Neill Cooney, Best Bloody Brilliant Blow-dry winner at the IMAGE Business of Beauty Awards 2022, shares three foolproof styles for party season hair in a flash.
The High Pony
High ponies are well and truly here to stay (did they ever really go?) with no small thanks to one Barbra Millicent Roberts. The Barbie movie has a number of spectacular ponies across the various Barbies, and however you wear your pony – polished and sleek or textured and messy – this year it’s all about where on your head it’s sitting.
To create the perfect party pony at hpme, firstly, prep the hair with a mousse or thermal styling spray. Blast dry by directing all the hair up and back in the direction that you want it to sit. This will ensure you get the most professional looking result at home. Find the highest point on your scalp (this is usually diagonally upwards and back from your cheekbones), having the base of the pony sit here is going to elevate your facial features and create that snatched back look. Take your pony in two and join them together. This will prevent excessive tension on your hairline. Pulling all that hair back and having it tight in a hair elastic is going to put unwanted stress and strain on the most fragile hairs around your face.
Use a blusher brush and some hairspray to tame flyways once you have all of the hair locked into place to refine the look. If you really want to slick every hair down and go for that catwalk effect, apply a small amount of wax or shine cream to your hands and run them over the surface of your hair when pulling it all back and into the pony, try L’Oréal Professionnel Tecni.ART Fix Polish.
Embellished Hair
This trend has been around for a few seasons now and it’s showing no sign of going anywhere soon. We have seen every big brand come out with heavily embellished hair accessories from Gucci to Prada to Miu Miu.
Glitter hair is something I have always loved and it can really take a look to the next level with very little effort or fuss. Apply a loose glitter to the hair and secure it in place with a gel or wax, this is great for festivals or times when you want to make an impact, think glitter roots or space buns.
For a more subtle but equally dazzling result, I love using glitter hair spray. Style your hair as usual with a blow-dry or hot tool. Then to finish take your hair in large sections, fan it out a bit with your fingers or a wide-toothed comb and spray the glitter vertically up into your hair. This will allow it to disperse more evenly throughout the hair and not just sit all in one spot. You can build up the amount you want in light coats. It’s super user-friendly and never fails to turn heads at that office Christmas party.
Stick-on pearls are also brilliant for bringing some visual interest to your hair, regardless of the style. They are very easy to come across in craft shops or the Euro store. I love them for bridal hairdos but equally, they can be used for any occasion. Apply a light mist of hairspray over the area you are going to add them to as this will provide a barrier between the adhesive on the back of the pearl and your hair. Then let your creativity take over! There’s no right or wrong way to add them to your hair. I like using various sizes in an asymmetric pattern to prevent them from looking too neat or perfect. This generally looks best but you do you!
Mirror Glass Hair
Instagram-worthy hair that looks like its filtered in real life is 100% a thing at the moment and the best way to create this look outside the salon is with an at home gloss treatment. There are a couple different ones on the market but my personal favorite is Kérastase Chroma Absolu Soin Acid Chroma Gloss.
Shampoo your hair as normal, squeeze out the excess moisture and then apply the gloss using the nozzle on the bottle to your hair lengths and ends in a zigzag pattern, then work it through your hair. Leave in for a minute or two then rinse it out. Your hair will be super smooth and shiny and feel repaired as if you just got an in-salon treatment. A little goes a long way so you will get plenty of applications from one bottle. Its active ingredient is lactic acid which is what creates that mirror shine closing the cuticle layer on your hair and unleashing the ultimate shine! Blowdry with your sunnies on.
Photography by Stefan Knauer.
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