This week will bring with it December, and so begins Christmas Party Season. I love a good Christmas party, which is kinda ironic because as a general rule I hate parties, large groups of people, being out at night or being out in general. BUT, every rule has an exception and this one is Christmas parties. I love getting together with friends, getting glammed up and celebrating a year gone by and the approach of Christmas.
With that in mind I wanted to share with you my go to Christmas party look, everything from hair to outfit to makeup to handbag essentials – there’s nothing quite like getting ready for a party with your girlfriends and sharing this almost feels just like that!
My wardrobe isn’t exactly stuffed with party-wear, but I do have a few pieces on hand for last minute smart occasions. I bought this H&M dress for a Christmas party last year and have been itching for an excuse to wear it again. I love the Self-Portrait inspired silhouette and eyelet fabric, and I always think this deep green shade is quite flattering on me – as well as being suitably festive! It’s a dress I feel comfortable in, I know it’ll disguise a food baby if I eat too much, and if I slosh a glass of wine down myself it won’t notice. It’s quite a thick fabric so it doesn’t show up every lump and bump, and the length is nice too.
I also think this dress looks nice paired with my ASOS Trench Coat – it keeps me warm on the journey + looks smart too. My shoes are simple Kurt Geiger black suede court heels (similar here), they go with pretty much everything and are a total wardrobe staple for me.
I always think this dress really lends itself to an updo, plus it’s nice to know that you don’t have to worry about your hair all night! I love going for a slightly messy, braided look, I love following this tutorial, using lots of texture spray and pulling out some hair at the front. It’s super easy to do and I think it looks pretty cute.
Come Christmas time, especially for a party, I’m all about a deep red lip, so I tend to keep most of my makeup simple and then go for a bold red pop of colour, like the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Mistletoe (this was a limited edition shade but Liquorice is almost identical). Lots of lashes to compliment a simple eye look – I like pairing the Marc Jacobs Volume Noir Mascara with the Fleur de Force Fleur Loves lashes, and a base as flawless as you can get it. If you’d like to see this look step by step, let me know and I’ll film how I created it!
The real star of the show here though is the Radley Palace Street Cross Body Bag, my perfect Christmas party pal. Not only is it a gorgeous metallic berry shade just perfect for the festive season, it’s small enough to not feel cumbersome, but still fits all my essentials in. I love the little card slots inside, you can leave your purse at home and just slot a debit card and ID safely in the bag, and it’s got a pouch on the back too, handy if you need to carry an Oyster with you. It holds my phone and key wallet easily, and still leaves room to pop a few makeup essentials in too. It’s a gorgeous bag and I’ve received so many compliments on it already!
I like to carry a powder and brush with me, if there’s dancing involved you can guarantee I’ll need a little powder touch up in the night, as well as my lipstick of choice for the evening.
So there you have it, my failsafe Christmas party look! Putting this post together has got me excited for the Christmas party season!
Do you have a go to Christmas party look?
This look was created in collaboration with Radley, who kindly gifted me the beautiful bag featured. As always I only work with brands I truly love, so all thoughts shared are my own! Please also note that some links in this post are affiliate.