Now that Christmas has come and gone in all its glory, there is one thing on everybody's mind - New Years Eve celebrations. Where are you going, who are you going with and how will you manage the walk from the taxi in those beautiful new black stiletto heels and figure hugging frock? We have asked ourselves the same questions on many occasions. One thing that you definitely won't have to worry about is preping and pampering your skin before the big night.

We've put our top 5 tips below so that you can prepare your skin for the New Years Eve celebrations you have planned this year.

I've always been fascinated by the Christmas stocking. Written records don’t really indicate how the tradition of the Christmas stocking got started, but there are several legends surrounding this wonderful tradition. The most trustworthy legend maintains that Saint Nicolas learned about a poor man who couldn’t afford to pay a dowry for his three daughters, and he was worried about them. Saint Nicolas decided to help the man, and he took three bags of gold with him down the chimney of the man’s home.

Once inside, he found the girls’ stockings hanging on the mantelpiece after washing, and he added the gold bags to the stockings and then went about his Christmas Eve rounds. As the story spread, children began hanging their own stockings or putting out shoes, waiting for their own gifts. Usually, they used their own socks, but later, specially decorated stockings were created for the holiday, which we now known simply as the Christmas stocking.

With Christmas literally around the corner, I have recently started thinking about nice little presents that would be ideal for stocking fillers. It's always nice to give additional presents that are just as appreciated as the main present on Christmas Day, so I've put together some of my favourite Christmas skincare products that I think will make great stocking fillers, so here's 7 of our best.

One great thing that I love about this time of year is that the Christmas period also means a party season - time to celebrate and enjoy the Christmas festivities whether it's a work Christmas party or a friends Christmas reunion, there is no better time to dress up nice and party the night away. 

Getting ready for the party is where the fun begins and is a perfect excuse to really pamper yourself and prep your skin for a night of dancing and laughter.  To help with preparing for the party season, here are some natural skincare products that are great for a little pamper session before heading off for your big night out.

Here's 6 of our best natural skincare products to give you celebrity looking skin this Christmas.

November is international vegan awareness month, which means a whole month dedicated to raise awareness of the benefits of living a vegan lifestyle. Now, I promise you, living a vegan lifestyle isn't as scary as it sounds!

It can be flexible and designed to meet your lifestyle needs, so it's totally up to you how dedicated a vegan you want to be. For example, this can range from going 100% full vegan with your diet to simply only using vegan products on your skin.

I know how important and beneficial vegan skincare can be for our skin which is why all Thea Skincare products are vegan and vegetarian friendly - leaving out animal ingredients and harsh chemicals that can further irritate and aggravate the skin. So, whether you have dry, sensitive or acne prone skin, switching to all vegan skincare products might be a great alternative. To make your decision a little easier, I wanted to share with you some of the pretty amazing benefits a vegan skincare routine can offer:

I love Halloween, firstly because it's my birthday and secondly because it reminds me of the glorious days of making pumpkin lamps and watching my children's face light up when we switched of the lights and lit the candles inside the pumpkin.

Over the years, I've also discovered the wonderful natural skincare benefits of this autumn winter vegetable. The magical skincare ingredients in pumpkin will not only lights up your lantern but will also light up your body and bring a wonderful seasonal glow to your skin.

Image:Shutterstock 221809180:  Copyright Alexandra Lande

So here are 6 top skincare tips using pumpkin to light up your skin this Halloween

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK. Around 55,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Of these about 350 are men. The biggest risk factors for developing breast cancer are getting older, being female and for a few, having a significant family history of the disease. Just over 80% of breast cancers occur in women who are over the age of 50. Nearly half of all cases are diagnosed in people in the 50-69 age group. Source: breast cancer care.

Image Shutterstock:126576680: Copyright:Cienpies Design

Here's my friend Ann's personal journey

It's not very often that we discover that something we love to eat is actually good for our health and our skin. Naughty but nice can be replaced with it's good and nice, at least for the rest of the week.

There are many different types of chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate with mint, orange, fruit, nuts and you name it every kind of chocolate you can think off in between.

But what's really good for our skin is the rich dark chocolate. The darker the chocolate the more natural cocoa it contains and it is the cocoa that makes dark chocolate so special and so good for our skin. The higher the levels of natural cocoa in the chocolate the better it is for our body and our skin. As a rule of thumb, look for dark chocolate that has at least 70% natural cocoa, for maxiumum benefit for your skin and body.

Image Shutterstock: 222919804: Copyright bit24

Here are 5 reasons why dark chocolate can give you flawless glowing skin

So October is Stoptober a campaign devoted to encouraging people who smoke to kick the habit. There are approximately 10 million adults in Britain who smoke cigarettes and research suggests that those who successfully give up for four weeks, are five times more likely to stay smoke-free.

Quitting smoking also has beneficial effects on your skin as the appearance of your skin will improve as smoking causes premature ageing due to the toxins in tobacco smoke. 'Your skin reflects your lifestyle and what you eat and drink.' Smoking makes your skin look dull, sallow and it reduces the skin's natural elasticity making it more prone to sagging and wrinkles. Kicking the habit will rejuvenate the complexion as the skin becomes better nourished with oxygen and nutrients.

Copyright: Crown Department of Health

There is also a link between heavy smoking and developing hand eczema. If you are prone to atopic eczema smoking and stress can make this condition worse. Smoking and skincare are closely linked and the heavier you smoke the more your skin will age prematurely. For many smokers, giving up is one of the hardest things to do due to the addiction to nicotine in cigarettes. The good news is that there are some great nutrient rich foods that anyone who smokes can eat to help them to quit the habit and feed, nourish, tone and hydrates the skin all at the same.

Here's 6 of the best natural foods that can help anyone who smokes to quit

I remember my 30^th birthday I went for a week to Spain with 5 girlfriends to celebrate. It was a week of sun, sea and a bit too much to drink. Then in a flash, I was 40 and my skin had started to change and although I had a regular skincare routine, I noticed things about my face and skin in general that I had not noticed before.

My skin had started to get dryer and I could see some fine lines and a few wrinkles appearing around my eyes for the first time. It hit me, I was getting older so I had to take some drastic measures to step up my skincare mantra to address my progressively ageing skin.

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Here's 6 of the best natural antiaging skincare tips

I spend a lot of time reading about celebrities and skincare experts to find simple ways to keep my skin in tip top condition. Like many people, working long hours and sometimes not getting enough sleep can play havoc with my skin and to top it all winter's on its way so there's another challenge to conquer.

My skincare aim is to avoid getting spots and to control my oily T-zone, so that my face does not look oily under my make-up. So, I try to find time at least once a week to give my skin some extra TLC.

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I have typical combination skin, with an oily T-zone and dry forehead so I like to use a treatment mask to give my skin a deeper clean and remove excess oil around my nose area. I don't have time to do anything more in the week than my basic skincare routine so on Saturdays I like to step up my skincare prep ready for the weekend and week to come. It's amazing how my skin feels afterwards and I feel ready for the weekend when I've had this simple 'face treat'.

So, here's how to get a perfect face treatment in just 20 minutes.