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When the Barbie movie premiered in July, I was honestly a little shocked that there wasn’t a cameo from Holiday Barbie. Holiday Barbie is arguably one of the most glamorous Barbies, given her important role in the canon as a maximalist symbol of the season: ruffles, bows, velvet, tulle, sparkles and even faux fur accents are all fair game for her, and the yearly doll often becomes a coveted collector’s item for this reason.
She may have been absent from the film, but she’s never absent from my holiday moodboard. (Or my Christmas tree, because you can also buy Holiday Barbie ornaments.) Holiday Barbie is all about big curls, frosty makeup, glitter on glitter and having fun! So what better way to turn up the volume on your next party look than to turn yourself into a living doll? Ahead, we break down exactly how.
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How to Get Holiday Barbie Hair
You gotta start with the hair; besides the spectacular gown, of course, Holiday Barbie’s hair is the centerpiece of her look. “Holiday Barbie hair is so perfect it doesn’t look real, and curls keep the same bounce from when you walk in to when you walk out,” says hairstylist Sophie Rose Gutterman. “The hair is the It Girl, the showstopper, the outfit! Barbie holiday hair doesn’t take the backseat ever.”
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To show off your holiday gown, even if it’s not quiiiiiite as opulent as Barbie’s, Gutterman recommends a classic high ponytail. (Most of us don’t have Mattel’s fashion department at our beck and call.) “This playful yet powerful style will ensure you can party the night away and still look amazing,” she says. Gutterman recommends purchasing a ponytail extension, like those from The Hair Shop, to give your hair extra oomph. To secure the ponytail, Gutterman recommends All About Curls High Definition Gel ($10).
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If you prefer to wear your hair down, Gutterman recommends the classic bombshell wave. “The best way to get this look is setting the hair with a curling iron and some pins,” she says, citing The Delilah Curling Wand ($159) from Edrée as her favorite hot tool. Once your pin curls have set and cooled, take the pins town and “marry the hair” by brushing it gently. “This will allow the hair to do what it wants to do! Don’t fight your hair, it always wins,” advises Gutterman. Use a light hairspray to shape the front to frame your face.
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Celebrity hairstylist Danielle Priano recommends an easy but elegant updo with added holiday glitz. “I’d tease the crown to get that volume, gather all the hair into a bun and accessorize with decorative pins and/or ornaments,” she says.
For those of us who were raised in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, your Holiday Barbie probably rocked some major curls. Setting your hair on hot rollers or going old-school and rolling damp hair on foam or sponge rollers, then brushing it out, is the easiest way to get those fluffy curls. For volume, Gutterman likes using texture spray in place of hairspray; she recommends SexyHair Surfer Girl Dry Texturizing Spray ($23).
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How to Get Holiday Barbie Makeup
One thing is absolutely essential in any Holiday Barbie makeup moment: sparkle and shine. Thankfully those frosty eyeshadows and lipsticks didn’t vanish with the ‘80s; they’re back. “We all love that super frosty shimmery makeup from the ‘80s and ‘90s and there are actually a ton of products on the market to help you achieve this look,” says makeup artist Kasey Spickard.
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Give yourself permission to pile on the glitter. “We want that sparkly pop on the eye when going for this look,” says Spickard, spotlighting Byredo’s makeup for its “incredible” glitter and shimmer shadows. For a full-on Barbie moment, he loves the “great pink and purple glitter shadows to pop onto your eyelid” via the Purple Echo palette. If you really want to frost yourself, Spickard loves silver glitter shadow from the Metal Boots in the Snow Palette ($75). “It’s amazing shadow topper on any eye look.”
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Spickard also recommends Pat McGrath Labs’ Bijoux Brilliance Eyeshadow Palette ($29) to bring the sparkle. “It’s an all-in-one to get this look. It has great deep shades like Ruby Noir to create depth and smoke while still giving you sparkle and an array of beautiful pink shimmers for every part of the eye,” he explains. “I’d pop Platinum Rosewater on the inner corner and brow bone and Cosmic Garnet and Naked Sunset on the lid.” Nothing says “holiday” like the perfect red lip, so finish off with your favorite shade and grab your Ken and Skipper for an evening of festive fun.
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