With just a few days until New Years Eve, I have been giving some thought to my party look for the big night… Sequinned dress, tick. Glamorous up-do, tick. Manicured nails, tick. Fake tan, tick…

When it comes to my make-up, however, the pressure is on. So when I bumped into celebrity make-up artist Daniel Sandler just before Christmas, I asked him for a few tips. How do I create the perfect party eye? And what products should I invest in?

Here are Daniel’s words of wisdom, along with product suggestions for each step:

1. Apply Primer over your entire eyelid to aid blending and help keep make-up in place.
Clarins Instant Light Eye Perfecting Base, £20, is perfect – the lightweight, invisible formula glides onto lids evenly and smoothly.

2. Apply a shimmery eye shadow, like gold or silver, onto lids – but don’t blend past the socket.
Then apply a matte shadow softly into sockets, blending out and upwards to create a cat eye effect – I recommend a dark grey. For this step, I will be investing in two Dior Ultra-Smooth High Impact Eyeshadows – Argenic, £19.50, and Smoking Black, £15. They boast impressive pigment for long-lasting, high impact colour.

3. Line the inner eye rim and upper and lower lash line with a soft, smoky eye pencil then smudge with a rounded end brush to soften.
I’m a big fan of Givenchy Magic Khol Eyeliner in Black, £12.69 – it’s soft and very easy to blend. For the brush, I will be using Dior Backstage Medium Eyeshadow Brush, £16.50.

4. It’s all about strong structured brows right now.
Strengthen brows by brushing them upwards with a brow grooming brush then fill in any thin areas or gaps. Brush them back into place and fix using a little hairspray applied to the brush.
Dior’s Backstage Brow Brush, £11, is perfect for the job – it’s made of the softest, finest brush hairs to keep brows tidy and groomed.

5. Curl lashes and apply jet black mascara to top lashes.
For a really striking eyes, create the ‘wow factor’ by applying a few false lashes to the outer edges of the lash line. Finish with a touch of magic to dazzle on the dance floor – dip little fingers into a eye shadow with sparkle and add delicately to the corner of false lashes!
For mascara, I adore Clarins Wonder Length Mascara, £18, which makes lashes seem impossibly long. Once the false lashes are applied, Guerlain Terracotta Khol Loose Powder, £21.50 will add a touch of festive sparkle!

Once I have perfected my party eyes, I will be hitting the dance floor hard to see in the new year! Have a fabulous night – and I will see you all in 2011!