‘Tis the season for all kinds of fabulous parties! I love any excuse to get dressed up (I’ve been campaigning to turn our family Christmas party into some kind of formal affair for years, but am repeatedly shot down lol).
Luckily, there are plenty of other fancy holiday festivities in the line up! Before any special occasion, we all have our beauty preparation routines. I do pretty much the same thing before all of them & I wanted to share three of my pre-event tips with you today as well as some new products I’ve had the chance to try. Be sure to read until the end so you can get the scoop on this gorgeous red dress! 😉
- Whiten teeth!
Recently, I’ve been using the Smile Brilliant whitening kit! So many people have raved about it & when they asked if they could send me the system to try, I couldn’t wait to get started! It came with everything I needed to create my own custom trays.
I made my impressions (which was super easy to do) mailed them back in the pre-adressed envelope & they sent me back set of trays that perfectly fit my teeth! I began whitening immediately, and was so impressed with how gentle their whitening formula was for sensitive teeth…after over-whitening in the past, I’m really cautious about the products I use. I’m pleased to report that I haven’t experienced any sensitivity or discomfort while using Smile Brilliant! With this system you can whiten up to once a day, and control the amount of whitening gel you use – huge plus! Before any special occasion I like to step up my game; I try to whiten once per day for about a week prior for optimal results.
Getting the exact same light for before & after photos is so tricky…but my teeth are definitely a couple shades brighter! YAY! If you’re interested in your own Smile Brilliant kit, order one here & use code “amandabella” for a 5% discount or enter this giveaway for a chance to win one for free!!
- Face masks. I love to use face masks regularly, but I’ll usually use multiple masks the week of a social event! I was recently sent a couple of new masks to try & I was really excited about both of them – I had never used anything like either before!
The first masks I’ve been loving are the sheet masks from Masqueology! I’ll use a sheet mask a few days before a party to help rehydrate & add moisture to my face. You pull the sheet from the package & wear it for about 20 minutes. When the time is up, you toss the mask & massage the remaining lotion into your skin! Holy hydration! These masks definitely give a luxe feel, but are extremely affordable & now available at Walmart!
The e.l.f. hydrating bubble mask is unlike any mask I’ve ever used! I was sent this mask for free to try & it did not disappoint! It applies like a gel & then slowly begins to foam up on your face! It sounds like rice crispies snap, crackling, and popping & leaves your skin feeling so soft & clean! This is something I use more regularly than a sheet mask, just because it’s a bit easier to apply/wear, but it has become such a fun product for me & definitely one that gets some extra use prior to a event! Find the hydrating bubble mask here!
- Tanning! This time of year we’re all a little pale, so the night before an event, I’ll wash & exfoliate my face/neck, dry it really well, and then spray with Neutrogena’s micro mist.
I’ve been using this product for years now, and it’s still my all-time favorite self tanner for my face! I find that it gives me the most even, natural tan. You can pick it up at nearly any drugstore or order it here!
Preparing for an event with those three beauty “treatments” always helps me to look & feel my best! 🙂
…Now onto this dress!
Bold holiday looks are my favorite. I believe that Christmas & New Year’s Eve outfits should have some kind of WOW factor! Wether it be your hair & makeup, your outfit, or your shoes, it’s always fun to wear something unique & different…which is exactly what this SheIn dress is!
I love the bright Santa Claus red, the stunning bell sleeves, and the feminine fit! It’s unlike anything I’ve ever worn, and holy moly does it have the WOW factor. SheIn is a trendy apparel site that sells affordable clothes – not all of the highest quality, but definitely unique pieces. They sent me this dress which is made of a polyester/spandex combo & I’m wearing a small!
Shop this entire look here:
Dress // Shoes // Necklace // Lip
Are you going to any fun holiday parties this year?
Have you ever found a really great WOW dress?
XOXO
I love your dog and your necklace and you look great as always!
Seriously I need to go the fake tanner route. It’s now summer and we drastically came from winter and I’m drastically white. People here are like why are you so white. Aren’t you from California?
It’s like mean girls! You can’t just ask people why they’re white Karen! Hahaha
HAHAHAHA!!! This comment just made my morning!!!!! I feel you though, I wake up whiter & whiter everyday! LOL I love the Neutrogena mist for my face/neck – I don’t really use fake tan on my body this time of year. I’ll use Sally Hansen’s airbrush legs (basically leg makeup) if I’m wearing a shorter dress without tights, but if I can keep my face a little bronzed, I’m plenty happy with that!!
Yeah I’m about my face being tanner too!
Yes!!!
You look amazing. Love that dress <3
Thank you so much, that’s really sweet of you. 🙂 XOX
Oh, no, your baby just about stole the show! lol So cute. Love the dress! Just out of curiosity, what shoes did you wear with it? All great tips. 🙂
She is my magic weapon!!! haha She’s so cute, although she really doesn’t enjoy that Santa outfit. I just wore black pumps with this! 🙂
This dress is stunning and you look amazing!
Thanks girlfriend! Bold dresses during the holidays are to fun to pass up! 🙂
That dress is just SO you.
Aw thanks girl!! It was so much fun to wear!! XO
THAT is a gorgeous dress!!!
And I really want to try the hydrating bubble mask now! It sounds so great!
Thank you so much!!! A total wow-dress! And YES!! Definitely try the bubble mask – craziest mask experience to date, but really fun & so different than any other I’ve ever used!
Wow!!! You look absolutely stunning! You couldn’t have picked a more perfect necklace to go with that dress.
I LOVE using 7 Wonders face masks- they used to always be at Ulta, but now they’re getting harder to find. I’ll def be trying Masqueology now! Great post! xo
Thank you so much!! It was a really fun dress to wear. That necklace was such a great find, it has come in handy for so many occasions that required a quick glam-ing up of an outfit!! And I’ll have to check out the 7 Wonders masks! I’m new to the sheet mask world, but I really love these!! 🙂 XO
I absolutely love this dress!! xxo
Jamie
http://www.jamieeverafter.com
Thanks so much girlfriend!!! It’s a fun one!! 🙂
Wow!! Beautiful ! The dress is gorgeous <3