Wearing your hair up is a year-round kind of appropriate style. Being fresh off holiday party season, there is something about all of the festive events that make it especially fun to play with updos. I am a massive fan of updos and the way that they accentuate the line of the neck and allow you to really play up your cheekbones. After the last few years, I personally find putting the extra effort into getting dressed up to be insanely joy sparking. Below are three updos that I think would be really fun for year-round cocktail parties and soirees!
Sleek Modern French Twist - The trick to this look is shine and control. I love this look for clients and I think it’s such a fun style to pair with glowy skin and a strong brow. This do relies on a side part.
1. Make your part, add a leave-in hair oil (bonus: your hair gets conditioned while you party) and rake all through your hair.
2. Take a mixed bristle brush and spray with hair spray.
3. Gather the hair tight to the back of your head, and apply 2-3 bobby pins / Hero Pins vertically down the back of your head.
4. Gather the opposite side of your hair with the rest of what you just pinned up, and start to pull the hair into that classic French twist shape. Depending on the length of your hair, keep twisting until all the hair is up and contained.
5. Take U shaped hair pins / Min Pins and slide them down the seam of the French Twist, sliding under the foundational layer of bobby pins / Hero Pins.
6. Spray a clean mascara wand with hair spray and smooth the front of your hair, and then give another once over dose of hair spray to make sure the look stays through the night! Car windows all the way up with this look!
Romantic Twisty Bun - The key to this romantic look is all about adding texture. Pull the hair up organically so that there are no hard lines and flyaways are encouraged. If you have wavy/curly hair then you already have a head start! If you have straight hair, add texture with a curling iron and texturizing spray. I love leaving pieces out at the front to create a sort of flirty look that beautifully frames a smokey eye.
1. Divide the hair from ears forward, then gather the rest into an elastic that sits on the lines of your cheekbones.
2. Divide the ponytail into 2-3 sections and twist each section around the elastic / base of your pony, securing with small French hair pins / Foundation Pins.
3. Repeat with the remaining sections until all hair is up.
4. Finish with more texturizing spray, a little hair spray and you’re ready to go!
I always give my clients a few pins to carry in their clutch for the night, just in case. Day Rate Beauty Pins are reliably strong and do the job better than ANYTHING I’ve ever used.
Bow Bun - This playful style would be PERFECT for a spring party! It would pair perfectly with a shimmery eye and bright red lip. This look can be achieved with sleek shiny hair or tousled matte hair.
1. Gather your hair into a pony at cheekbone level and pull into an elastic, leaving 1-2 inches of the ends in the pony.
2. Divide the hair in the elastic into three sections.
3. Start to create the loops of the bows by shaping them to the sides.
4. Apply U Shaped Hair pins / Min Pins to the base of the bow, and repeat on the other side.
5. Take the last section and wrap as the middle section of the bow, continuing to add the hair pins as you shape.
This looks and seems complicated but it’s actually very easy. And my biggest tip: if it doesn’t come together in the first go, take your hair down and try again. I often do this at work on my clients. You don’t always nail the landing on the first run, and it’s ok to start over. As always finish with a healthy pass of hair spray.
