Holiday Festive

Coat- Forever 21, Sweater- Forever 21, Shirt- J.Crew Factory, Jeans- Old Navy, Flats- Charming Charlie (on sale for $14.99!), Necklace- Lulu's

Photos by Laura Ross

Around the holidays, sometimes you just have to go all out, whether that means sequins, glitter, or the obvious red and green pairing. I love this flannel from J.Crew Factory because its literally perfect for Christmas, but since it's mainly white it's still cute enough to wear all winter long. For a Christmas get together with my boyfriend's family, I threw a red sweater on top and called it a day. And I won't lie, I may very well wear this again for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day! How could I not?

Happy holidays! I hope you all enjoy lots of good food and family!

Holiday Date Night

Coat- Forever 21 (30% off!), Sweater- Forever 21 (similar), Skirt- Forever 21, Heels- Express

Photos by Laura Ross

I've been pretty obsessed with plaid this fall and winter, so this Forever 21 skirt (at under $20!) made its way into my closet as a part of my last online order. Last Saturday, my boyfriend and I had a Christmas themed date night where we tried out a new restaurant I'd been dying to go to, and then drove around looking at Christmas lights in a nearby neighborhood. I wanted to wear something festive, but something that wasn't as obvious as red and green. I always love the look of a chunky sweater with a slim skirt, so my favorite gray sweater was the perfect choice. I actually ended up switching my shoe choice last minute to my black over the knee boots for a bit more warmth, but I love these black mules as an option for an understated holiday shoe to pair with dresses, skirt or pant looks.

Holiday Lookbook: Family Gathering

Shirt- JCPenney, Vest- Sears, Skirt- J.Crew Factory, Tights- Merona, Boots- Chinese Laundry

  

On Christmas day, my family gets together after lunch to open presents and eat lunch together. I like to wear something comfortable but still festive and cute. A plaid button up seemed to be the obvious choice to start my outfit. I paired it with a wool skirt and the most comfortable tights I own (seriously, no muffin top here- the waistband on these things is incredible!). I needed something to top off the look, so my faux fur vest went on top. I don't get to wear this thing enough!

White bib necklace- Mindy Mae's Market, Rhinestone necklace- Shop Lately (sign up with Facebook to get $10 off your first order!)

I wanted to add some sparkle at my collar so I layered two necklaces together. This has been my favorite trick lately to make my statement necklaces even more of a statement! These two are some of my more recent purchases and I love them both! They were affordable but still great quality. Follow Mindy Mae's Market on Instagram as they sometimes post flash sales- that's how I picked up this pretty! And if you are not already shopping for jewelry on Shop Lately, you really need to be! Think eBay for all the Etsy and other small online jewelry sellers out there. You can find tons of J.Crew and Baublebar dupes at great prices.

Sleek eyeshadow palette in Storm, NYX blush in Angel, Revlon Colorstay eye pencil in black, Benefit They're Real! Mascara, NYX lipstick in Eros

For a day of catching up with family, straight hair is the way to go. No need to do anything fancy. This is how I wear my hair most days, but I spent a little extra time blow drying it with a round brush to make sure it was smooth and shiny.

As far as makeup is concerned, I can't think of anything more Christmassy than a red lip. Of course with a lipstick this pigmented, you'll want to start with lipliner. Line and fill in your lips completely. Apply your lipstick on top, then blot with a Kleenex. Another layer of lipstick over that will guarantee that the color will last longer, though I can't promise it'll last through your third trip to the dessert table! Since my lips were so bright, I used a shimmery champagne eyeshadow all over my lids, and a matte brown shade in my crease. A thin line of eyeliner on top and a coat of mascara was all I needed to complete my eye look. I used a rosy pink blush to bring a little color to my cheeks and I was done.

OPI Pirouette My Whistle (silver glitter), Sephora by OPI Indi-go With the Flow (blue glitter), Zoya (snowflakes)

The inspiration for my nails was a white Christmas, which I will most likely not get in Texas! Sparkly nails will have to do. I applied a pearly white polish first, and then started layering silver glitter polish on top. I used the blue glitter polish to create a gradient affect towards to tips of my nails. A few nails got a blue snowflake accent that I created with my Konad stamper and plate m59.

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Check out my other Holiday Lookbook posts for more outfit inspiration!

Linking up with Three-for Thurdsay: Bethany & Meghan | Spotlight of the Week: Jacqueline & Elle | Tres Chic Thursday |  Mix and Match Fashion | Working Girl With Style

Holiday Lookbook: Cocktail Party

Dress- Lulu's, Coat- Asos, Heels- GoJane

  

When I shop for fancy dresses, my eyes always gravitate toward the full sequin sheaths that are, of course, made of spandex and skintight. Sequins+spandex does not work for my body type and I always end up looking bigger than I am. With this LDB, I still get the effect of sequins on the fun criss-cross straps, and the thicker black fabric is actually slimming. I feel much more confident in this dress than in those full sequin numbers! The beauty of wearing a black and gold dress is that you can have fun with your outerwear, which is why I chose to wear my leopard faux fur coat on top. Faux fur is really in for party wear this season! (See here, here, and here.) I finished off the look with glittery gold heeled sandals.

Bracelets- J.Crew Factory. Francesca's

   

No need for a necklace with this dress, and when attempting to wear dangly earrings, it was just too much. Instead, I focused on sparkly arm candy. I couldn't do without earrings completely, so I wore my favorite little gold hammered studs that I got on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence this spring.

Clutch- Francesca's

  
A little gold clutch went perfectly with my outfit. The embellishments on the front flap make it feel a little special. It also has a gold chain strap, so I don't have to carry in in my hands all night.

I see a lot of updos and think, "I'd like to recreate that." But when I try, it's a major fail! Enter this 

super easy look that only requires a curling iron, a few bobby pins, and hairspray. All I had to do was curl my hair as usual, then pull all the hair to one side. I pinned it to the side with the guidance of this youtube video (she has AMAZING hair tutorials) to make sure I got it right. The spray and you're done!

Sleek eyeshadow palette in Original, NYX blush in Spice, Benefit They're Real Mascara, Revlon lipstick in Wine with Everything, 
Revlon Fantasy Lengths Lashes in Flirty

I wanted to stick with something easy but impactful for my makeup as well. I started with a highly-pigmented teal shimmery shadow and applied it all over my lid. I created a rounded shape along the top edge just above my crease with a stiff brush. I skipped eyeliner so the teal shadow would really pop, and I applied some false lashes after clipping of the last 1/4 inch so they didn't completely overwhelm my eyes. I also popped a light gold shimmery shadow in my inner tear duct. Next I applied my favorite cinnamon colored blush to the apples of my cheeks. I finished with a wine colored lipstick.

Covergirl polish in Constant Caribbean

For fancier occasions, I like to skip nail art and go with a solid polish color. I loved that this metallic teal polish matched my eyeshadow.

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Don't forget to check out last week's casual get together and office party holiday looks! My last look will go live Thursday featuring a look perfect for for family Christmas gathering.

Linking up with  Style Sessions | Love It Link It | Trend Spin | Holiday Style

Holiday Lookbook: Casual Get Together

I'm excited to start my Holiday Lookbook series today! There are tons of parties happening this season, so I'm going to show you what I plan to wear to the ones I'm attending, from head to toe! With each outfit, I'm  also going to be showing my hair, makeup, and nail looks.

Coat- Zara, Sweater- Gap (limited sizing, similar), Top- Target, Leggings- H&M, Boots- Calvin Klein

I'm starting off the series with a more casual look perfect for a holiday get together with friends, whether its a party at a friends house or a fun dinner out. I chose a mostly neutral palette and added a pop of red for a Christmassy touch that isn't too obvious. The sequin collar on my shirt adds a bit of sparkle which is perfect for any holiday event!

Earrings- Dorothy Perkins, Bracelet- J.Crew Factory (on sale $19.50), Druzy and Gemstone Rings- c/o Waffles and Honey

I wanted to wear some fun jewelry with my outfit, but nothing that would compete with the sequins. I skipped the necklace since I already had sparkle around my neckline, and chose some small rhinestone drop earrings instead. My rhinestone bracelet and sparkly rings completed the look. If you like these rings (aren't they gorgeous!?) stay tuned tomorrow for a coupon code to Waffles and Honey!

Crossbody bag- Target

A small crossbody bag is perfect for a casual get together, especially if you are going to be standing a lot. It keeps you hands free so you can easily hold on to your yummy drinks and food. This one feels a little luxe with faux fur accents, and its super affordable! I like that the color of it contrasts with my red top for to add more dimension to my look.

Sleek eyeshadow palette in Storm, NYX blush in Spice, Benefit They're Real Mascara, Revlon lipstick in Black Cherry

I won't claim to be any sort of makeup application expert, but I do like to play around with different eyeshadows and lipcolors. For this look I wanted to play up the drama with darker makeup since my outfit was very neutral. I mixed the gunmetal and bronze shadows in my Sleek palette and applied them all over my lids up to the crease. I placed a piece of tape diagonally from the corner of my eye up towards the end of my brow to create a clean line. I then applied the black shadow to my crease and outer v, feathering it in from the tape towards the center of my lid. I popped a bit of the gold shadow in the middle of my lid to create dimension. After two coats of mascara, I applied a cinnamon colored blush to the apples of my cheeks, and my favorite dark lipstick.

For my hair, I created loose waves by wrapping my hair around my 1" Conair curling iron without using the clamp. I took a small section from the front and braided it, then secured it with a bobby pin underneath the curls.

 Revlon Posh, Revlon Urban, LA Colors nail art polish in Red and White, Love Ring- Boutique to You

Plaid screams holidays to me, so of course I had to recreate a plaid design on my nails. A good trick to creating a realistic plaid design is to take something you have, such as a plaid scarf, and copy that specific print. Since my top is red, I started with a green polish as the base color for a subtle festive touch to my look. I used a navy polish to create a thick horizontal and vertical stripe across my nails. Then I painted white lines on either side of the navy stripes, and a thin vertical and horizontal red stripe opposite the navy.

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This is the only the first of 4 holiday looks so make sure to come back for more! Next up is what I'll wear to my boyfriend's work Christmas party.

Linking up with  Style Sessions | Love It Link It