HOW TO: EASY HOLIDAY HAIR STYLES

The Steele Maiden: How to: Easy Holiday Hair Style with Hair Accessories

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.

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The Steele Maiden: How to: Easy Holiday Hair Style with Hair Accessories

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! 

 

The Steele Maiden: How to: Easy Holiday Hair Style with Hair Accessories

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!

The Steele Maiden: How to: Easy Holiday Hair Style with Hair AccessoriesEFFORTLESSLY 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 small crystal 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.

OFF THE SHOULDER SWEATER AND PLEATED METALLIC MIDI SKIRT

The Steele Maiden: NYE style - Off the Shoulder sweater, pleated metallic midi skirt and lace-up heels

Not only am I in a mild state of disbelief that Christmas is less than a week away – but the thought that New Year’s Eve is just around the corner has me in a general state of shock. Adam and I have tentative plans to head down to my cousin’s beach house in Delaware and have a fairly low-key NYE – but that doesn’t mean that I won’t want to still get a bit dressed up. This off the shoulder sweater and pleated metallic midi skirt balances that line between night out glitz and night in cozy in a fun way.

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NEW YEARS EVE STYLE: VELVET WRAP DRESS AND TASSEL EARRINGS

NYE Party Style - Velvet Wrap Dress and Tassel Earrings

After the month of November (a month that calling ‘busy’ would be an understatement, had zero free weekends and led me to being painfully sick with a stomach bug for several days) – Adam and I decided to ring in December with a veryyy low key weekend. We slept in late, baked snickerdoodle cookies (my favorite), picked out our Christmas tree and decorated it, and went out/got dressed only when we felt like it. Not when an impending schedule dictated that we must. It was just what the doctor ordered. And luckily for the blog’s sake, twirling around downtown in this pretty velvet wrap dress was exactly what I felt like wearing on Sunday evening.

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NYE OUTFIT: LACE DRESS AND FAUX FUR COLLAR

NYE Outfit - lace mini dress and faux fur collar

Anyone else getting a little sick of these endless grey skies? Me too. But I couldn’t let a little gloomy weather stop me from getting all dressed up one last time in 2015. This little lace dress and oversized faux fur collar make for a luxe look (in case you’re anything like me and not all about the sequin mini dress) just in time to ring in 2016.

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