going, however I do stick to four general rules - Dewy skin, bronzed cheeks and temples, feline eyes and a bold lip. 

I start with Benfits Porefessional as this smooths my skin and acts as a great base. I then have found a new love - L'Oreal's Lumi Magique Foundation as it gives a beautiful dewy finish however you have to powder it particularly if you have oily skin or try L'Oreal's True Match Foundation as the finish on that one is slightly more matte. I finish off with a dusting of bronzer on my temples and cheeks and a light touch of Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Brick on the tops of my cheek bones to tie together the glowing look. 

Moving onto eyes I like to use Rimmel Glam Eyes Liquid Eye Liner to create a 60's inspired cat eye flick as the brush makes application easy even for liquid beginners, and then I add lashings of my all time favourite mascara - Benefit's They're Real. If I am feeling lazy I quite often just run my chosen bronzer though my crease to add more dimension to my eye, however if I have slightly more time these little beauties are my absolute go to eye shadows. The Urban Decay Naked Palette's are the be-all-and-end-all of eyeshadows and would highly recommending investing as you can achieve almost any desired look using them. My favourite has to be the original however they all have wonderful pigmentation, creaminess and are so easily blend able. 


With all of these you will most definitely be ready for a night out on the town! However my number one essential for getting ready is my friends! It makes things far more interesting and there is nothing better than swapping tips and secrets with your friends over a few drinks whilst getting ready to go out! What are your getting ready essentials? I'd love to hear them! 

Have fun next time you get ready and don't forget my invite! X