PARTY PREP

My parents' hilarious neighbors

Break out the wine bottle gift bags and cocktail dresses - the holiday party season is upon us! Phil and I kicked off the festivities last weekend with a little shindig at our place. We decked our halls, stocked the bar, and put together a jolly good playlist, but the real preparation started the morning of the party. Oh yes ladies, I'm talking about the "getting ready" routine. If you're wondering what my party prep consists of, keep reading. If not, welp, see ya later!

I kicked off my morning with a fresh green juice from Prasad and a Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery masque. Recommended by Victoria Beckham in her book That Extra Half an Inch, this at-home masque treatment leaves your face and neck pebble smooth in fifteen minutes flat. Love.

Being an incurable procrastinator, I put off choosing a party outfit until the day of, which prompted a last-minute trip to Anthropologie in the Pearl. There are so many lush winter sweaters at Anthropologie right now. I wanted to buy them all, but what with Christmas popping off in a matter of days, I restricted myself to the Marled and Mixed Pullover from Sparrow and this delicious pair of AG Jeans. Thanks for the new outfit Dry and Gramps!

After shopping, I squeezed in a quick pre-party workout and hopped in the shower. The dry (albeit gorgeous) winter weather of late has wreaked absolute havoc on my colored hair, so I have been shampooing every other day with a mix of ½ Joico Moisture Recovery shampoo and ½ toning shampoo (a bright purple hued cleanser that keeps my bright blonde locks from fading). 

I swear my hair has never felt softer.

Styling my hair requires a small arsenal of products. (I am such a sucker for luxe hair products, but they are oh so worth it. I buy all of mine at Sugar Labs, but you can find them at most hair salons.) 

1. I start by massaging Kusco-Murphy Beach Hair into damp roots to add volume. 

2. Next, I blow my hair completely dry with the mother of all hair driers and a big fatty round brush. 

3. Then I spray Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray evenly into dry roots just below my part and massage it in for extra volume and lift (did I mention my hair is ridiculously flat?). I also use this product as dry shampoo on days that I don't wash my hair. 

4. I then rub a light layer of Shu Uemura Frame Wax onto my palms and fingers and run my hands through the ends of my hair, which defines the ends and smoothes any fuzzy pieces.

5. Finally, I top off the whole look with Oribe's Superfine Strong Hair Spray.

Et voila!

In case you haven't noticed, I'm pale. I have my Swedish grandmothers to thank for that. So when I'm getting into party mode, I like to slather on Jergens Natural Glow daily moisturizer. With just a hint of shimmery bronzer, the subtle sheen is particularly flattering on my otherwise pasty skin.

The piéce de résistance to my holiday party look last weekend was my DIY manicure. Let's be clear about one thing: I am garbage at doing my own nails. 

So it is nothing short of a miracle that my digits made such a stylish 

appearance at the par-tay. 

When the temps start to drop, my hands usually become a dry, cracked out mess. So unattractive. But this month, I was fortunate enough to receive a few products from Julep's Mani Care line that kept my cuticles from splitting at the seams: 

Facial for Hands Glycol Hand Scrub, Nail Growth Revitalizing Serum, and Essential Cuticle Oil (photo credits). 

The hand scrub exfoliated my dry, rough skin, leaving my hands soft and lovely, while the revitalizing serum and cuticle oil tag-teamed my nail beds with hydration and strengthening power. No more cracked hands for me! 

Of course, no manicure is complete without the polish. I know this word is overused to the point of annoying, but I am OBSESSED with Julep's "Leighton"  nail color. Described as "liquid silver," this nail polish is so luxe it even rivals my former favorite Chanel Peridot. I cannot wait to bust out the sparkly red "Brooklyn" color over Christmas.

Okay, confession time, I am so ignorant when it comes to make-up. My entire make-up and brush collection fits in one tiny red bag, and I don't know how to use half of what's in there. 

So let's keep this short and sweet: on the day of the holiday party, I was wearing MAC Honeylust eyeshadow, a sweep of rosy pink MAC blush, Maybelline mascara, Nivea lip balm, Chanel lip gloss and a partridge in a pear tree.