I shine during the holidays.

Literally.

I can get pretty festive during this time of year. And by festive, I really mean sparkly. Maybe it’s all the pretty lights that are put up each year or the bells jingling everywhere—I just have to match the shine they emit.

I can’t help it. It’s the one time of the year that sparkly dresses and accessories are irresistible and seem reasonable to wear on a daily basis. Sparkles are not limited to just clothing either. One year—this was early teenager Bianca, mind you—I showed up to a family party with my hair in a messy bun and tiny gold glitter sprinkled throughout (as suggested by a fashion magazine) and thought it was such a cool idea.

Unfortunately, the most wonderful time of year is brief, which means I need to be strategic in order to fit in as much sparkle as possible (because as soon as it’s January 2, I lose 99 percent of my lust for the sparkles). So I usually try doing this at the many family parties and get-togethers with friends.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I dress head to toe in sparkles (yikes).

But I do like to show off a nice, sparkly dress by keeping hair and accessories to a minimum or draw attention to certain sparkly accessories against a more neutral outfit. And okay, maybe it’s a little ridiculous, but I would try the glitter in my hair again with the same messy bun.

Below are some ways to shine this holiday season.

Party dresses

You probably have been invited or plan on going to different family parties and get-togethers with friends. Try switching out your typical party dress with a sparkly or shimmery one. It will probably put you in a more fun and holiday-spirited mood. At least, it does for me.

Bold jewelry

Accessories can really transform the look of an outfit. Dress up a simple wardrobe ensemble with bold jewelry. My favorite is chunky necklaces. But you can stack bracelets or make your look pop with a jeweled headband.

Fun accessories

Bags and clutches can pull your whole look together and can sometimes be the stars of what makes your outfit shine. If you’re not into wearing sparkles or jewels on your clothing or headgear, maybe you prefer eye-catching bags and clutches more.

Shimmery lotion

Okay, so maybe you don’t feel like buying more clothes or accessories right now. But you still want that shine, you say? Try buying a lotion with a little shimmer (you don’t want to turn into Edward Cullen, do you?). I have some in which I put on my arms, legs and rub on my neck and chest so that I shimmer a little when the light hits me.

Polaroid cameras

This isn’t sparkly or jeweled out. However, Polaroids are one of my favorite things and I will be using my own a lot this holiday season. It’s a fun way to immortalize all the wonderful moments of you and your favorite people–
shining.

Happy Holidays!