When it comes to holiday party dressing, it’s not just the act of putting on your outfit that makes you late, it’s doing your hair. Luckily, that’s all about to change this year thanks to the epic fishtail braid Olivia Culpo wore for her appearance on the Today Show this morning. While the style may look like you spent hours getting ready for the function, it’s actually a look that you can recreate in fifteen minutes flat—meaning you’ll have time to pose for an en route selfie to show off your ‘do like the former Miss Universe’s backseat Instagram snap.
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If you’ve always been intimidated by an intricate fishtail braid, the plait is surprisingly not that difficult to DIY. “It’s [a fishtail] easier than you think, you just have to be mindful to take the same size sections every time,” says celebrity hairstylist Owen Gould who created Culpo’s style. Consider us convinced. Here’s exactly how he created the updo.
To get Culpo’s hair smooth and voluminous, the pro started by blow-drying her hair using ghd’s Air Professional Performance Hairdryer ($199; sephora.com) and ghd’s Natural Bristle Radial Brush Size 3 ($45; ghdhair.com). After the beauty queen’s hair was completely dry, Gould straightened her hair in one-inch sections with ghd’s Platinum Styler ($249; sephora.com) to get her hair sleek for the plait.
Once Culpo’s hair was straight, the stylist moved onto braid. He pulled her hair up into a high pony and twisted a one-inch strand around it to conceal the hair elastic. Next, Gould fishtail braided the tail starting slightly lower than at the top of the pony to give it an “upscale sensibility.” After the plait was complete, the pro simply secured it with a hair band and the star was camera ready.
