Kathryn Smith from Norwich nominated mum Jenny for a Life Matters makeover with a Christmas twist. By EMMA HARROWING.

It is the time of year when you can add a touch of sparkle to your look. Christmas parties, posh dinners and family gatherings provide an excuse to pop on your best frock and revel in the festivities.

Kathryn Smith from Norwich feels that her mum Jenny deserves a little festive cheer this year after her self-esteem was given a knock when her marriage broke down.

Says Kathryn: 'Mum has always been my rock. She has helped me through several years of depression and mental health problems and spends so much time looking after others that she leaves no time to treat herself. I help her style her hair differently and treat her to a makeover at home and she looks beautiful, but she finds it difficult to maintain. When we go clothes shopping in the city she feels very unsure about new styles and so always opts for the same style clothes. It would be great to give my mum some sparkle back.'

Jenny works at Specsavers on White Lion Street and she does volunteer work in her spare time. After a tough year it is time that the 55-year-old is given a little bit of 'me' time and what could be better than by shopping for a glamorous party look.

Clothes

To help Jenny find the perfect dress for Christmas John Lewis fashion advisor Julia Kaluska gives her some tips on what shapes will suit her. Says Julia: 'When it comes to choosing the perfect Christmas outfit it is not so much about dressing to suit your age, but more about dressing to suit your body shape.

'Jenny has a petite frame and is quite straight up and down. The best way to dress this shape is to choose tunic style dresses with no definition at the waist or under the bust. This will make you look slimmer and taller.

'A dress that falls on or just above the knee is flattering if you are petite. If you are conscience of the tops of your arms a shrug that just covers up the top part of your arms instead of wrapping over the body will hide your arms and keep your look streamlined.'

Sequins are a big trend this season and Julia shows Jenny how she can wear this style by picking out a dark teal sequin shift dress teamed with a matching shrug.

The dress is accessorised with a simple black and white bow detail clutch and to give Jenny a little bit more height a pair of mid-heel gold coloured peep-toe sandals completes her look.

Hair

Jenny's hair is in need of a party revamp and so it's up to the stylists at Saks on Orford Hill to work their magic.

Says Lauren: 'At the moment Jenny's warm red hair contrasts with her cool skin tone. Usually style rules state that hair colour should match your skin tone, however it's good to break to rules once in a while!

'For Jenny's colour I'm going to break up the red with caramel highlights and use a richer red as the base colour.

'The warm colours will contrast with her cool complexion. For the cut I'm going to take the weight out of the top and add flicks to the ends.

'This style should be easy to maintain at home.'

Make-up

To make Jenny look like she is the belle of the ball, Debbie at the Estee Lauder counter in John Lewis shows her how to perfect a flawless party look.

Get Jenny's look:

For the base

After cleansing and moisturising your skin find a foundation that perfectly matches your skin tone. Debbie used Estee Lauder's iMatch colour matching system to find Jenny's perfect colour base. Apply foundation with a brush, starting at the centre of your face and blend outwards to give an even coverage. Cover any blemishes or dark circles with concealer.

For the eyes

Create a simple smoky eye look by choosing three shades of one colour. Debbie picked a grey pallette containing cream, mid grey and dark grey eye shadows.

Use the cream or lighter shade over your eye lids up to the brow bone and apply a little to the corner of your eyes. Apply the mid shade across your eye lid from the centre to the outer edge up to the crease and blend. Finally apply the dark shade along your eye crease from the centre to the outer edge and blend on the outer edge down towards your eye lid. Finish the eyes with a coat of mascara.

For the cheeks

Keep cheeks neutral with a nude rose blush. Apply the blush with a brush just under the apples of your cheeks and blend upwards and outwards towards your hair line.

For the lips

Use a dark rose lip pencil to line and fill in your lips. This will make your lipstick last longer. Next use a dark rose shade lipstick to add colour and definition to your lips. Complete with a top coat of lip gloss.

The verdict

Says Jenny: 'I always struggle to find clothes to suit my shape and most of the time I feel short and stocky in most of the items I choose. Having a fashion advisor on hand is a great way to pluck up the courage to try on something completely different as they know what will suit your shape. The dress that was choosen for me is something that I would never have picked up, but the style looks amazing on me – in fact it makes me look as if I have curves! My hair feels great and I'm sure that I will be able to recreate the look at home. I'm pleased with my make-up. I don't usually wear eye shadow unless Kathryn puts it on for me, but I'm tempted to try and see if I can recreate this look, especially with Christmas and New Year parties on the horizon.'