hairstyles

Straight
to the
While a sleek, long hairstyle
sounds simple, it could be a girl’s
most important accessory in
capturing the Prom’s attention

The Fourth of July may be months away, but it’s never a bad time to celebrate America. After all, one of the great hings about being an American is the wealth of tradi- tions that we have at our disposal. For instance, on Thanksgiving we eat turkey, and at the ballpark we eat hot dogs. For a long time we never wore white after Labor Day, and if you’re caught wearing anything but green on St. Patrick’s Day, you’re bound to be pinched.

But traditions aren’t always about what we eat or what we wear. One of our favorite traditions happens annually on the Red Carpet at the biggest awards shows. It started with Joan Rivers, was passed down to her daughter Melissa, and has been imitated by many and talked about by more. Of course I’m talking about the Red Carpet fashion critics, who have long praised and admonished the winners and losers of Academy Award, Grammy, Emmy and Tony broadcasts. This rite of passage that all celebrities go through—a gauntlet of berating, if you will—shows us, though, that everyone is watching. And as we always try to tell our readers, always act as if all eyes are on you.

With Prom season here, it’s important for girls—and guys aren’t off the hook either—to remember that on their special night everyone will be watching to see who has the hottest styles, the latest looks, and the most beautiful gowns. As always, there are some simple yet breathtaking looks for every girl out there and this season, we turn straight to the curls.

Our favorite look this year is long hair with curls for accent, because there’s nothing easier, more functional, and especially more dependable than a girl’s curling iron. Especially with a plain color, strapless gown, long straight hair commands attention because it is the most flattering accessory to a long neck and the beautiful skin showcased by a gown with no straps. However, with straight hair comes straight talk. And let’s be honest—your hair isn’t naturally straight. Chances are you’ve had some curls in there, or even worse you’re a long-running victim of frizzy hair and stragglers, or those

For this creation we kept model Briana Lupo’s naturally straight hair in front and on top and added a long flowing cascade of curls in the back to drape off of her shoulder.

hairs that seem to have minds of their own.

If you choose to go with a long, straight look this year, then your best friend is preparation. We’re talking days in advance, too, because that’s how important your style is. The key to keeping a long, straight style starts with a trim. One of the most useful hairstyling tips that most women don’t adhere to nearly as much as they should is the regular trimming of their hair. We’re not talking about chopping inches off at a time. It’s a matter of having the ends of your hair trimmed consistently in order to stave off split ends, which are, of course, the most notorious cause of frizziness. By trimming less than a centimeter at a time, you’re allowing your hair to grow in even and free off ugly splits.

Another popular yet mistake-riddled step in creating sleek and straight long hair is with a blow dryer. Most women make a very simple mistake when using a blow dryer to create straight hair, and that is holding the appliance at the wrong angle. When using a dryer to straighten, the air needs to be blowing down the hair from