The beauty of Christmas

As the biggest party period of the year gets underway, millions of women are set to get glammed up for an abundance of festive dinners, drinks and parties.

Unsurprisingly, cosmetics become essential in a woman’s handbag, but what is surprising is the amount of extra make-up worn over the festive period.

Women wear an average of four pieces of make-up during a normal day according to a Debenhams survey, ensuring the basics are covered with mascara, foundation, blusher and lip gloss.

A regular night out doubles this to a total of eight beauty products, as women glam up by adding eyeliner, lipstick, eyeshadow and bronzer.

However when the festive season approaches the amount of make-up worn rockets to three times the normal amount, with women wearing an average of 12 beauty products on a Christmas night out. False lashes, glitter and highlighter come out of the beauty bag for that extra festive touch.

The survey of 1,450 beauty customers also reveals that it takes an average of 20 minutes to apply an everyday face of make-up, getting glammed up for a night out takes 40 minutes and it will take 60 minutes to create the perfect festive face. So, women spend an extra 40 minutes getting dolled up for their Christmas do.

Furthermore, the results show that women go out four times a week on average during December, suggesting that they are at their most glamorous for 16 days of the month – that’s a lot of make-up.

Says Sara Stern, Beauty Trading Director at Debenhams: “Making sure you have the essential Christmas beauty products is as important as remembering the turkey and sprouts at Christmas dinner.

“Even women who don’t normally wear make-up are getting into the festive spirit by embracing glitter eyeshadows and false lashes to impress at the Christmas party.”

Each year in December, Debenhams’ Beauty Hall make-up artists are inundated with requests for party makeovers; and have their beauty tools at the ready to create the perfect look for Christmas.

Debenhams Beauty Hall has all the latest beauty trends and offers over 150 beauty brands including Chanel, MAC, Bobbi Brown, bareMinerals and Clarins. It’s the one-stop shop for all your beauty gifts this Christmas.