Dramatic Hair and Makeup Looks

An Elaborate Updo

Like a meringue cake, this style will earn you huge points for presentation and is relatively easy to produce. The key is keeping your hair soft and pliable, so the updo looks “chic and spontaneous—like a gorgeous accident,” says Mancuso, rather than like a bad prom moment. Begin by prepping dry hair with a healthy dose of mousse (such as Nexxus Mousse Plus Volumizing Foam Styler, $11 at drugstores) for hold that lasts. Next, blast your roots with a dryer while lifting the hair with your fingertips to build volume. Smooth the ends with a round brush. Then pull back your hair to the nape of your neck and twist it up, toward the crown, into “an old-school French twist,” says Mancuso. Anchor the updo with a long, strong bobby pin and let the ends stick out at the top. Last, take thin sections of this loose spray of hair and haphazardly wrap them around the uppermost part of the twist, securing them with bobby pins. Set with soft-hold hair spray.