Next weekend is pretty much the official kickoff to the holiday party season. You’re probably already planning your holiday party outfits, and you can’t forget about your beauty look. Red lipstick is always a festive fallback, but if you’re struggling for a fun way to style your hair, the latest trend is perfect. Gold leaf hair is the latest look that is prettier than your regular party updo.
(Related: Forget Ombre, Rainbow Roots Is the Latest Hair Color Trend To Obsess Over)
Forget about sparkly hair accessories and go to your arts and crafts box to create this look. You might have thought that gold leaf hair was the latest hair color obsession, but instead of dye, it involves the same gold leaf that you use for craft projects. You know those thin sheets of metallic gold? For those who aren’t crafters, you can get them at Michaels for $10.99.
To get the look, you apply a bit of mousse using a brush to the area you want to add the gold leaf, then you gently apply the gold leaf and smooth it down, according to Seventeen and The Fox and the Hair Salon. The resulting look is similar to the time Kylie Jenner put a gold tattoo on her hair, but it has a more painterly finish.
You can create so many different looks with your gold leaf. You could add a frame-framing piece of the gold leaf along the side of your head, or you could upgrade your usual holiday hairstyle with a piece of gold leaf. You can even do a strip of it down your part for a more minimalist look. You could even take inspiration from C-3PO and slick your hair back and cover the entire thing in gold leaf.
If you have any gold leaf left over, you can put it on your nails or even apply it to your lips. It’s about the closest thing you can get to Pat McGrath’s Gold 001, considering it sold out in approximately 20 seconds.
Glitter roots have recently taken over Instagram, but the gold leaf is the slightly less messy and cooler way to add some shimmer to your hairstyle this season. It’s probably still annoying to wash out, but at least it won’t look like your shower just got glitter bombed.
Are you tempted to try it? If you prefer silver to gold, you could try it with silver leaf, or you could just go crazy and combine both metallic sheets together. The possibilities are only limited to you, your imagination, and whatever else you have floating around in your arts and crafts box. Start playing around now, and you’ll be ready for the party.
