PROM & PARTY HAIR
Your Guide to Simple and Glamorous Hairstyles
Prom & party time will soon be upon us and before you know it you’ll be all decked out in a new dress, looking gorgeous from head to toe. But wait — if you haven’t given some thought to your hair you might only be looking your best from the neck down. You wouldn’t wear everyday clothes to a party so why show up with the same hairstyle? With a little planning and some know how you can create easy prom and party worthy hairstyles.
Long Hair Party Hairstyles
Long gone are the days of stiff, complicated updos for long hair. This season’s party hair is soft yet sophisticated with an emphasis on big curls. To get those perfect waves start with the right cut. Hair should have long layers that build body and frame the face. A long side swept bang is also hot for this season’s holiday hairstyles.
For a super easy party hairstyle start with freshly washed and conditioned hair. Apply a mixture of styling lotion and anti-frizz serum to your damp hair and distribute the mixture evenly through the hair with your hands. Divide your hair into a top and bottom section and pin the top section up and out of your way. Using a large round brush blow dry the bottom section straight keeping the nozzle of the blow drier aimed downward to seal the hair’s cuticle and avoid fly away hairs. Once the bottom section is completely dry, unclip the top section, create a deep side part and blow dry in the same manner.
Create your ultra sexy curls with a large barreled curling iron. Divide your hair into two sections as before. Starting with the bottom, begin wrapping one inch sections of your hair vertically around the curling iron so it spirals around the barrel. Continue this technique throughout the bottom and top sections of your hair. Avoid creating too much volume at the roots and risking a "pouf-y" hairstyle by leaving the last one to two inches of hair closest to the root out of the curling process.
Once you’ve created your big beautiful curls coat your hands with a small amount of hair styling wax and finger comb your curls to create definition and separation. For more casual parties you can leave your hair down and finish up with a light hold hairspray. To take this style up a glamorous notch loosely pull the sides and back of your hair up and pin them back just below the crown of your head with a jeweled hair clip or large hair comb. Soften this style by keeping the side swept bangs out and a few tendrils of hair framing the face. Finish off with a light misting of medium hold hairspray to set the style.
Prom hairstyles require the ultimate in glam you can’t go wrong with the classic chignon. This updo consists of a low lying bun that sits at the nape of the neck and can easily be created at home in just a few simple steps. For best results this hairstyle should be created on hair that is not freshly washed as super clean hair tends to be very slippery and hard to work with. Ask any celebrity hairstylist and they’ll tell you that "day old" hair is best when putting hair up so wash and dry your hair the night before your big event, following the blow drying technique outlined previously.
When creating your chignon decide if you want to go dramatic or romantic. If dramatic is your style of choice apply a very small amount of hair wax to the palms of your hand and rub your hands together to evenly coat your palms. Run your palms over the top portion of your hair from the roots to the top of your ears. Create a deep side part and slick back your hair into a low lying pony tail. For a more romantic look lightly back comb the top and sides of your head with a bristle brush to create volume and gently smooth hair back into a loose pony tail.
Secure the pony tail with an elastic band. Now divide your pony tail into two even sections and use your brush to lightly backcomb these sections. Now gently smooth the sections with the brush to get rid of any fly away hairs. Wrap the end of one section around your index and middle finger, rolling up the hair towards the root in a large barrel shaped curl. Secure the rolled section to the base of your pony tail with hair pins. Using jeweled hair pins eliminates the need to hide the pins and adds instant sparkle to your style. Repeat the rolling and pinning technique with the second section of hair. Finish off this style by spritzing with a medium hold hairspray and a light misting of shine spray.
Medium Length Party Hairstyles
Mid-length hair doesn’t have to mean middle of the road boring when it comes to your Christmas party hairstyles. The bob is hot right now and can range from chin to shoulder length with layering at the bottom to add shape and movement. A long side bang is also recommended to keep this style looking up to date.
Take advantage of this hairstyle’s versatile length by mixing straight and curly textures to create a sexy effect. Begin with freshly washed hair and evenly distribute a volumizing mousse from root to tips. Section off your bangs and blow dry them straight with a large round brush. Keep this section smooth and sleek, tousling it to the side.
The rest of your hair should be blown dry with the same round brush making sure to aim the nozzle of the blow drier down to avoid frizz and fly away hairs. Take a medium sized barrel curling iron and vertically wrap one inch sections to create spiral shaped curls. Gently release each curl and move on to the next section until all the hair is curled except the bangs. The best part of this easy medium length hairstyle is you leave the curls as is. Use a small amount of hairstyling wax to smooth and define the bangs and any flyaway curls and end by misting the hair with a medium hold hairspray.
Want an easy way to glitz up this holiday hairstyle? Try Blinx Bling’s genuine Swarovski Crystal hair beads. These gorgeous gems are attached to the hair in a similar technique to threading a needle. The gems simply slip on without any adhesive making them hair friendly and reusable.
Short Party Hairstyles
The key to smart and sassy short hairstyles for the prom or a party is lots of texture and movement. Try having your hair cut in a short shag style or go ultra short with a cropped pixie cut. To create these short hairstyles use a hair pomade on damp hair and a small round brush. Focus on creating volume by holding up sections of hair with the brush and giving the roots a blast of hot air followed by using the cool shot button on your blow drier to set the lift in place. The sides and back of shag hairstyles should be gently flipped up while the pixie cut looks best with a tousled look. Finish off this style by defining your flips and waves with another tiny dab of pomade and set with a medium hold hairspray. A few strategically placed jeweled hair pins peeking out will really set off these styles.
Now that you’ve got some great ideas for your prom or party hairstyle you’re all set, right? Not so fast. A great hairstyle is only as good as its hair color. A great color can take even a simple hairstyle and make it extraordinary — just as a bad hair color can ruin the most beautiful of styles. This year's rich and bold colors are a must. Think deep chocolate browns, intense reds and soft, light blondes when choosing the perfect hair color. Want to add a splash of color to your base hue? Skip the streaks and instead go for panels of complimentary color to highlight an area of your hairstyle. Balliage or marbling techniques can be used to highlight an entire bang area for longer styles or try using this process to draw attention to the crown area for shorter styles.
Make use of all the options available to you. Schedule an appointment to shape up your cut or go bold with a new style and while you’re at it discuss coloring options to enhance that great cut. When the parties start try one of these easy hairstyles and add some glitter with hair accessories. The right cut, the right color and those little extra bits of glitter will have you looking stunning for the prom or any party.
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