From the lipstick that will stay put even after a glass or two of champagne to the hair product that rids me of winter static – here are my holiday beauty favorites:
P.S.these would make great stocking stuffers too!
SHOP HAIR + SKIN FAVORITES:
SHOP MAKE-UP FAVORITES
Also – can we talk about how luxurious it is to get ready in a large bathroom? If you have one at home I hope you don’t take it for granted for a single second. This particular one is in a suite at the Omni Berkshire – if you’re in to that sort of thing you should enter my giveaway to win a one-night stay here.
A few weeks back on Instagram stories I took a poll and so many of you voted that you’d like to see more hair and beauty ideas. I consider myself pretty amateur in those departments so I was fairly surprised that you wanted advice from yours truly – but then I realized maybe that was the point. To get style tips that you felt like were actually achievable by a regular, non-expert, non-famous You Tube beauty blogger, real life lady like myself. Well ask and you shall receive.
I teamed up with my favorite hair stylist Sarah Rappolt from Wonderland Beauty Parlor to bring you 3 easy holiday hair styles. None of them took more than 5 minutes and all of them made me feel way more put together than usual. Perfect for any holiday occasion you’ve got on your agenda this season.
SHOP THE STORY
CASUAL AND CUTE: Loose Waves with a Velvet Turban Headband
Perfect for Friendsgivings, casual family get togethers and ugly sweater parties. This hair style is way cuter than your typical ponytail or hair down look but not so perfect that you’ll feel bad taking a nap on it after you’ve eaten a big meal.
1. Start with clean, dry hair and add plenty of texturizing spray for volume and to help hold shape.
2. Use a 1″ curling iron or wand and wrap random sections horizontally, holding each section for a few seconds before releasing.
3. Apply a light coverage of hair spray then brush through and tousle.
4. Create a deep side part and set headband just behind ears, leaving 1-2 large strands of hair untucked. Swoop back and pin just behind the base of the headband. Done!
SIMPLE AND CHIC: Half Up Twist with a Velvet Hair Bow
Perfect for tree-trimming parties, meeting your new boyfriend’s family and your office holiday party. It’s sweet but not fussy and festive but not overly formal. Basically the goldilocks of holiday hair styles.
1.Begin with clean, dry hair and again – apply plenty of texture spray to get a good grip (especially if you have fine or smooth hair like I do).
2. Brush your hair straight back to hide your part, then grab two 1″ sections of hair from along your right temple.
3. Twist the two together, adding in additional small sections to the top section until you’ve twisted to the center back of your head. Pin in place then repeat on the left side.
4. Secure the two twists together with a thin ponytail holder. Then pin in your velvet bow. Done!
EFFORTLESSLY ELEGANT: Undone Up-Do with Crystal Bobby Pins
Perfect for a fancy holiday dinner, winter wedding or even New Years’ Eve. This look is deceptively simple but makes such an impact. Plus, since the look isn’t pin perfect it’s fine if it loosens throughout the night. Overall it feels special and sparkly – just like the holidays.
1.Start with clean, dry hair and apply hair powder to your scalp in 3-4 places. Then finger comb through. Add extra texturizing spray if your hair easily falls flat or is naturally very straight.
2. Create random, loose waves using a 1″ curling iron then brush through. You should be left with allover waves that feel natural and not too bouncy or perfect.
3.Loosely pull all hair back to the nape of your neck and secure into a ponytail (not too tight!).
4. Separate ponytail into two equal sections and twist together then secure at ends with a small ponytail holder.
5. Twist the twisted ponytail around into a bun shape and pin the side of the bun so that they stay in place.
6. Pull hair upwards lightly at the crown and allow loose pieces to fall to frame your face. Spray allover lightly with hairspray.
7. Insert 3-5 smallcrystal bobby pins leading along one side of your head back into the bun. Done!
P.S. If you’re in the New York area and interested in having Sarah (my hair magician) cut or style your hair this holiday season – she’s generously offering 20% off her services with code STEELEMAIDEN20. Contact her here.
Between the humidity in the city air, the UV rays from extra time in the sun, and the harsh chlorine in the gym’s pool – it feels like my hair gets damaged at every turn this time of year. Which is why I was game to switch up my routine with Dove Intensive Repair Shampoo and Intensive Repair Conditioner. Dove is one of the brands I truly trust (see this post for when I switched to their Advanced Care Deodorant – a product I still highly recommend and use daily) so when they boasted that it could provide 5x smoother hair and prevent 90% of damage before it even occurs, I couldn’t wait to see the results for myself. Here – all of the summer tips for healthy hair that I’m swearing by this season.
– Wash Less, Condition More: Aside from switching out my old products to the Dove Intensive Repair – I’ve been trying to adjust to a routine that doesn’t unnecessarily strip my hair of moisture (right now that means washing about 3-4 times per week). Oppositely, in the Winter I typically only use conditioner 1-2 times per week, but now I’ve been using the Intensive Repair Conditionereach time I wash to be sure that they’re working together to actively make my strands more resilient to damage. Plus, I love that they don’t leave residue behind that would weigh my hair down. Meaning it still looks light and smooth on the days between washing.
Go Natural: Heat styling is pretty much asking for damage, so I try to take advantage of the warm summer weather by letting my hair air dry as much as possible and not straightening or curling it very often.
Be Gentle: I have fine hair, but lots of it – which means it’s prone to knotting. Getting a wide tooth comb and quality hairbrush keep me from adding to breakage. Plus, I recently switched to these hair ties for the gym that don’t put creases into my hair.
Cover-Up: Whether it’s a hat at the beach to protect UV damage and drying out your scalp or a swim cap at the pool – put a layer of protection between your hair and whatever is out to get it.
Even though I’m taking the time to be extra careful with my hair this summer, I love knowing that the Dove Intensive Repair Shampoo and Conditioner duo is doing a majority of the work for me – using innovative technology to create a foundation of strong hair that’s able to combat damage before it even happens. Which means I can get back to lying on a beach somewhere, breeze blowing in my (healthy) hair.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
In 2017 one of my goals was to really get serious about my beauty regime. I turn 30 in a couple of months and felt like it was high time I ditched some of the random drugstore hair & skincare products that I’d been using without any real direction in favor of a few more quality products that I’ve truly put to the test. Below – the top 12 products I’ve been using daily and loving these past few months. If you have more specific questions feel free to reach out!
Anddd as a fun little add-on – I’m giving away a small bundle of some of these products so that you guys can try them too! To enter – sign up for my newsletter here or if you’re already signed up, like and comment on this Instagram photo. See exactly what I’m giving away on my Instagram stories. (US Only – will announce the winner this Sunday 3/19 at 9PM EST). Best of luck!
HAIR:
I have lots of fine hair – which means it tangles easily, plus fall flats and attract static in the winter. So I rely on lots of product that add volume and texture (in the Summer the humidity helps do this naturally). Lately I’ve been shampooing with this Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner, towel drying then adding a small handful of this Mousse and a quick spray of this Thickening Tonic. Then I blow dry and use this Texturizing Spray before styling along with this Paste for touch-ups. Later in the day (or for second day hair) I use this Dry Shampoo later in the day.
SKIN:
I have combination skin (sometimes oily, sometimes dry) – that tends towards the super dry in the winter. On my body, I’ve been exfoliating twice a week with this Body Polish and using this moisturizing Deodorant. On my face, I’ve been using this Daily Superfoliant every evening to clear my skin of the day’s pollutants, then following with this Serum 1-2 per week and this Moisturizer both day and night. And a few times a month I use this Eye and Face Maskto look fresh faced after a late night or early morning.
It’s around this time every year that I get terribly bored with my hair. Winter weather leaves my fairly fine hair flat, static-y and generally lifeless and knit beanies feel like the only answer. But this year I was determined to combat the Winter hair blues. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I sought out the styling genius of my favorite hair guru Sarah Rappolt (if you’re in New York she’s at Wonderland Beauty Parlor and is the best.) to help me come up with an easy answer to date night hair. I wear my hair down 90% of the time so this feels somehow just dressy enough and like I put in loads of extra effort (even though you actually only took a few extra moments), but doesn’t feel too fussy or overdone.
The steps are above and all products used below. But her real secret? That texturing spray (I bought a giant bottle for myself before leaving the salon). Sarah says “Just when you think you’ve used too much.. use more.” The result is loaded with volume hair that still feels soft to the touch. Pair with an off the shoulder dress, statement earrings and you’ve got yourself a no fail date night look.
