Party Rock: Outfit, Hair, and Make-up Inspiration for the Holiday Season!

Heeellllloooo gorgeous!!

How are your busy holiday preparations and parties going? Lots of invites to send and reply to? I bet so! We only have one week left till Christmas!

So what are you going to wear to all of these fantastic shindigs? Got any special ideas for hair, jewelry, or make-up? Remember, whatever you don’t use for a Christmas celebration can always be worn for New Years! 😉

I love getting all spruced up for holiday parties! It focuses my spirit on the excitement and particular significance of this time of year and pushes any stress and lack of joy right out the door.

So let’s cut to the chase and talk about specific tips, so you can get back to your event planning and present wrapping!

I’ll start a series and a course on beauty stewardship later next year. For now, I’ll just say two things that make our appearance important to attend to (but ONLY out of a holy, secure-in-the-love-of-God foundation – there is SO much more to say here but it will have to wait for future posts!)

Bothering to pull ourselves together and look lovely shows two things:

1) Health

People who love us and are spending time with us long for us to be healthy. It removes a burden on their hearts for us when we seem to be in good physical and emotional health, and this allows them to relax and enjoy themselves without worry for us.

I have met many young women who are struggling through various life situations and long for someone to see their pain and hear out their concerns. And thank goodness! It is SO important to have the courage to speak up about what we are going through and reach out to someone who can help or encourage us!

But there is a place for this degree of vulnerability and sharing: it’s with a counselor, a close family member or friend (in private), or a trusted mentor.

It is not for general party conversation or announcement to a large crowd at a celebratory occasion – a faux pas I committed a few times before I realized I was doing everyone, including myself, a major disservice.

Conducting ourselves with the signs of outward and inward health while at an event that has been specifically declared as festive, light, and joyous is a gift to those around us.

Obviously at a women’s retreat, bible study, or small group, a different level of vulnerability and different topics will be appropriate, but at a fun holiday party with many people we don’t know well yet, all of whom seek to have a happy and celebratory spirit, sharing the deepest wounds of our hearts just isn’t quite appropriate. However, if you’re in a particularly tough spot, and you have a dear friend or mentor there, you might pull her aside into a private room for some heart-to-heart or prayer.

2) Love and respect for others

To the host, looking a bit nicer than we normally might shows that we feel their event is important, special, and merits us putting our best foot forward. Similarly for our friends and family: we demonstrate that we are excited to see them and have the intention of enjoying our time with them and the celebration by showing that we have put effort into the occasion before we even arrived.

SO! This is all well and good, but what does it actually look like?

A picture (or 30!) conveys a lot more than a written description ever could when it comes to fun beauty and fashion ideas, so instead of trying to explain my best tips, I’ve got a fun little gift for you: a Pinterest board I made especially for this post: Holiday Chic!

Here are a few sneak peeks of what I’ve collected over there:

I’d love to hear what your favorite holiday outfits and hair and make-up looks are in the comments! Let me know how you’re getting all dressed up! 🙂

Love, Freedom, and Plenty of Christmas Cheer,

Jackie

PS: For the Marine Corps Ball last month, I filmed my getting ready process: from filthy hair in stinky workout clothes, to primped for a formal dinner and dancing, I walked through it step by step. Would you guys be interested in seeing that as a future episode of VLX TV? Let me know in the comments! 🙂