With the Christmas season upon us and New Year approaching just as fast there’s plenty of chances to dress up and feel a little more glamourous than normal. When I think of glamour I think of one show; Gossip Girl.
To say I am a massive fan of the show is an understatement! I’d like to say it has nothing to do with a ‘slight’ fixation on Chuck (Ed Westwick) but I’d probably be lying. What can I say its the whole bad boy thing and chemistry on screen with Blair Waldorf!
But seeing as I can’t really create the hair styles of the men from Gossip Girl, I can the girls. So the next few hair tutorials will be dedicated to the ladies of Gossip Girl and my interpretation of their hair styles. I may not have their clothes, looks or bank balances but I’ll be sure to give their hair a good go!
Today I thought I would start with Miss Serena Van Woodesn. Played by the beautiful Blake Lively; Serena has the complete package! Beauty, money and a wardrobe (At times) I’d kill for. She also has the most amazing sun-kissed long blonde hair. Often worn down with loose curls or up and more elaborate on some occasions too. Looking at her hair I would say its naturally that length although am sure at times she does use hair pieces and extensions in the show to achieve some looks.
I thought I’d do the Serena hair tutorial with her hair down as it seems to be her most worn style. As you can see from the images above her hair style when casual doesn’t change very much, sometimes tighter curls other times looser and surprisingly rather easy to recreate. This look could easily be worn for a night out or a days shopping. It screams casual and understated yet there’s an elegance and sophistication to it too.
Although the style looks quite complicated and a lot of work for someone with straight hair you’d actually be surprised at how quickly it can be achieved!
To recreate a look similar to this you will need some of the following;
Heat Protectant – I used Schwarzkoph Got2B
A brush or tangle teezer (I was trying my Tangle Teezer out for the first time today!!)
If you do not have gorgeous long hair like Serena, hair extensions are a must. Here I have my 20″ Halo (Extension on a wire for my tutorial on how to put in the Halo click here) from Halo Hair Extensions.
You will also need a large barrelled hair styler. I used my Babyliss Glamour Wave Tong as the barrel is perfect for large loose curls.
The first thing I did was apply heat protectant to my own hair and brush it through. I also left it a few minutes before doing anything else so if there were any damp patches where the spray was they dried. My hair without extensions after going to bed wet and not drying it is a sight to be seem really!
I then sprayed my Halo with heat protectant too and brushed this through well to distribute it. I applied the halo to my head and gave it all a good brush. You don’t have to use a Halo, any extensions will do for this look but I would say make sure they are long – at least 16″+ and preferably 20″
I set my Babyliss Glamour Wave too 180 as I like it hot but not so much that it fries my hair! Taking a large section as shown below I wound the hair around the barrel. The key to this kind of style is LARGE sections. Even when using a large barrel. You are achieving movement and a slight wave not curls as such. The side of my parting without as much hair I chose to curl the hair towards the face. No curls were put in above my ear and the and was held at this level.
It is slightly hard to describe how I use the glamour wave as I don’t use it as I would a conical wand. The section is actually fed through a small amount at a time then re curled up. You could however do it normally but you would need to leave about a 2″ section on the ends off of the curler. We do not want that part curled at all. As you will see below after about 15 seconds you are left with this kind of loose curl.
Continuing taking large sections of hair around the head curling them in this way. I did this till I reached the front section where my fringe area is. This is the one section I used the Glamour wave to curl away from the face. But again, did not take this to the root area at all. I held the Glamour Wave upright so it was level with my face.
When you have curled all your hair allow it too cool. I don’t recommend pinning the hair up to keep the curls as thats not what you are aiming for. You want your hair to just have movement.
When your hair is cooled give the whole lot a good brush through. DON’T be afraid to brush your curls. They won’t fall out but will become softer and make your hair appear fuller! I used my Tangle Teezer for this and found it worked amazing. I will be reviewing this product soon after giving it a good thorough testing but have to say on extensions it works better than my paddle brushes!
Apply some serum to your hands, just a small pea sized amount and work this through the ends of the hair and curls. You want to break them up a small amount – almost make them a little bit messy and ‘bitty’.
Finally spray the hair with some hair spray of your choice and you should have the finished look.
I certainly haven’t got Blake or Serena’s looks or figure but at least I can wear my hair similar! I have seen her wear her hair this way numerous times in the show and it really doesn’t take long to do. From start to finish (Including putting my extension in) I would estimate it took about 12 minutes. I could probably have done it quicker if I hadn’t of been playing on my phone and drinking tea at the same time – I’m easily distracted what can I say?
I hope you like my look for the first in my Gossip Girl collection. I’ll do another one soon!
If you found this tutorial hard to follow and would like me to film it as a YouTube drop me a comment below and I’ll get that sorted.
Don’t forget my Competition at the moment to win some great Barefoot Goodies! It’s really quick and easy to enter and ends next week!
Lots of Love,
Mel xxxx