Mariah Carey is essentially the queen of Christmas. So when it comes to holiday looks, she knows best.
Serving up a bit of a holiday how-to inspiration, Stylish spoke with her hairstylist Yusef Williams, who gave Us the scoop on how to recreate a look she opted for on a very special Christmas affair.
On Tuesday, December 17, the “All I Want for Christmas” songstress lit up the Empire State Building to celebrate the 25th year of the holiday classic, which coincidentally hit number one the same day.
For the big event, Williams created a simply stunning wavy style that was playfully full. “We wanted to have a tamed but still dramatic glam look,” he says. Though not a hair was out of place, he still teased it for a bit of controlled volume.
“Mariah wanted to have her look compliment the grandiose vibe of the Empire State Building,” he explains. “We were going for a holiday glam, art deco vibe. We drew a lot of inspiration from her silver skyscraper dress.”
To actually achieve this kind of textured volume, the hair pro used a 1.5 inch curling iron to bend and wrap the hair in different directions to get that wild yet flawless finish. For a little extra oomph, he added extensions to the back and base of the hair. Then to lock it all in place he used Suave Professionals Firm Control Finishing Hairspray, which is the one big key to creating a look like this.
“There’s nothing wrong with hairspray. If you’re getting ready to have a wild night or make sure your hair is on lock, use more hairspray. But before you do that make sure hair is properly set, especially if you’re doing curls like I did on Mariah,” he says, referring to post-curling cool-downs where ringlets set before brushing out. “Proper prep beforehand is key to a lasting look!”
