Holiday Party Preparation: A Complete Guide

Hello!

     The holidays are upon us and for many people that means dressing up and going out with friends or family. With so many parties, dances, dinners and weddings, people are often left scouring the internet for ways to look and feel their best for these big events. I have a long-standing, established event prep routine that helps me to get everything organized for the holidays and even for other big events during the year. Here is my complete guide to Holiday Prep! Enjoy!

Every Day During Prep:

•     Do a light workout: Keep your body functioning at its best by doing a light workout everyday. If you have a weekly workout regimen then stick to that, but if you don't typically workout everyday, just do something to get your heart pumping. It will help to release nervous energy surrounding the event and flush out toxins.
•     Drink water: Make sure you are drinking lot of water and staying hydrated, especially if you are stressed.  
•     Stay properly fueled: Make sure that even during the hectic times prior to these times you are eating enough food. You will feel EXHAUSTED if you aren't eating enough. Eat lots of healthy snacks like sliced fruits and veggies, unsweetened almond yogurt with granola or a nutrient packed smoothie. 
•      Destress time: Take some time each day and relax. Maybe this means you do some meditation, have some quiet time and drink tea, or take out a book you enjoy and spend some time reading. The holidays tend to be particularly demanding and it is incredibly important that you take time for yourself to recover from these events. 

Two Weeks Prior:

•      Find your outfit: It is best to choose an outfit at least two weeks in advance so that you know exactly what you are wearing and can focus on more pressing matters. 
•      Plan out your meals: Make a simple plan for your breakfast, lunch and dinner for the two weeks prior to the event so that you can ensure that you are eating well. At the beginning of the week, go to the grocery store and buy everything you need for that week. The plan doesn't have to be detailed, it is just a list of what you could eat that week so that no time is wasted on trying to figure out what you are going to eat.
•      Stick to Your Skin Care Routine: Plan some masks for the week, but be absolutely sure they are ones that you have used before and worked out nicely. I use Mario Badescu's Flower and Tonic Mask twice during the week before the event, and then YesTo Tomatoes Charcoal Sleeping Mask the night before. Don't start trying anything new in your skin care routine during these two weeks because it runs the risk of causing breakout, allergic reaction or burn.  (NOTE: the sleeping mask is for acne-prone skin and can be drying for those with dry/balanced skin)
•     Schedule all appointments. If you plan on getting your nails, eyebrows, hair, or just about anything else done, schedule your appointments now! You want to make sure to reserve your spot and have everything ready. Don't forget to enter the appointments into your calendar so you don't forget about everything. If you have four or five appointments to remember it's going to be hard to keep track of them all without writing them down somewhere. 

Three Days Before:

• Get your eyebrows done: If you are looking to get your brows done, plan your appointment about two days before the event. That way the redness has quite a bit of time to die down. 
• Attend any planned waxing appointments: If you plan on getting a wax of any kind, do it at least three days before your event, especially for things like neck waxes. Having red and irritated skin for the day of the party is so frustrating and it's not too comfortable either. 
• Start looking at hair and makeup inspo: Regardless of whether you or someone else is doing your hair and makeup for the event, decide on a general look. Hair wise, you should probably decide on an exact style, but for makeup you can have lots of pictures and just a general idea. 

The Day Before: 

•  Get your nails done: Getting a mani pedi is on of the very last things you should do, because if your polish chips before the event you will be very sad. 
•  Consider doing a juice cleanse: The day before big parties and dances, I usually do a juice cleanse just because I personally feel that it energizes and refreshes me. Not everyone likes juice cleanses or is physically able to complete them and thats okay. I definitely recommend buying a pre-juiced cleanse from somewhere like Pressed Juicery. Trying to plan the sufficient amount of calories, sugars and nutrients from juice is not very easy and it's often best left to the pros. 

I hope you find this prep guide helpful! As always, feel free to ask questions, leave comments and relay stories for me in the comments section below and through my email lovesliquidliner@gmail.com

XOXO,
Chloe

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