Fashion Focus: Formal/Prom Dresses

I have spent the past few weeks searching the internet for the perfect formal dress. I didn't look in the shops as I wanted to find a cheaper dress as I know I probably won't be wearing this dress again (I like to buy a new dress for each formal) and I knew that I had the best chance of finding one online. As I am sure I am not the only person who is looking for a formal dress, I thought I would share my favourite finds with you all.

Quick note... incase you are wondering, a Formal is the same thing as a Prom or Ball. We just call it a formal here in Northern Ireland!

ASOS (£150)
I love this dress from the ASOS Black collection. I think the design is extremely pretty, and has an almost gothic-meets-romantic feel. I think this dress would look gorgeous paired with a simple updo, and styled with black accessories. If I was to wear this dress I would definitely wear a pair of chandelier drop earrings and I would keep the makeup fairly simple with a nude lip! In fact I would probably style very similar to how the model has been styled.

Religion (£70)
This dress from Religion caught my eye because of the gorgeous back! The dress it very simple, but the embellished straps prevent it from being boring. I think this dress would be perfect for somebody who doesn't really like the typical formal dresses. As the dress is all black you could use accessories to provide a pop of colour, however I think I would style the dress with silver accessories. I would probably wear a pair of silver strappy heels, and either a silver statement necklace (though nothing with sequins due to the straps) or a silver clutch. I would keep my hair quite simple, probably something similar to how the model has her's. As for makeup, you could go for either a smokey eye with pink lip, or a neutral eye and red lip depending on if you want to place the focus on your eyes or lips. I personally would go for the red lip, as I prefer to play up my lips, plus I feel a red lip would add a pop of colour.

Little Mistress (£16)
This dress from Little Mistress is actually the dress that I ended up choosing for my formal! I love the gold embellished straps, and I think the dress has a slightly grecian feel to it. I think I will be pairing this dress with black strappy heels and a black clutch, but I am not really sure about jewellery (any suggestions?). As for makeup, I been watching videos on Lisa Eldridge's channel, and so far I am thinking either THIS, THIS or THIS. Which do you guys prefer?

Needle and Thread (£250)

This is the dress I would have bought if I had unlimited funds to spend on this formal. It has such a romantic feel, and I absolutely love everything about it from the fit, to the embellishments, to the colour. If I had this dress, I would stick with the nude colour palette in terms of styling. Also due to the embellishments I wouldn't add a lot of jewellery, perhaps just a gold bangle. I would keep my hair simple with beachy waves (think Kate Hudson), and for makeup I would go for glowy, bronzed skin, contoured cheeks and a pink lip!

So that is my favourite 4 dresses that I found online! I hope that this has provided you with some inspiration if you are looking for a formal dress!

Are you going to a Formal/Prom? What are you planning to wear?