IT’S PARTY TIME- THE OUTFIT, MAKE UP AND THE PLAYLIST

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

And boy do I mean that! I simply adore this time of year, it's just too much fun. The food is naughtier, the home is cosier, the clothes are sparklier and the music is louder! Everything about this time of year fills me with joy, whether that be wearing sequins at every occasion possible or sprinkling cinnamon into each and every hot drink around or even battling the shops with my sister in tow... IT'S JUST THE BEST TIME EVER!

I'm currently sat writing this at 5pm in the evening, with all the candles a girl could ever own flickering away, with the Christmas tree lighting the room and Chris Rea blasting and I simply couldn't feel any more festive.
So with that, I thought I'd divulge you with an Ellaby Christmas masterclass, from what I'm wearing, to the make up I'm loving and the playlist that instantly fills me with Christmas cheer.

Starting with, of course, the outfit! 

So the outfit, well this little baby has come in SO handy this festive season already. 
It's the ultimate failsafe for party dressing I must say.
Whether that be a night out with the girls, a date night or casual drinks, I honestly believe this is one outfit you do not want to miss out on this year. 
The metalized cropped top from Topshop is beyond beautiful with it's gorgeous copper finish and crossed front detailing, meaning it is both seriously on trend but also insanely flattering too. 
It's the perfect cropped length to team with a high waisted trouser like these velvet babies, again purchased from Topshop; however, a high waisted A line skirt or midi skirt would also look seriously smoking, likewise to that of high waisted mom jeans for those more caje dressers. 

The look is then finished off with a pair of statement pom-pom drop earrings which are all the rage right about now, a snake boot and my beloved Gucci Soho Disco bag which is the epitome of a Mary Poppins bag... The amount of crap you can carry is seriously impressive indeed. 

The reason I am so into this look is due, of course to how awesome and sparkly the look is, however, it is also a ridiculously comfortable get-up too. And if you can combine sparkles AND comfort then I am one happy festive customer indeed. But whats more is the fact each piece can be worn separately and in turn create a very different look from the last. 
The top works amazingly with dungarees for those down days and the trousers, well those bad boys work with absolutely every item in my wardrobe, whether that be a printed shirt and platform boot combination, or an oversized hoodie and converse mix.

Party make up is the finishing touch to every look and another thing to add to the list of things Megan loves about Christmas, is how much fun you can have with your hair and make up. 
I've already rocked an unlikely sleek up-do on three occasions and am enjoying trying out bolder and more daring make up looks too. Stepping out of my beauty comfort zone isn't something I often do, so when Christmas comes around I like to take it upon myself to dabble in ways I haven't done since the previous year. 

However, all that being said theres nothing to see here when it comes to my hair. I've styled it in the way I normally would with messy waves and a heavy fringe. A few of my fave things to style my hair with have got to be the GHD Copper Platinum Stylers, they give me the waves I'm looking for with minimal effort, fixing my hair in place with OUAI texturising hairspray and finishing with a small dollop of the Pytho Nourishing Day Cream to smooth and shine everything in place. 

Make up wise I've gone for the ultimate dewy base using my beloved YSL Touche Eclat foundation and Becca Liquid Illuminator combination, applied using a damp Beauty Blender, I find this leaves the most incredible glowy base for party season and more.
Contouring has never been easier since I discovered Illamasqua's Gel Scuplt stick, throwing on TONNES of highlighter with the Jaclyn Hill x Becca Champagne Pop, adding lots of sparkle with MAC's Amber Lights Eye Shadow and a dark brown lip with my ultimate party nude, MAC's Persistence. 

Now for the Christmas tunes.
Throughout this post I've dropped a few festive hints to the songs I'm loving right now (who am I kidding... I'VE ALWAYS LOVED THEM) but I thought I'd just highlight a couple more and the reasons why I love them so.

MARIAH CAREY ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU!
An absolute classic and one I've loved from a very young age.
My mum loves nothing more than reminding me of the year where I listened to this song over and over and over, when I was around the age of four. Screaming at the top of my lungs "BAAAABY" every time I heard those oh-so magical jingle bells at the beginning of the track. It's a song that means oh so much to me and one that I will never ever get tired of.

MUST BE SANTA BOB DYLAN
Now this is an absolute party banger and is always the very first Christmas song I play when the special time of year comes along. It's such a fun and upbeat song with humorous undertones (have you seen the video) It will forever remind me of my dad and sister when he dropped us both off in town one year for our dreaded Christmas Eve early shift in retail and we blasted it seriously loud with the windows down and screamed it at the top of our lungs to passersbys, oh how we laughed.
That's what I love SO much about this time of year, it is oh so nostalgic, with every song bringing back the memories. 

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SOPHIE TRAYNOR