Date Night Hairstyles You Can't Mess Up

WHY WE LOVE IT This retro style gets a 2011 update thanks to touchable texture.

HOW TO DO IT 1. Apply a light leave-in conditioner and volumizer spray to hair before drying it. 2. Set the top of your head with a large iron and use a medium sized one for the sides. Back comb the curls with a mixed bristle brush for "fluffy" volume, says Gwen Stefani's stylist Danilo. 3. Mist strands with a light hold spray and clip hair half-up.

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WHY WE LOVE IT Perfect for sexy singles, this look is unfettered and totally carefree. A word of caution: big, buoyant curls tend to attract a lot of attention.

HOW TO DO IT 1. Start building body in the shower with volumizing shampoo and conditioner. 2. Blow-dry with a large round brush, pulling hair up and out to create lift at the roots. Then wrap random sections around a 1-inch curling iron. 3. Once hair cools, brush through the curls to tease the crown and mist with a frizz-fighting spray for touchable hold.

WHY WE LOVE IT Inspired by the classic ballerina bun, this ultra-chic top knot is strong and sexy.

HOW TO DO IT 1. To achieve a sleek look, dampen hair from roots to ends with a frizz-fighting mousse. 2. Smooth strands back into a high ponytail on top of the head and secure with an elastic. 3. Wind the ponytail into a knot that's shaped in an oval, not a circle. "This softens the overall look," says Hilary Duff's stylist, Marcus Francis.

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WHY WE LOVE IT It doesn't get much more polished than these shiny sexy strands.

HOW TO DO IT 1. Prep hair for straightening with a smoothing shampoo and conditioner, says Suave stylist Jenny Cho who created Mila Kunis's sleek look. 2. Run an iron through hair that has been blown out with a boar bristle brush. 3. Finish with a few drops of serum and mist the style with a flexible hold hairspray for movement.

WHY WE LOVE IT With its deliberately tousled texture, the new side braid has a sweet coquettish charm.

HOW TO DO IT 1. Start with a curling iron to create loose waves—they hold together better than straight strands. Then rake shine serum through the ends. 2. Make a side part and gather hair to one side, just below the chin. Loosely braid and secure with a clear elastic. 3. To rough it up, hold the braid taut and give it a few good shakes.

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WHY WE LOVE IT This posh chignon only looks complicated—it actually takes less than 10 minutes!

HOW TO DO IT 1. Begin with second-day hair and curl random sections around the hairline for added texture, says Kerry Warn, who works with Nicole Kidman. 2. Make a side part and gather hair to one side, just below the chin. Loosely braid and secure with a clear elastic. 3. Pull a few sideswept curls loose around the face and mist with a firm-hold hairspray.