Ten-Minute Holiday Hairstyles

It's that time of year, again—no, not the holidays, holiday PARTY season. Whether it's a Yankee Swap fest, a New Year's shindig, or just an excuse to get dolled up and drink festive cocktails, we have the cutest and quickest hairstyles for all your partying needs.

Ten-minute waves with a twist

Ten-minute waves are our way of saying, "waves that you don't need to obsess over." Life is too short to be spent torturing each and every strand of your naturally gorgeous hair in to a "perfect" curl that will only last as long as it took to read this sentence. This will work best if you've added some mousse or texturizing product to wet hair and letting it air dry (if you want to avoid bombarding your follicles with extra heat damage from a blowdryer), so while these are "ten-minute" waves, they do require a bit of forethought. Start by lightly (lightly, guys) misting dry hair with a light hair spray, and curl hair in sections. A hint for curls that really last? After you take the curled section out of the hot iron, quickly re-roll section and pin in place and allow to cool entirely before unpinning. By allowing the hair to cool in that shape, you've just guaranteed hair that will finally cooperate. Don't overdo it with the iron--if you have naturally wavy hair, consider this a touch-up. If your hair is straighter, go for sleek 1930's starlet waves. When you're finished,  twist back a piece from the front and pin it above your ear. Feel free to jazz it up with a few jeweled pins like these Stella Bobbies from Anthropologie.

Heidi braid


We were inspired by Noisettes' singer Shingai Shoniwa's milkmaid braids for this look. Start with a middle part, and split your hair into two sections. If you have bangs, you can choose to leave them out. Tie one section back to keep it out of the way and begin  braiding the other section tightly. When you braid, be sure that you are going up along the crown of your head by holding the section skywards--this will ensure that the braids will lay flat on your noggin. When you've finished with the first section, pin it in place and repeat the process with the other section. You can make this messy à la the vintage Olsen Twins, or precise and tight like Shoniwa--either way this style is a total hit!

Faux bob
Embrace the Roaring '20s trends that's re-emerging this season with a faux bob style. This will work best on girls with wavy locks. Simply gather your hair into a loose pony tail just below the nape of your neck (or wherever you would like your bob to hit) and roll the excess hair under and towards your neck--the goal here is for the rest of your hair and the elastic to be hidden underneath the top layer and to add volume to your style. Use bobby pins to secure in place but leave the sides of your hair unsecured to get a more natural-looking bob. You can jazz up the look with a sparkling hairpin at the temple or a even a bejeweled headband for a truly flapper-worthy 'do.

Side-parted pony

Whether you love or hate her, Kristen Stewart is proving to be a dark horse in the running for best hair in Hollywood. True to her aesthetics, it never looks "done," yet is somehow always on point. Take a page from her book and opt for a simple side-swept pony. The easiest style of the bunch requires that all you need to do is create a deep part and pull the rest of your hair back in to a high ponytail. You can leave it there, or take a small section of hair and wrap it around the hair elastic (and pin it in place with a few bobby pins), or use a decorative hair tie for a more polished look. The beauty of this effortless style is that it allows you to take bigger risks with makeup and accessories--definitely do like Stewart did and try a dramatic lip and smoky eye!