OUR essential party survival guide covers everything from miracle medicines to friendly foods, and banishing those bloodshot party eyes.<$>

NO matter how sensible you’ve been the rest of the year, Christmas is traditionally a time to eat, drink, be merry and party on down to your heart’s content. But there is a downside to all those office dos, boozy family lunches and seasonal get-togethers too — sometimes you can be due at the next bash before you’ve even had chance to draw breath and recover from the last one.

Obviously, though the very best way to avoid a hangover is just not to get drunk in the first place. And if you are going to be drinking, do it sensibly — don’t booze on an empty stomach and do try to alternate alcoholic drinks with water or a soft drink.

But if you find that all your good intentions get swept away by a tidal wave of excess festive spirit, all is not lost. There are ways to ensure that you can still look like the life and soul of the party, even if you feel more like death warmed up.

The process begins the morning after. Your first step should be to brush your teeth and tongue to get rid of that furry feeling, before jumping into an invigorating shower to wake yourself up.

Next, you need to turn your attention to your face. Celebrity stylist Ceril Campbell says: “If you came home drunk, then it’s highly likely that you’ve slept in your make-up.

“In the morning, take the time to cleanse properly, especially if you’ve used anything sparkly — you may think you’ve removed it all, only to find you’ve still got bits of glitter stuck all over your face.”

A good moisturiser will help your face recover — try Afterlife by Lush which has been specially designed to perk up skin that has taken the toll of too much hard living.

And once you’ve washed and are feeling revived, you should hopefully be ready to leave the bathroom and face the kitchen.

Many people swear by a fry-up when they’re feeling hungover, but if you really can’t face a plate full of bacon and eggs swimming in grease, there are other, much healthier ways to recover.

Ceril Campbell’s website, Red Carpet Glamour (www.redcarpetglamour.com), sells many natural products to boost your inner beauty, including the vitamin-packed hangover remedy Emergen-C.

Alternatively, you can take the detox approach and try squeezing a little lemon juice into a glass of warm water to help flush out your system.

Hopefully this will help you face the day ahead, but if you find you’re flagging again by the evening, you may need to rely on a few fashion and beauty tricks.

If you’re feeling a little delicate, you may decide against experimenting with a new outfit and opt to stick with something tried and tested. But be warned — that trusty little black dress might not be as flattering as you think.

Ceril says: “When you feel bad the very worst thing you can do is wear black. It doesn’t matter that it’s very fashionable this Christmas — it will wash you out and make you look even paler.

“Go for a colour instead — even a darker shade like brown or green is better than black.”However, while black may be out, she believes other trends can work in your favour, especially when it comes to your hair. “The look this season is very ladylike and Sixties-inspired”, she explains.

“So if your hair isn’t looking great or you haven’t had a chance to wash it, you’ll be able to get away with it by back-combing it or slicking it back into a ponytail.”

Make-up can also be used to freshen up you appearance, but be careful not to overdo it. If you’ve been wearing make-up during the day, make sure you remove it and start again — don’t just apply a fresh layer over the top.

A good foundation and blusher will take the edge off your ghostly pallor and put the colour back in your cheeks.

You need to pay special attention to your eyes as they’re the biggest giveaway if you’re still feeling rough — and wearing sunglasses indoors during December really doesn’t fool anyone.

Applying some mascara and making sure your eyebrows are looking their best will also help you get that wide-eyed look, but for maximum impact, go for Sixties-style eyes, with lots of dark liner and smoky sockets.

Not only will this add a dash of sultry glamour, a la Brigitte Bardot, it will also make your sunken eyes and black circles look like a fashion statement rather than the result of a night on the tiles.

Then with a slick of lip gloss and some chewing gum or mints in your bag in case your morning breath comes back to haunt you, you’re ready to go to the ball looking fresh as a daisy.

However, it’s worth remembering that while these quick fixes may work as a one off, the damage caused by regular binge drinking will be harder to cover up.

As Ceril Campbell says: “How you look on the outside is a reflection of how healthy you are inside. And even if your face doesn’t show the damage, your liver will.”