Its hard to believe but its almost time to dig out that bent and dusty old Christmas tree, plan your present purchases and look forward to some holiday fun.
However, many of us will look through our wardrobes while mentally planning our outfits for the Christmas party season and worry that we cant afford to look good. Energy prices have shot up, fuel prices are through the roof but wages havent gone up in line with these increases. This leaves many people much poorer at Christmas than they would have been five years ago.
All is not lost though. There are many ways in which you can look amazing at your office Christmas party and still afford presents for your friends and loved ones. Looking and feeling great isnt about spending all your money. Its about relaxing, having fun and being creative with what you have.
Here are some simple, but effective ways you can look good and dazzle your fellow partygoers whilst being on a tight budget.
GO FOR GOLD!
A simple gold necklace can turn the most boring outfit into something classic and stunning instead. Theres something about the unique sheen that emanates from even the most basic of gold pieces. Forget decking yourself out in head to toe jewellery and go for that one piece, whether its a bracelet, a ring or a necklace.
Cant afford to get some new jewellery? One side effect of the recession is that it has sent gold prices soaring. Selling your old and broken jewellery will give you the money to invest in a statement piece or two, and maybe some presents, but only if you use a good gold buyer like postgoldforcash.com.
Selling gold for cash is a quick and easy way to make sure you have some extra cash floating around for that once a year office party.
MAKE A STATEMENT
Having one statement piece of clothing or jewellery means that everything else can and should be understated. For example, your reasonably priced (okay REALLY cheap) LBD and shoes will look amazing when teamed with a statement necklace, brooch or handbag. So many people make the mistake of thinking that everything they wear at the Christmas party needs to be new and expensive. Why not wear a flower in your hair? Flowers are big news this season and wont make too much of a dent in your purse.
EXPERIMENT WITH MAKE-UP
Like your clothes, one statement element of your makeup can transform your look completely, whether its Twiggy style mascara, ruby red lips or that iconic smoky eye. If you go for the makeup statement, everything else can and definitely should be minimal. Think glistening ruby red lips with just a small slick of eyeliner on your top lids or smoky eyes with a small amount of nude lipstick. But dont go overboard on the blusher! Why not experiment with your look using the ultimate makeover tool?
TRANSFORM YOUR HAIR
Having great hair doesnt always mean spending hundreds of pounds at the hairdressers. All it needs to see it through the party season is a few tweaks. For example, Warren from the world-famous Warren-Tricomi salon predicts that finished hair like the classic updo will be hot this Christmas. All you need is some hairspray, some hairclips and a good hairdryer.
Got hair that wont behave? A Brazilian blow dry will cost you up to £250 but it should last up to three months.
If you cant afford a massive hair makeover, why not try a make-under? Adding a fringe to long hair can completely transform your look, emphasise those smoky eyes and cheekbones and is very fashion forward.
Some salons when just cutting you in a fringe or trimming an existing one wont charge a lot. So, transforming your hair shouldnt cost you any more than the cost of some hair grips and hairspray, bargain!
So this party season, have fun, get creative and dress to impress!