COUNTDOWN to Christmas

Try these tricks to get you party-ready

- By Stephanie Maylor

3 days before

Get your skin, brows and body in the best condition ready for the big do.

Sprinkle two cupfuls of Westlab Epsom Salts, £3.75, Boots, in a warm bath, and soak for 20 minutes each night in the run-up to the festivities. Used by models before a shoot, the magnesium helps draw out toxins to ease water retention so you feel leaner.

A well-groomed brow gives your face an instant lift. Tweeze any strays in plenty of time to let redness die down. For light and greying brows, Schwarzkopf Brow Tint Permanent Eye Brow Colour, £9, Boots, means ready-to-go definition so you can skip pencilling over the holidays.

Give yourself a facial before skin starts to show the effects of burning the candles at both ends. Load on moisture with Oh Skin Hyaluronic Acid Sheet Mask, £1, poundland.co.uk, so skin looks peachy and plumped.

1 week before

Put in the prep with some preemptive pampering before your calendar gets crammed.