It is time to shine as the Christmas party season arrives, so here is a stylish selection of the perfect outfits to help you dress to impress, all shot on location in the setting of Wivenhoe House Hotel

MODELS: Sam WoodPHOTOGRAPHY: Keith MindhamFASHION DIRECTION: Julian ReadHAIR: Claire SmeeMAKE-UP: Denise LoweLOCATION: Wivenhoe House Hotel

On Location

Wivenhoe HouseWivenhoe ParkColchesterEssex CO4 3SQ01206 863666www.wivenhoehouse.co.uk

Wivenhoe House, once painted by John Constable, stands proudly as a charming stately home which has recently been magnificently restored. The 18th century Essex country house is also deliciously different, with signature dishes donated by some of the country’s leading chefs, a team of butlers anticipating your every need and a contemporary garden wing with brasserie that sits in contrast to the meticulously renovated old house. Wivenhoe House bristles with innovative ideas from the fertile minds of a group of young managers because this is also the home of the Edge Hotel School, a unique concept within the UK which sees a live, working hotel nurture the best of young talent through a university education. The ethos focuses on great service and a unique experience, perfect for a short break, corporate event, function or country house wedding.

HAIR

Christmas 2012 is all about glamour, texture and romance. Soft tumbling movement with curls sit elegantly against this season’s winter structured suits and layered couture evening gowns. To create a sultry look to turn heads, use volume shampoo and conditioner to prepare hair for a uller finish. Roughly dry the hair to take out excess moisture, then apply volume root boost spray to the roots or a thickening mousse. Shake head upside down and dry through thoroughly. If you feel confident, use random sections and pop in hot rollers, applying hairspray to each section efore rolling up. Alternatively, hot tongs, wands or GHDs can also give you the red carpet movement, again taking sections wrapping the hair around the barrel and slowly turning and sliding out through each strand. Be it hot rollers or tongs, always ensure that your hair is completely dry so as not to burn the hair. If your hair is chemically treated, it’s always advisable to use a heat protective spray. Give yourself plenty of time and once all the hair is curled have fun – either loose and flowing or experiment with grips to pin areas up or over to one side. The end result s soft and delicate, but full of movement and body.Denise Lowe and Claire Smee

MAKE-UP

This season's winter collections are full of texture colour and light reflective fabrics. So with that in mind, think more of a demi-matt finish for your make-up application with a hint of dazzle. If you like to work your eyes strong and smoky, to add a flavour of festivity add a light Champagne reflective shimmer to the inner tear drop area to brighten and widen your eye flutter. With drama on the eyes, toned, muted lips allow the eyes to stand out with strength. Use a nude lip pencil and finishwith a delicate gloss over. Choose the perfect foundation by applying samples of tones to the lower jaw area. Once you have found the perfect match, apply with a brush or fingers working gently down and out. Finish with a translucent powder to give a demi-matt finish and to set the foundation. Cheeks needn’t be bold as it’s all about the colour, so hoose your brush wisely. The shorter the bristle the more pigment of colour is applied, the longer the bristles the softer the finish. If you are blessed with fabulous full lips then show them with colour and let your lips do the talking. There is no need to work too hard on eye shadows, just load up with lashes be it mascara or falsies. Be bold with your lip colour choice too, such as gold plums, pretty pinks or the unmistakeable siren reds and overload with gloss.

STOCKISTS

Quadrant220 Moulsham StreetChelmsfordEssexCM2 0LS01245 349126 andQuadrant 9-15 George YardBraintreeEssexCM7 2QA01376 321303www.chelmsfordstar.coop

Phoenix8 Market EndCoggeshallEssexCO6 1NH01376 564998

SHOES

Ruby & Violet34 High streetHalsteadEssex CO9 2AP01787 828084http://www.rubyandviolet.co.uk

CHRISTMAS FLOWERS

Poppies Flowers28 Sixth AvenueChelmsfordCM1 4ED01245 495851www.poppiesflowers.co.uk

HAIR & MAKE-UP

Denise Lowe and Claire SmeeCaramel Browne 54 Blackberry Road StanwayColchester EssexCO3 0RZ 01206 330709www.caramelbrowne.co.uk