Christmas party and New Year's Eve hair and makeup
Hair and makeup for a work Christmas party, an end of year function or New Year's Eve in Melbourne. Glam or soft glam, waves or hair up in the same appointment, for one of you or a whole team getting ready together, at my studio in Middle Park or at your office, home or hotel.
Hair and makeup for a work Christmas party
A Christmas party usually starts straight after work, and the makeup has to fit into that: a few hours between your desk and the venue, then a whole night of photographs, dinner, drinks and dancing. So the face is done once, in that gap, and built to still be there when the last photo of the evening is taken.
Long wear is the part of my work I am known for, and a party night is exactly where it shows. Skin that does not turn shiny under the venue lights, an eye that does not slide into the crease by ten o'clock, a lip that survives a glass of champagne. Soft glam you could wear to the office that afternoon, or full glam with glitter and a red lip: either way it is made for the whole night rather than the first hour.
In ten years as a makeup artist I have done every kind of party, from one person getting ready for her team dinner to a group of colleagues booked together before the company function. You can come to my studio in Middle Park, or I come to you.
Hair is done in the same sitting, so you leave with the whole look finished: Hollywood waves, a sleek ponytail, an updo pinned to hold through the dancing, or a bob given shape and shine. More examples are on the hair styling page, and more of my evening makeup is on glam makeup.
Christmas party makeup and hairstyles
How a Christmas party booking works
- A red lip with clean, glowing skin. The classic Christmas look and the easiest one to wear: a polished base, a soft eye and one strong colour on the lips. It photographs beautifully and goes with almost any outfit.
- Gold, bronze and champagne shimmer. Warm metallics on the lid catch candlelight and fairy lights and suit nearly every eye colour. With a fine liner they take you from the dinner table to the dance floor without any change.
- Glitter, exactly where you want it. A touch in the inner corner, a sparkle pressed over the lid, or a full glitter eye if the night calls for it. It is set to stay on the eye, not to travel down your cheeks by midnight.
- A smoky eye with a berry or wine lip. For a black tie function or an evening that wants more drama. Boldness comes from placement rather than quantity, so the look reads as striking rather than heavy.
- Soft glam for the office party. If you are going straight from a meeting, or you simply prefer a quieter face, soft glam looks finished and still feels like you. That end of the scale has its own natural and soft glam page.
- Bring the outfit and your saved looks. A photo of the dress, or at least its colour, and any ideas from Pinterest or Instagram are a good starting point. The look is then shaped around your face rather than copied from a screen.
- Hollywood waves. One glossy, brushed-out wave from the parting to the ends. The most festive of the hairstyles, and it suits a red lip or a smoky eye equally well.
- Hair up. A textured updo, a low bun or a French twist, with a few strands left soft around the face. Hair up stays out of the way while you dance and keeps its shape in a warm room.
- Soft waves or a sleek ponytail. Loose waves with movement for a softer look, or a polished high or low ponytail that keeps its shape all night.
- Half up, half down. The middle ground: length and waves at the back, with the front pinned away from your face. Easy to wear and pretty from every side in photographs.
- Short hair too. A bob or a shorter cut can be waved, smoothed or given volume at the roots, and a pin or a clip can turn it into a party style in minutes.
- Bring your hair accessory. A bow, a clip, a headband or a sparkly pin is a lovely Christmas detail. Bring it with you and it is placed into the style so it stays put.
- A team is planned as one session. Colleagues getting ready together before the company party is one of the most common ways this is booked. Send the number of people and the hour everyone needs to be finished, and the order and timing are worked out for the whole group. I work with assistants, so a bigger team is possible.
- At the office, a home or a hotel room. For a group it is usually easier if I come to you: a meeting room at work before the function, someone's home, or a hotel room near the venue. See mobile service for how coming to you works.
- Or one after another at the studio. If it suits the working day better, colleagues book their own appointments at my studio in Middle Park through the afternoon, each at a time that fits around their work.
- Everyone gets her own look. One party, one dress code, but not one face: soft glam for one person, a red lip for the next, full glam with glitter for whoever wants it.
- A Christmas gift for the team. Some companies say thank you to their staff at the end of the year with makeup before the Christmas party, or with a certificate to use whenever they like. Tell me how many people and the amount, and the certificates are made for each of them. Colleagues can also put money together for one certificate as a group gift.
- For a colleague, or someone at home. For your mum, your sister, a friend or the colleague who has everything, a certificate is a present she will actually use: a makeup appointment for her next big night, or for New Year's Eve.
- Any amount you choose. Pick $50, $100, $150 or $200, or type in your own amount. To give a particular service, type in its price, for example $180 for glam makeup. Each certificate is valid for any service, and anything left on it stays there for next time.
- Ready to give in minutes. The certificate arrives by email or text on the day you choose, so it can land on Christmas morning, or you can send it to yourself, print it and put it under the tree. It is valid for 3 years from the date of purchase.
- Where to buy. Buy online through Square gift cards. More about certificates is on the gift certificates page.
- Made for flash photographs. Party photos are taken all evening, most of them on a phone with the flash on, and flash finds every heavy edge of powder. The base is built to look like skin on camera, not only in the mirror.
- Made for a warm room and dancing. A full venue in December gets hot. Skin is prepared and set so it stays fresh rather than shiny, and the eye is set so it does not crease or smudge halfway through the night.
- One thing in your bag. You leave knowing what to refresh and with what, which for most people is only the lipstick. If your own shade is different, ask and I can usually give you a little of the colour you are wearing.
- Tell me when you need to be finished. Not when the party starts. Getting dressed and the drive to the venue are yours to add on top, because only you know how long they take.
- The same season, a later night. New Year's Eve is the party where people go bolder: more shimmer, more glitter and a stronger eye, because the night runs past midnight and the photographs are taken under fireworks and dance floor lights.
- New Year's Eve books out first. December 31 is one of the busiest days of the year for makeup, and the afternoon appointments go quickly. Send the hour you need to be finished as soon as your plans are set.
- Hair that lasts until after midnight. If you will be dancing past twelve, hair is better pinned up or set to hold its shape. Tell me what you are wearing and I will suggest what will last, and hair styling can be done in the same appointment.
Christmas party hair and makeup
The price of hair depends on its length, how complex the style is and how thick your hair is. Book by length below, on its own or in the same appointment as makeup, and anything extra is agreed with you first.
Most Christmas parties fall on Thursdays and Fridays between late November and the middle of December, and the afternoon appointments on those days go first. If you are getting ready as a team, send the numbers and the hour you all need to be finished as early as you can, and the afternoon is planned around them.
A gift certificate for makeup, hair or both, from $50, sent by email and ready to forward or print. Buy a gift certificate or see all of them on the gift certificates page.
Online booking is for the studio in Middle Park. For a mobile booking, send an enquiry instead: travel time is planned by hand, and the start time and travel fee are confirmed first.
Ask a questionGood to know
It depends on the party and on you. For a work Christmas party most people choose soft glam or a polished glam: glowing skin, a shimmer eye and a lip with some colour. For an evening function or New Year's Eve, a smoky eye, glitter or a red lip are all at home. We choose together from your outfit, the venue and how much you want to see on your own face.
That is what it is built for. Long wear is the part of my work I am known for: the base stays fresh in a warm room, the eye does not crease or smudge while you dance, and the lip holds through drinks and dinner if you eat with a little care. Most people only refresh their lipstick once during the night.
Yes, and it is one of the most common ways a Christmas party is booked. Send the number of people and the hour everyone needs to be finished, and the session is planned for the whole group. I work with assistants, so a larger team is possible, and each person still gets a look made for her own features.
Yes. A meeting room with a table, a chair and some daylight is enough, and a home or a hotel room near the venue works just as well. Travel is charged at $1 per kilometre driven, and because I drive out and back that works out at $2 for every kilometre between us, confirmed before you book. One person can also come to my studio in Middle Park.
A makeup session runs from about 40 minutes to an hour and a half, depending on how much the look asks for, and hair alongside it adds to that. How long yours takes is settled once I know the look you want and how many people are getting ready, and everything is planned backwards from the hour you need to be finished.
Yes. It is the same season and the same kind of evening, only later and usually bolder, with more shimmer and glitter. December 31 is one of the busiest days of the year, so it is worth sending your enquiry early.
Hair up lasts longest: an updo, a low bun or a French twist stays in place through dinner, a warm room and dancing. Waves last well too when they are set properly, and they are the most popular choice with a glam look. If you are not sure, send a photo of your hair and your outfit and I will suggest what will hold until the end of the night.
Yes. You choose the amount online, from $50 or any amount you type in, such as the price of the service you want to give. The certificate arrives by email or text on the day you pick, or you can send it to yourself to print or forward. It is valid for 3 years. Companies also buy them for their staff as an end of year thank you, one certificate for each person.
Yes, on its own or in the same appointment as the makeup. The price of hair depends on three things: the length, how complex the style is and how thick your hair is. Christmas party hair prices are in the price list above and more examples are on the hair styling page. If you send a photo of your hair and the style you like, I will give you an accurate quote before you book.
Book your Christmas party hair and makeup
Tell me the date of the party, how many of you are getting ready and where, and the hour you need to be finished, and I will come back with a time and a quote.