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#1 Amandla Stenberg’s braided finger waves
Hairstylist Vernon François styled Amandla Stenberg’s braids along her forehead in a shape reminiscent of 1920s finger waves for a look that was intricate, innovative and incredibly beautiful.
#2 Anya Taylor-Joy’s gold foil accents
Anya Taylor-Joy covered the top of her messy half-up ponytail with a fleck of gold leaf, offering a conceptual way to highlight the festive bling.
#3 Zendaya’s Silk Hair Accessories
The perfect way to add an old Hollywood touch to any hairstyle: a silk hair accessory. We love the black option chosen by hairstylist Tony Mendina for Zendaya’s 2022 Grammy’s look.
#4 Yara Shahidi’s Curly Updo
Yara Shahidi’s curly high bun would be cute without the additions. But look very closely and you can see that hairstylist Nikki Nelms has used Shahidi’s own hair as an accessory, braiding it and plaiting the braid around the base of the bun, almost like a tiara.
#5 Pixie Geldofs pearl clips
Pearl hair accessories are one of the biggest beauty trends of the year (just walk into any high street store and you’ll understand), and we love the way Pixie Geldof used them to pull her layers back off her face to stick. It’s a very simple look that still makes a pretty, party-ready statement.
#6 Zoë Kravitz’s Braided French Twist
If you’re rocking a protective style this winter, try tossing your hair into a classic French twist like hairstylist Nikki Nelms did with Zoë Kravitz’s braids for February’s Vanity Fair Oscar Party.
#7 Storm Reid’s pierced high bangs
Storm Reid has such a strong hair set that it was difficult to choose just one that could work for a party. But for the festive season, we can’t wait to replicate her high braided ponytail, which she punctuates with dainty gold beads.
#8 Neelam Gill’s classic low chignon
If you like your hair up and out of your face, a sleek ballerina bun is a great option that looks pretty chic but is actually a low-maintenance style. We love how Neelam Gill dressed up the classic hairstyle with a sharp side parting and a pair of statement earrings.
#9 Maude Apatow’s easy half-up style
Pulling her freshly blow-dried hair into a flawless half-up style, Maude Apatow gets the best of both worlds: her hair out of her face but her gorgeous waves still showing.
#10 Leomie Anderson’s asymmetrical baby hair
Anderson took a bun from a ballerina and made it infinitely more interesting, using her baby hair — as well as some face-framing strands — to create a gorgeous design of bows and swirls along one side of her forehead.
#11 Nathalie Emmanuel’s Dutch braids and curls
We love the juxtaposition of the tight Dutch braids with Nathalie Emmanuel’s lovely fluffy curls, almost creating a halo effect around her face.
#12 Sophie Turner’s polished half up hairstyle
The ’60s-style high bangs (or half bangs in Turner’s case) were all over the red carpet in 2019, and it’s not hard to see why: the hairstyle is elegant without looking squeamish, the height of the ponytail is supremely flattering ( and gives your face a tiny bit of lift), and when done right, creates the illusion of volume, even if you have thin, straight hair.
#13 Alicia Keys gold plated braided updo
Alicia Keys might go makeup-free these days, but she goes all out when it comes to her hair. This style has many elements – the mirror-smooth front half, the looped braids forming a hair sculpture in the back, the gold chains woven throughout – that will surely draw other party-goers to take a closer look.
#14 Jourdan Dunn’s decorative hair clips
Spending little time and money? Taking a cue from Jourdan Dunn, throw your hair into a low bun. Then, starting just above the ear, slide a dozen hair clips along one side to the beginning of the chignon. The supermodel chose colorful handles to match her dress, but we like the idea of using silver and gold to add a bit of festive flair.
#15 Lupita Nyongo’s Wrapped Braids
The silhouette of Lupita Nyongo’s updo from the New York premiere of The Little Monster, with her braids wrapping the top of her head, not only gives the illusion of a 1960s beehive, but also creates a gorgeous (and super-flattering) line from her jawline to the torso top of the braids.
#16 Emilia Clarke’s Extra Long Extensions
We know what you’re thinking, and no, you don’t need naturally long hair to try Clarke’s sleek, waist-length look. All you need is a flat iron and some extensions. Check out our handy guide to hair extensions 101 if you don’t know where to start.
#17 Cara Delevingne’s semi-braided waves
If you’re one of the many people who cut their hair into a bob or a lob in 2019, then look no further than Cara Delevingne’s tousled half-braided style.
First, wrap middle sections around a medium-sized, clampless curling iron to create soft waves from root to ends, and comb through with your fingers to break them up into soft bends. Create a deep side parting and then gather the hair on the same
side of the parting (so if the parting is on your right side, grab the hair on the right side of your head) and create three French or Dutch braids, starting at the hairline and ending just in front of the back of your head. When finished, spritz the loose hair with a texturizing spray to add volume and even more texture.
#18 Annabelle Wallis’ low middle-parted ponytail
With a few small tweaks and lots of texturizing spray, a simple ponytail that you would normally wear to the gym can be transformed into a chic as hell party hairstyle. Case in point: Annabelle Wallis’ low, slightly tousled ponytail, which she paired with a dress and diamond earrings on the red carpet. Note the strands of hair covering the tips of her ears, the tiny amount of volume at the crown, and the very subtle waves added throughout the tail.
#19 Maya Jama’s unique baby hair
Sometimes the tiniest detail that makes all the difference when it comes to doing your hair for a party. To add some flair to a very simple, elegant blowout, Maya Jama slicked a single baby hair in the most perfect bow that not only embellishes things, but doesn’t detract from her epic diamond necklace and winged liner.
#20 Zazie Beetz’ braided high ponytail
Here’s an example of how a very simple style — Zazie Beetz’s braids are gathered at the very top of her head and secured with a black elastic — can still look elegant and dramatic. It also offers a great way to display a pair of statement earrings.
#21 Sydney Sweeney’s Twinkly Alice Band
Sparkly hair accessories are the easiest way to make any hairstyle look festive, whether it’s a barrette, a dazzling hair clip, or a sparkly headband like the one Sweeney wore with her messy chignon.
#22 Emma Thompson’s Sparkly Star Stickers
We’d smile too if our hair was covered in sparkling purple stars. To create the look, hairstylist Lewis Pallett first spritzed Emma Thompson’s pixie with Stronghold hairspray “so the glitter has something to stick to,” he told POPSUGAR. Then he broke out a stencil (from the craft store) and loose glitter (biodegradable of course) and sprinkled the tiniest bit of glitter onto the hair to add the stars. “You only need a small layer of glitter; If it’s too thick, the glitter will fall off when you move the stencils away,” he added.
#23 Zendaya’s Slicked Back Waves
Celebrities love to slick their hair back on the red carpet, and as long as you have the right products, you can achieve the stunning look in real life too. The trick is not to put too much gel in your hair. Start by blow drying your hair backwards, away from your face. Once this is done, saturate all of your hair with mousse, concentrating most of the product from your hairline to mid-lengths. Allow to air dry (or gently dry with a diffuser attachment) and top it all off with hair oil or shine spray to give it a high-shine, reflective finish.
#24 Barbie Ferreira’s Pearl Clasp
Remember what we said about hair accessories? Barbie Ferreira shows another way to try the pearl trend that requires minimal time and effort.
#25 Bella Hadid’s sleek and curly updo
If your hair is naturally curly, this style is as simple as pulling your hair up in a high ponytail – while leaving a center parting at the top – and arranging and pinning your curls in a very messy bun. However, if your hair is naturally straight or wavy like Bella Hadid’s, you can still pull off this look. Once your hair is in the high pony, you can add curls by curling small strands with a small curling iron before setting them with hairspray and haphazardly pinning them into an intentionally tousled chignon.
#26 Saoirse Ronan’s Tinsel Braids
OK, so it’s not really tinsel in Saoirse Ronan’s hair, but the gold thread that hairstylist Adir Abergel wove through her hair had the same effect as the sparkling festive trimmings. “It was a double braid along the hairline that was pulled into a low ponytail,” Abergel explained of the style. “To accentuate the look, I used gold thread I found in a fabric store in London and braided it into the braid. This created more dimension and added both texture and shine.”
#27 Janelle Monae’s Pearl Space Buns
Space buuns are already whimsical, but weave in delicate beaded detailing — like Janelle Monae shown here — and you’ve got a holiday party-approved look in no time.