How To: 60s Vamp Hair

To match in with my 'Modern Marilyn' make up for my next night out, I wanted to come up with a hairstyle that referenced that whole Barbarella, 60's vamp look that I absolutely love, but in a modern way. I took inspiration also from Angelina Jolie's half-up, half-down softly toused look she frequently wears to great effect on various red carpets- but I put my own spin for my hairstyle and shape into it. I was really pleased with the finished result- it's loose and sexy but still a bit more dressed up than plain old hair down.

Tools of the Trade:

•  A good hairbrush (I can't get enough of my Tangle Teezer, which is so gentle and caring on real hair and extensions, and is great for backcombing without damaging the hair)
• A tailcomb for sectioning
• The largest barrelled curling tongs you can find- this is very important, as we need to create soft, flowing waves, not tight curls. Large velcro rollers would also work.)
• Sectioning clips
• Kirby grips in a colour that blends with your hair
• A heat protection spray- I'm using L'Oreal Studio Line Hot Straight
• A good hairspray- Fructis Crystal Resist is anti-frizz & humidity, holds well without making the hair crisp!
• Optional:
• A few clip-in hair extensions
• A 'Bump-it' or plastic hair volumising insert
• A hair volumiser- I'm using Schwarzkopf Got2B Powderful, but lots of brands have a similar product

Get the Look:



1. Gently brush through your hair with the Tangle Teezer to get rid of any snags and smooth out the hair.
2. Tip your head upside down and massage in some of your volumising hair powder to the roots of the hair. You may also want to give it a quick blast of the dryer to ensure lasting volume.
3. Using your tail comb, make a deep side part to the hair. For the most flattering parting, trace a line up for the highest point of your eyebrow arch.
4. Use a clip to secure the front piece of your hair, any fringe or shorter layers out of the way for later
5. If you're planning to use any clip-in extensions, now is the time to add them in. Carefully use the tail comb to horizontally part hair in sections and add in the pieces- I just used three sections, enough to ensure the pieces left down didn't look straggly.
6. Once those are in, again use the tail comb to section off your hair at the crown. Gently backcomb the hair using blasts of hairspray to fix it. You may also want to fix in the Bumpit if you're using one and grip in place to create gentle volume at the crown.
7. Divide the rest of your hair into about 8 sections (four either side). Comb each piece through, then clamp breifly with your large-barrelled curling tong. The aim is to create a slight bend to the hair and a really soft wave, rather than a defined curl, so only spend ten seconds or so on each piece. When it's all curled, comb through with your fingers and spray.
8. Section off a small strand, about a couple of inches wide, on either side just in front of your ear. Pull these strands back so that they border your mini-beehive and fix with kirby grips. This creates the 'half-up', dressier look.
9. Take your fringe section or the front part of hair that you'd clipped out of the way and brush back, then flip over and push slightly forward to create a small quiff at the front. The tail of this strand can be smoothed back into the beehive.Fix with kirby grips and a final blast of spray.

And there you have it, fuss-free, sexy party hair. Enjoy!