My 12 Days Of Christmas Tips

From festive and glitzy parties to spending time with family and friends for the holidays, there is no doubt you want to look and feel your best! Not only do we want to look and feel our best, we want to enjoy quality time with family & friends. When we rush around and are constantly thinking about what is next, it can quickly take the fun and enjoyment out of the holiday season. I want this season to be the happiest time of the year. I know planning ahead is my ultimate goal this year, so that I can stop and soak up the magic of the season with my littles, family & friends. I am so excited about this holiday season with my kiddos, they are already loving all the fun and magic that is happening! From making you look and feel gorgeous for those under-the mistletoe-moments, to planning ahead & enjoying the season, here are my “12 Days of Christmas Tips!” 

1. Skin Party Prep

Glow in a bottle! Literally. It’s no secret Lux Pads are one of my all time favorite products. You only need to use them twice a week and the night before a holiday event is definitely the time! Use this medical grade acid wipe after cleansing, before bed, and wake up to an overnight facelift! You’ll feel bright, glowy and tight in all the right ways.

2. Party Makeup

Christmas is the perfect time to go a little more heavy and bold with the make-up and have some fun with it! One secret to looking great for your Christmas party is to put on your eye shadow first. Then apply your foundation and any other make-up you want to wear. This way you know that any loose eye shadow won’t fall in those places you don’t want it. I also like to keep makeup wipes handy to help clean up any unwanted eye makeup that may land on your cheeks. A cotton Q-tip works wonders too for spot treating any clean up! One of my all time favorite eye shadows is Eyes to Mesmerise Cream Eyeshadow in Star Gold! I have recently become obsessed with this new eyeshadow palette that I will be using this holiday season for sure!

3. Simple Sleek Pony or Bun

Christmas is such a frantic time that it can be difficult to find the energy to fuss over hairstyles. Yet, if you want to look fantastic then one of the best beauty tips you can master is the art of simple hairdos. If you want to put your hair up, try a sleek pony or ballerina bun. For the pony, tease your hair first to give a little volume by backcombing at the part. Use ½ pump of my favorite hair oil serum KérastaseElixir Ultime Hydrating Hair Oil Serum and put your hair in a parted sleek pony. Then, take one piece of the pony and wrap it around the ponytail holder and secure it with a bobby pin for a finishing touch. This look is elegant, simple and most importantly quick. Or add some flare with an elegant holiday hair bow, they are definitely on trend this year! For a sleek holiday bun, I like to wear a middle part and again use my favorite hair oil. I will put my hair in a pony at the nape of my neck and then wrap in a bun! Both of these styles are stylish and elegant.

4. The Perfect Red Lip

Nothing says Christmas like the perfect red lip! Slathering the perfect Christmas red plumpness on your pout will definitely bring you some Christmas cheer this year. To master the look, line your lips with Charlotte Tilbury Lip Liner in No Walk of Shame.. Then apply a creamy lipstick Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution in No Walk of Shame. I love this color because it is red, but not too bright and looks great on all skin tones. To glam up your lips even more add some of my fav lip gloss. Don’t forget to throw your lip essentials in your clutch before you run out of the door – you may need to retouch if you happen to step under the mistletoe! 😉

5. Combat Alcohol Side Effects

Although you may like sipping a tasty espresso martini or cosmopolitan, your skin doesn’t. Alcohol dehydrates you and can leave your skin dry, gray and dull. To make sure your skin glows despite the endless flow of alcohol over the festive period your moisturizer won’t be enough. Instead invest in a medical grade hydrating serum with hyaluronic acid. Apply in the morning after a night out and give your skin a good “drink of water”. I recommend my RFA HA Peptide Serum layered with RFA Silk Serum on top to really lock in the HA and nourish the dehydrated skin. 

Another recommendation is to make sure you are staying hydrated if choosing to drink this holiday season. After every alcoholic drink, have a full 8 ounce glass of water or bottle of water before having another drink. Your skin, body and head will thank you the next day.

6. Tired Eyes

All those nights partying to Mariah Carey’s Christmas album are bound to leave even young eyes looking tired. To make sure you stay looking bright and alert over Christmas give yourself a little eye massage to get rid of puffy eyes. Begin at the corner of one of your eyes in the crow’s feet and work your way up, between your brow bone and your eyelid, and onto the eyelid itself rubbing as you go until you reach the outer edge of your eye. Repeat along your lower lash line. Use RFA Hydrating Eye Serum while performing your massage (I do this morning and night! Its a non-negotiable for me!). This hyaluronic eye serum delivers super hydration benefits to plump and smooth the eye area minimizing fine lines and wrinkles. Packed with antioxidants rest assured your eye area will be protected from free radical damage to prevent aging. Pro-Tip: Apply to your lips as well 😉

7. Plan Your Outfits Ahead

I am planning ahead by ordering a few new tops and holiday outfits so they are ready to go and on hand. I have found my cute Christmas outfits on Revolve.com & GenertionLoveClothing.com this year! There is nothing worse than the day of your party or event and not knowing what you’re going to wear. No one wants to try on multiple outfits an hour before you’re supposed to leave. When you’re running around the house getting everyone but yourself ready, you’ll thank yourself when you have your outfits ready to go. I’ve also ordered our family, matching holiday pajamas for Christmas morning, this is one of my favorite traditions! 

8. Get Your Workout In

Get a workout on the days of your events, I promise you will feel better! If that means waking up a little earlier to squeeze in 30 minutes before the kids wake up or before having to get ready, do it. I like to do EMOM workouts, go for a run or walk. Whatever is your preference, move your body! If you’re looking for great EMOM workouts, I post them daily in my blog. Check them out here. 

9. Smile

I’m about to reveal one of the best beauty Christmas tips of all time, so sit comfortably and listen up. Here it is: have FUN. It sounds so simple, but whatever you’re up to this Christmas, make sure you spend time with people you love and people who make you feel good about yourself. Having a great time is the perfect beauty treatment because when you’re having a great time it shows: your skin glows, your eyes brighten and everyone warms to you and wants to spend time with you!

10. Wrapping Gifts

Wrapping gifts takes a lot of time, just for your littles to quickly rip them open on Christmas Morning. But who doesn’t love the look of perfectly wrapped presents under the tree? It’s such a beautiful site when the lights of the tree sparkle on the gifts. A great tip is to pick a specific wrapping paper for each person/event you’re going to. Your kids will all have their own, your in-laws, parents, etc… and make yourself a cheat sheet! It’s also a fun little surprise for your kids if you don’t tell them who’s paper is who’s and it makes the anticipation that much more fun! You can skip the tags this way, saving you time. And there won’t be mistakes loading up the car with the wrong gifts! Let’s be honest, that’s happened to all of us at least once! Haha

11. Pick Your Signature Dish

Going to the grocery store during the holidays is stressful, the lines are long and it never fails, you have to go to multiple places to find that one ingredient or every store is out of cream cheese! Is it just me or is cream cheese in every holiday yummy food? This year I’m planning ahead and picking 1 “signature dish” to bring to all events I am going to. This way I know everything I need to buy and how many, it keeps things a little more organized and simple. My signature dish is still to be determined, but I am brainstorming!

12. Stop & Enjoy The Moments

Don’t forget to stop and enjoy the magic of Christmas. This year my kids are so excited and are at really fun ages. I am looking forward to all of our activities planned and our traditions. We are all about having fun, making memories and spreading holiday cheer. Light a candle, turn on the fireplace, have the Christmas tree on and turn on a Christmas movie or music and relax! Be present in the moments with your loved ones. When it comes down to it, your kids won’t remember that one gift they got when they were 5, they will remember the quality time, memories and traditions you created year after year!

My goal this year is to be more present and less stressed! I hope these 12 tips help you this holiday season as well! 

Wishing you the happiest season of joy!

XO-

Racquel