It’s the Christmas and summer holiday season and that means you’ve got parties to attend! Coming up with special event looks can be expensive if you always rely on getting new clothing. If gift shopping has left you short, one of the best ways to update your look is with a new hair style.

Try one of these 6 easy styles for medium to long hair for a radical shake-up of your party look.

1. Emma Stone’s bobby-pin beauty

This funky, folky look is achieved by doing your hair in soft waves, then positioning it with bobby pins in a pattern. Preferably ones that are a different colour to your hair. This cross-stitch effect is pretty, feminine but kind of edgy too.

2. Julianne Hough’s quiffed up do

Start with damp hair and heavily mousse the roots to give texture and lift. Blow dry with your fingers, then brush through and create waves by putting in hot rollers briefly or quickly curling thick sections with your barrel wand. Do a side part on both sides of the head, tie up the remaining hair at the sides and back. Separate out a section of the hair from the top of your head, closest to your front hair-line. Back comb the hair behind that to create the quiff, then carefully comb over the hair from the front, pining at the crown. Now gather the rest of the hair from the sides and back into a ponytail. Wind into a small bun and pin tightly. Give a good going over with a high hold hairspray.

3. Jessica Chastain’s Greek goddess

This is a simple but oh-so-pretty style. Do your usual soft waves with a middle part. Section off 2 inches of hair directly back from your hairline on the top only. Wind these sections aways from the front of your head into two ropes then tie them together low on the back of the head with a clear elastic. Give the twisted sections at the front a light spray with a medium hold hair spray. As an alternative, try the same technique with a side part, a la Kirsten Dunst.

4. Katherine Mc Phee’s textured top knot

To get this easy up-do, add mousse to damp hair and blow dry brushing the sides and back as you go to keep them neat. Pull up into a high ponytail on top of your head, then separate into 6 or 8 sections and twist each into a rope. Wind each rope back on itself and pin in the ropes in the middle and ends. Do this until all the ropes are pinned down. Then fork your fingers through to loosen and slightly mess-ify to avoid the ballerina look.

5. Isla Fischer’s side sweep

This simple variation on the soft wave hair-do will give you a classic old-hollywood glam vibe. Simply mousse your hair one side, brush as you blow dry then pin back just behind the curve of your head.  Curl the other side into soft waves. Spray the hell out of the flat side with a high hold hair spray and give it a blast of your hair dryer on low to set.

6. Elizabeth Olsen’s bo-ho side braid

Start with loose curls, then do a fishtail braid to one side. Pull it apart with your fingers to loosen it up.  Alternatively, do it tight and neat like Lucy Liu.