A Flirty New Year’s Eve Updo

Today, Hair & Makeup Girl, Heidi, is showing us a flirty New Year’s Eve Updo just in time for tomorrow’s celebrations! You will want to whip out the hair ties and a chic gold headband and get to work! A few practice tries and you’ll have this easy updo down in no time! Throw on your favorite sparkly number and some shimmery shadow and you’ll be a vision this New Year’s Eve!

Heidi says, This time of year is so much fun with all the gatherings and holiday parties to attend. But, we all know that time seems to disappear during the holidays and you might just find yourself needing the perfect quick transitional hairstyle to take you straight from the office to a holiday party. In the hairstyle I’m showing you today I have an element of surprise for you. SPOILER ALERT: One of the techniques I use in this style is a well-known look we all do for the gym!

How can a gym hairstyle be worn to a new year’s party? Keep reading. I’ve been inspired recently by higher updos, not only for my clients, but also for myself. Don’t be scared though. I’m not talking about those high, stiff updos we all wore in the 90’s and early 2000’s with the butterfly clips and crunchy curls. Follow along with me and you’ll find a soft modern updo that can be casual yet professional enough for the office, and then taken up a notch with the right accessory making it perfect for your next party.

The best part about this hairstyle is that it’s meant to be slightly messy and “undone.” So, if you feel inadequate most days when trying to style your own hair this will be the perfect hairstyle for you to try. No experience needed!

After sectioning away the front of your hair from the back place the back section in a ponytail, but don’t pull your hair all the way through on the last go around. It should look similar to a quick messy bun you might wear to the gym.

See? I told you it had some gym inspiration. Just wanted you to get a head start on that New Year’s resolution.

Next, tease each side section from the front thoroughly. Use a bit of hairspray if you have slippery healthy hair to help hold the tease. Don’t worry if your hair looks messy underneath the section, but definitely make sure the front hairline looks smooth.

After you’ve teased both side sections lay them on top and across the ponytail half bun in the back, then secure the area that was crossed with bobby pins.

Tease the entire front middle section from the front hairline to the crown area. Remember to use hairspray during this process to help hold the tease, and keep the very front exposed area smooth.

Gather up the front middle section and connect it with the original ponytail half bun. Then take a rubber band and create another ponytail half bun while joining all the hair together.

Now that all of your hair is secured with a rubber band, start pinning pieces from the half bun as well as the hair sticking straight out to create a pretty messy bun.

Continue making adjustments as needed while pinning the hair and making sure the bun is balanced on all sides. Then spray with hairspray.

Here is the finished look, and it is truly perfect for any occasion.

Now that we have all of the technical stuff out of the way, we are on to the fun part! Accessory time! By the way, not only do I think we are going to see more of the high updo look in 2017, but I also think we are going to see some really unique hair accessories.

I got a little creative here with a three-strand necklace. I couldn’t find the right kind of hair accessory I envisioned and as soon as I found this necklace I got really excited and inspired. Then, I cut off the chain and connected a small elastic band around the loop that was left so I could have an adjustable size to fit around my beautiful model’s head. If you want a more subtle look, you can also use ribbon or suede pieces. Just wrap them around like headbands and criss-cross them in the back.

I laid the necklace across the top of the model’s head and placed the jewelry hook around the elastic band.

Then I made some adjustments to the hair in-between the chains to make them pouffy. Sometimes the chain has a tendency to slip backwards, so I simply placed a few bobby pins along the chain to make it stay. I also placed two bobby pins in the back to keep the elastic band in place. Just make sure you hide those pins well! Of course, once you’ve got everything in place, make sure to spray hairspray all over the finished look.

Happy New Year everyone!