As we sprint toward the end of 2019, I'm sure you have just as many holiday parties as I do! Seriously, I'm not sure if I have a completely free date on my calendar until 2020. Wild!

Holiday party dressing can be stressful, especially in the age of Instagram where you want to capture all your fun outings but don't want to be caught wearing the same thing twice (or else Kate Sanders will call you out), so I wanted to share two recent party outfits I wore in hopes that it might strike some inspiration for you!

1. Sequins All The Way

2. The Ultimate Party Skirt

1. Pat McGrath Labs Mothership V: Bronze Seduction Palette: Because Pat is the queen of iconic makeup, and this palette is absolutely stunning.

2. Le Labo Santal 26 Candle: My favorite candle in the world (Diptyque who?) From the minimal cool label to the subtle but pleasing scent, I would fill whole houses with this candle if I were JLo too!

3. elago AirPods Silicone Duo Case: Not only do people need to know I have AirPods (jk, my hair is always covering them) but they need to know which case is MINE. I currently have a lightning bolt sticker on the outside of my case, but it's starting to fall off so I wouldn't mind a pretty silicone cover.

4. Gucci Black Leather GG Marmont Card Case Wallet: Hey, I need a new wallet!

5. Rifle Paper Co. for Anthropologie Bon Voyage Passport Holder: Two days after Christmas, I'm venturing to an international locale and ready with a brand new passport. I've always wanted a cute little passport holder, and this one (with matching luggage tag) captures my essence perfectly.

6. Ray-Ban Round-frame Gold-tone Sunglasses: I've had a knockoff version of these shades for a while, but they're getting a little bent out of shape. Maybe it's time to trade in for the real thing, now that I know I like the style.

7. Anything Reformation: You know I love all things Reformation!

8. My Friend Anna by Rachel DeLoache Williams: I am incredibly obsessed with the Anna Delvey story and all things scammers and grifters. With the TV adaptation in the works as we speak, this seems like the perfect time for a deeper dive into Delvey's deceptions.

9. Fred And Sibel Susan Plaid Eyelash Pullover: is it really a Christmas wish list without at least one item of knitwear? I think not! I also see this buffalo check sweater going well with most of my closet, and I love a good green color!

What's on your Christmas wish list?

Reformation dress

As a relatively tall girl—not to be confused with the 6 foot "Tall Girl" from Netflix's Tall Girl—midi dresses have become a staple of my wardrobe. There's nothing worse than feeling self-conscious about a particularly short skirt or getting frustrated that every mini dress you try on does little to cover your long legs (and wide hips). Enter: the midi dress, my new go-to style.

Midi dresses are glamorous, versatile, practical, and unfussy, making them ideal for pretty much all situations. And as someone who loves wearing skirts and dresses all year long, these dresses are particularly great because they are well suited to layering, and the longer skirt lengths provide extra leg coverage for chilly days.

Reformation dress

Lani Label dress

Anthropologie dress

I love midi dresses from Reformation most of all, because their clothes fit my body really well, but there are plenty of places to find cute midi dresses, no matter what your clothing budget.

Here are a few of my favorites!

Under $50

Don't Call Me Angel

Halloween, how I love thee. It's my one time a year to take my love for all things pop culture and literally wear it on my sleeve. Usually I try to dress as a character from film or TV, but this year I went the celeb route and dressed up as Ariana Grande.

I feel like 2019 has really been Ariana's year. She kicked off the year with the release of a new album, headlined Coachella (where I got to see her perform!), and is still dropping new songs with Lizzo and on the Charlie's Angels soundtrack. So it felt like the perfect opportunity to pay homage to her style—and more importantly, her iconic ponytail.

I gotta say, I have mad respect for Ari for wearing this tight, giant ponytail all day, everyday. I rocked this look for only a few hours and needed to massage my scalp and neck for a solid 10 minutes. But once I donned the pony, I felt newly transformed and really confident, so I understand why it has become an essential part of her style persona.

Here's how I transformed into Ariana Grande:

Hair & Makeup

Ariana's ponytail is such an iconic part of her look, I knew I had to get that right. I went for a "blonde Ari" look because duh, I'm not dyeing my hair, and found the perfect ponytail extension from Insert Name Here, aptly named "Ariana". Of course it was perfect!

I have never worn any sort of extensions before, so this was a little tricky to put on. My roommate attached the pony to my head, and we even needed a third person just to hold up the hair because it was so heavy! But still, definitely #worthit for the glorious ponytail. I even fooled quite a few people into thinking it was my real hair! 😂

For the makeup, I channeled Ariana's classic stage makeup with a strong cat eye and nude lips. For my eyeliner, I used Stila Stay All Day liquid eyeliner. To get the nude lip, I lined my lips with Maybelline Color Sensational lip liner in "Magnetic Mauve", slightly over-lining them to get that plump lip effect. Then I filled them in with Flesh Cosmetics's Fleshy Lip Lipstick in "Chew".

I also used my BH Cosmetics Desert Oasis eyeshadow palette to give my eyes an orange-nude color and sculpt my cheekbones. For the finishing touch, I added a pair of false eyelashes (my first time wearing them!) to get those big doe eyes.

Outfit

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