While this year has seen more messy top knots and scraped-back ponytails than glamorous waves and bouncy blow-dries, the party season is finally here—and providing us with the perfect excuse to up our hair game.
Thankfully, runways and resort shows, as well as celebrities starting to make their way out of lockdown, have provided the perfect inspiration for whatever occasion awaits you this summer.
From polished hair with simple accessories to bold texture and nonchalant beachy waves that will always remain a mainstay of summer styling, here’s our pick of party season hairstyles, and how to achieve them for yourself.
Smooth & Straight
When it comes to ‘going out’ hairstyles that are both stylish and exceptionally easy to pull off, you can’t go past the smooth and straight texture with chic accessories for added flair.
Simply straighten your hair, style into a middle part and add some stylish slides just above the ears. Voila! You have a no-fuss, glam look certain to make a statement, à la Joey King at the Video Music Awards.
Finish with a gloss spray for serious shine, and a spritz of static spray if you’re prone to flyaways.
Lady Jayne Pro Fashion Slides – 2pk, $11.99; ladyjayne.com.au
ELEVEN Make Me Shine Spray Gloss, $24.95; adorebeauty.com.au
Big Texture & A Hairband
It looks like padded and pearled headbands aren’t going anywhere this season, with the It-girl accessory being brought new life with loose updos. Not only does it look great, but it’s also easy to style yourself and can be the perfect way to top off a holiday glam look—without having to head to the hairdresser to get it done.
Simply rake your hair into a messy bun—which we’ve all gotten plenty of practice of this year—and slide your headband up and over your hairline. If you’ve got layers, go a step further by pulling out a few face-framing tendrils to add some dimension to the look.
Plus, with the reboot of Gossip Girl looming and release of mega-hit series Emily In Paris, this trend isn’t going anywhere any time soon.
Our tip? Add in some extra volume with a dry texture spray, working into the roots for added dimension. If you’re not keen on a hairband, try this still with a half-up, half-down bun fastened with a pink scrunchie instead.
Bumble and bumble Dry Spun Texture Spray, $50; mecca.com.au
Beachy Waves
You might think that the perfect beachy waves need saltwater to be expertly achieved, but the loose, undone style can be pulled off with some simple and nifty styling tricks.
Styling tools like the Lady Jayne Salon Pro Beach Waves Brush provide the perfect solution, with its oval-shaped barrel creating textures in your hair for the perfect beach waves, while its heat-activated ceramic copper barrel allows even distribution of heat to ensure an all-around even curl, without damaging the hair.
Pro tip: Change the angle of the brush as you blow-dry to create different textures for the effortless beachy look.
Lady Jayne Salon Pro Beach Waves Brush, $29.99; ladyjayne.com.au
IGK Volumising Beach Club Texture Spray, $44; mecca.com.au
Experimenting With Bobby Pins
We all have thousands of bobby pins lying around the house somewhere, so now it’s time to put them to good use. At its Spring/Summer 2021 showing, Dries Van Noten artfully placed clusters of bobby pins to hold back models’ hair into wave shapes with the help of hairstylist Sam McKnight.
The best part of this trend is that there are no rules—meaning you can really have fun with it. Mix and match bobby pin colours and experiment with different ways the pins can mould the hair.
We recommend using a styling gel to help the pins stay in place.
ALTERNA Caviar Anti-Ageing Professional Styling Grit Paste, $28; sephora.com.au
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