Be A Voluminous (Vuitton-Inspired) Vixen
Big hair is back in a big way. Whether it’s cropped and pompadoured a la Rihanna, perfectly coifed like the ladies on "Mad Men" or slightly disheveled and freshly-romped like the catwalk muses at the recent Louis Vuitton show. I recently caught up with Justin German, Pantene’s Consulting Stylist and co-owner of Shagg Salon in Toronto, to talk about the hairstyles that he foresees making an impact this Fall/Winter (and not to mention holiday) season. German couldn’t be more adamant about the appeal of big sexy hair. “I’m loving big, mussed up Brigitte Bardot inspired looks, floppy pompadour styles and even looks that are a little bit Elvisy, but with a feminine twist,” he says, “The important thing here is to not be intimidated by the style and realize that it’s all about the imperfect; Realistically the look should only take 15 minutes max to create.”
Luckily for us, German was kind enough to walk me through a how-to session for recreating a Louis Vuitton inspired look in the comfort of our own homes. Don’t go wasting this high voltage look on your roommate, though, go test-drive it out on the town—thigh high boots and plastic dress optional.
Get The Look:
-Always shampoo and condition your hair and use products that are appropriate for what you’re trying to achieve. For this type of updo, I would recommend Pantene Pro-V’s Full & Thick Collection, as it’s not gong to weigh your hair down.
-You need to get volume at the roots for this look, so with long hair especially you want to try massaging a volume building mousse right into the scalp. Also, if your hair needs detangling, try a light leave in that won’t make the hair heavy.
-Focus your blow-drying at the roots to get as much height as possible.
-Section the hair for temple to temple and pile the section closest to the face on top of your head to start.
-Take the remainder of the hair and pull back into a ponytail and secure it with an elastic band.
-Wrap the ponytail upwards, around a finger and pin it into itself with bobby pins. Mostly this is just to get rid of it, but it will also get you a base for height.
-Now, either take big velcro rollers or a curling iron and roll the hair in the top section back away from the face to give it a natural bevel. This will save you time, as you won’t have to curl your whole head of hair. Spray each section of hair with a flexible hold hairspray as you put it in.
-If you are using velcro rollers, heat them up with the blow-dryer and then switch it to the cool setting to really lock in the curl.
-A lot of these styles are swept right back, but some women like a little hair around the face, so feel free to get the tendrils happening if you prefer. Just don’t hit them with the curling iron again or you will end up with the 1980’s prom queen look.
-Give the rest a couple little back brushes for extra height and then swoop it up and back.
-Twirl the hair under around your finger and anchor it to the base. It’s all about the undone feel.
If you feel like this is a lot of work, the main thing to remember is that if you section your hair and get it out of the way you wont be overwhelmed by it. These things can be done in 5 minutes once you get the hang of it and by only curling the top section you still get the look, but with half the time and effort.
How do you feel about the return of big hair? Any tips for keeping the look away from pageant or bad '80's hair territory? What are your best tips and tricks for achieving a voluminous look?
By: Meghan
Photo Credit: Splashnews
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