We all crave that standout hairstyle that effortlessly turns heads and elevates our confidence. Enter money pieces—the game-changing highlights that frame our faces and add incredible depth to our locks. These strategic strands not only enhance our natural beauty but also create a fresh, vibrant look that’s hard to ignore.
By incorporating money pieces into our hair routine, we embrace a versatile trend that suits any hair type and color. Whether we’re aiming for subtle shimmer or bold contrast, money pieces offer the perfect balance of sophistication and flair. Let’s explore how this simple technique can transform our style, making every day a good hair day and ensuring we always shine with confidence.
What Are Money Pieces?
Definition and Origin
Money pieces are strategically placed highlights that frame your face, drawing attention to your best features. Originating from celebrity hairstyling, this trend has quickly become a favorite for adding dimension and vibrancy to any hairstyle. By incorporating lighter strands around the face, we create a focal point that enhances natural beauty and complements various hair types and colors.
How They Enhance Your Look
Money pieces instantly brighten your complexion, making your skin appear more radiant. They add depth and movement to your hair, preventing a flat appearance. By highlighting exact areas, we accentuate facial features like eyes and cheekbones, creating a balanced and harmonious look. Also, money pieces offer versatility, allowing for both subtle and bold transformations customized to individual styles.
Benefits of Incorporating Money Pieces
Incorporating money pieces into your hairstyle offers many advantages that enhance both your overall look and facial features. Here are the key benefits:
Highlighting Facial Features
- Frames Facial Features: Money pieces lighten the hair sections closest to the face, typically starting near the temples and framing the cheekbones. This mimics how light naturally hits the face, creating a flattering and multi-dimensional look that softens jawlines, elongates round faces, and accentuates cheekbones.
- Brightens the Complexion: Adding a lighter shade around the face brightens the complexion, enhances skin tone, and makes the eyes more prominent. This effect acts like a contour for the hair, drawing focus to the eyes and other facial features.
Adding Dimension and Depth
- Creates Visual Interest: Money pieces introduce varying shades of color, adding layers to your hair that make it appear more vibrant and lively. This ever-changing look prevents your hairstyle from appearing flat and monotonous.
- Enhances Hair Texture: By incorporating lighter strands, money pieces highlight the natural texture and movement of your hair. This adds a sense of volume and bounce, giving your hairstyle a more polished and sophisticated appearance.
- Versatile Styling Options: Whether you prefer subtle highlights or bold contrasts, money pieces can be customized to suit your personal style. This flexibility allows you to experiment with different looks, from natural sun-kissed tones to striking, eye-catching hues.
Boosting Confidence
- Enhances Personal Features: Money pieces draw attention to your best facial features, making you feel more confident and radiant. The strategic placement of highlights ensures that your hairstyle complements your unique look.
- Modern and Trendy: Keeping up with current hair trends by incorporating money pieces can give you a stylish and contemporary appearance. Staying fashionable boosts your self-esteem and ensures you always look your best.
Low Maintenance Styling
- Easy to Maintain: Money pieces require minimal upkeep compared to full highlights. This makes it easier to keep your hairstyle looking fresh and vibrant without frequent salon visits.
- Blends Seamlessly: The strategic placement of lighter strands ensures that your hair maintains a natural look as it grows out, reducing the need for constant touch-ups and allowing for a more effortless beauty routine.
Adding Dimension and Depth
Plus to highlighting your facial features, money pieces play a crucial role in adding dimension and depth to your hairstyle. Here’s how:
- Enhances Layering: Money pieces complement layered haircuts by adding lighter strands that create a cohesive and integrated look. This layering effect gives your hair more movement and prevents it from looking too heavy or flat.
- Creates Contrast: By incorporating different shades, money pieces create a striking contrast that makes your hair appear fuller and more textured. This contrast is especially effective in highlighting curls or waves, adding a rich, multi-dimensional appearance.
- Improves Overall Hair Health: The strategic placement of lighter strands can protect your hair from damage by reducing the need for excessive heat styling. Healthier hair maintains its natural shine and luster, improving the overall quality of your hairstyle.
- Adapts to Various Hair Types: Whether you have straight, wavy, or curly hair, money pieces can be customized to suit your exact hair type. This adaptability ensures that everyone can benefit from the added dimension and depth that money pieces provide.
By integrating money pieces into your hairstyle, you not only highlight your best features but also achieve a look that is full of life and dimension, ensuring your hair remains stylish and captivating.
Choosing the Right Money Pieces for Your Face Shape
Selecting the perfect money pieces can enhance your natural beauty by complementing your face shape. Let’s explore how to tailor these highlights to suit different face shapes.
Round Faces
For those with round faces, money pieces can create a more elongated and balanced appearance.
- Strategically Placed Highlights: Position lighter strands around the temples and along the hairline. This placement draws the eye upwards, giving the illusion of a longer face.
- Avoid Wide Sections: Use narrower sections of highlights to prevent adding unnecessary width. Focus on vertical lines that help lengthen your face.
- Soft Layers: Incorporate soft layers with your money pieces. This adds movement and creates a slimmer look, improving your facial features.
Oval Faces
Oval faces are versatile, allowing for various money piece styles to enhance your balanced proportions.
- Versatile Highlight Placement: Experiment with different placements, such as sweeping highlights across the front or focusing on the side strands. This flexibility accentuates your face’s natural symmetry.
- Medium Thickness: Choose medium-thickness highlights to maintain harmony. These provide dimension without overwhelming your delicate features.
- Subtle Blending: Ensure your money pieces blend seamlessly with your base color. This subtlety highlights your face without distracting from your overall look.
Square Faces
Square faces benefit from money pieces that soften strong jawlines and highlight facial symmetry.
- Curved Highlight Placement: Apply highlights in curved lines around the face. This technique softens angular features and adds a flattering contrast.
- Balanced Contrast: Use a mix of light and medium tones to create depth. Balanced contrast draws attention to your eyes and cheekbones, improving your natural structure.
- Layered Highlights: Incorporate layered highlights to add texture and movement. This approach breaks up the strong lines of a square face, creating a more harmonious appearance.
How to Get Money Pieces at Home
Achieving stunning money pieces from the comfort of your home is easier than you think. With the right tools and a bit of patience, we can transform your look effortlessly.
Tools and Products Needed
First, gather all the essentials to ensure a smooth application process:
- Lightener or Bleach: We recommend using a reliable hair lightener or bleach kit, such as the L’Oréal Paris Colorista Hair Bleach & Lightener At Home Kit, which provides consistent results.
- Developer: Choose a 20 or 30 volume developer based on how much lift you desire. A higher volume developer offers a more important lightening effect.
- Mixing Bowl and Brush: These tools are crucial for mixing and precisely applying the lightener to your hair.
- Tail Comb or Regular Comb: Utilizing a comb helps in sectioning your hair accurately, ensuring even application of the product.
- Clips: Small clips are necessary to keep sections of your hair out of the way, allowing for a more organized and efficient process.
- Gloves: Protecting your hands is essential when working with bleach. Wear gloves to prevent any unwanted irritation or stains.
- Toner (Optional): If you aim for a exact color tone after lightening, a toner can help achieve the perfect shade.
- Shampoo and Conditioner: Opt for products formulated for colored hair, and consider using a purple toning system to maintain your blonde money pieces.
Step-by-Step Application Guide
Follow these steps to apply money pieces like a pro:
- Prepare Your Workspace: Start by laying out all your tools and products. Ensure your hair is dry and free from any styling products.
- Protect Your Skin and Clothing: Wear an old shirt and apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly around your hairline to prevent the bleach from staining your skin.
- Section Your Hair: Using the tail comb, part your hair horizontally across the forehead. Clip back the top layers to expose the front sections where the money pieces will be placed.
- Mix the Bleach and Developer: In the mixing bowl, combine the lightener with the appropriate volume developer according to the product instructions. Stir until you achieve a smooth consistency.
- Apply the Bleach: With the brush, carefully apply the mixture to the pre-sectioned hair around your face. Start from the mid-length and work towards the ends for a natural gradient effect.
- Monitor the Lightening Process: Keep an eye on the color development. Depending on your hair type and desired look, this can take anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes.
- Rinse and Condition: Once the desired lift is achieved, rinse your hair thoroughly with lukewarm water. Follow up with a sulfate-free shampoo and a deep conditioner to restore moisture.
- Apply Toner (If Desired): For cooler tones or to eliminate any brassiness, apply a toner to your money pieces. Leave it on for the recommended time before rinsing.
- Style as Usual: Dry and style your hair to reveal your beautifully highlighted money pieces that frame your face perfectly.
By following these steps, we can achieve salon-quality money pieces right at home, improving our natural beauty with minimal effort.
Maintaining Your Money Pieces
Keeping your money pieces looking fresh and vibrant requires consistent care. We’ve gathered the best tips to help you maintain those stunning highlights.
Regular Care Tips
- Protect Color with Specialized Products: Choose color-safe, sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners to preserve your highlights. Brands like Redken Acidic Color Gloss ensure your color-treated hair stays vibrant and glossy between salon visits.
- Hydrate with Conditioning Treatments: Maintain moisture in your hair by using regular conditioning treatments. Incorporate a nourishing hair mask, such as Kérastase Masque Thérapiste, into your routine at least once a week to keep your strands healthy and strong.
- Minimize Heat Styling: Limit the use of heat styling tools like flat irons and curling wands. When you do style, apply a heat protectant spray to reduce damage and maintain the integrity of your color.
Refreshing Color Between Appointments
- Schedule Regular Touch-Ups: Plan touch-ups every six to eight weeks to keep your money pieces looking bright and fresh. Consistent maintenance prevents noticeable grow-out lines and keeps your highlights seamless.
- Use Color-Improving Products: Incorporate color-improving sprays or glosses between appointments. Products like Moroccanoil Color Depositing Mask can boost your highlight color and add extra shine without the need for a full salon visit.
- Protect Against Environmental Factors: Shield your hair from sun exposure and chlorine by wearing hats or using UV-protectant sprays. Environmental stressors can fade your color, so taking these precautions helps maintain your money pieces’ vibrancy longer.
Styling Ideas with Money Pieces
Enhance your hairstyle with these versatile money piece styling ideas. Whether you’re aiming for a laid-back vibe or a stunning evening look, we’ve got you covered.
Casual Everyday Styles
- Natural-Looking Money Piece Hair
We opt for natural-looking money piece highlights using warm blonde, caramel, or ash blonde hues that seamlessly blend with our base color. This versatile style suits various hair types, including curly, wavy, and straight hair.
- Face-Framing Ashy Highlights
We choose ashy blonde money pieces to add a cool, effortless touch to our daily look. This choice is especially flattering for natural brunettes and pairs well with styles ranging from tousled waves to sleek straight hair.
- Subtle Beige Money Piece
We select a beige or butter pecan blonde money piece to infuse our hair with a soft, natural glow. This understated highlight adds dimension without overpowering your everyday style.
Glamorous Evening Looks
- Bold Copper Highlights
We incorporate bold copper money pieces to create a striking contrast against our base color. This vibrant choice adds drama and sophistication, perfect for evening events and special occasions.
- Platinum Blonde Money Pieces
We embrace platinum blonde money pieces for a high-impact, icy look. These bright highlights catch the light beautifully, improving our overall hairstyle with a glamorous flair.
- Deep Mahogany Accents
We add deep mahogany money pieces to introduce rich, dark tones into our hair. This luxurious highlight complements elegant evening styles, providing depth and intensity.
- Velvet Red Highlights
We opt for velvet red money pieces to make a bold statement. These fiery accents add passion and energy to our hair, ideal for turning heads at nighttime gatherings.
- Golden Champagne Highlights
We choose golden champagne money pieces to bring a touch of elegance and shimmer to our evening look. These subtle yet luminous highlights enhance our hair with a refined and classy appearance.
By experimenting with these styling ideas, we can effortlessly transform our look from day to night, showcasing the versatility of money pieces in any setting.
Common Mistakes to Avoid with Money Pieces
Avoiding common mistakes can make your money pieces look flawless and natural.
Over-Highlighting
- Uneven Application
We sometimes overhighlight by applying lightener unevenly. To prevent this, we use a systematic approach, starting at the nape of the neck and working our way up in triangle sections. This method ensures highlights are evenly distributed and blend seamlessly with the rest of the hair.
- Insufficient Blending
We know that poor blending can create harsh lines and an unnatural appearance. To avoid this, we use a ‘U’ section around the crown and apply the lightener to achieve a smooth transition from roots to ends. Proper blending is key to maintaining a natural look.
Choosing the Wrong Shade
Selecting the wrong shade can make your money pieces stand out in an unflattering way. We prioritize matching the highlight color to your base hair tone and skin undertones. For warm-toned hair, we opt for caramel or honey highlights, while cool-toned hair looks best with ashy or platinum shades. Also, we consider your personal style and the level of contrast you desire to ensure the highlights enhance your features beautifully.
Best Hairstyles to Complement Money Pieces
Long Layers
Long layered hair pairs perfectly with money piece highlights. These layers frame our face, making the highlighted strands stand out for a more defined look. Also, our longer locks let the money pieces blend naturally, while the movement and texture from the layers showcase the face-framing colors beautifully.
Short Cuts
Short cuts like bobs and pixie cuts work wonderfully with money piece highlights. These styles highlight our facial features by drawing attention to the lighter strands. Also, the sleekness of short hair emphasizes the contrast between the money pieces and the rest of our hair, creating a chic and modern appearance.
Top Products for Achieving Perfect Money Pieces
Achieving flawless money pieces starts with choosing the right products. We’ve curated the top hair color brands and highlighting tools to help you create stunning face-framing highlights.
Hair Color Brands
- L’Oréal Paris Feria
L’Oréal offers vibrant and long-lasting shades that blend seamlessly with your natural color. Their Feria line provides multi-dimensional color perfect for creating ever-changing money pieces.
- Wella Professionals Color Touch
Wella’s Color Touch delivers rich, precise color with excellent coverage. It’s ideal for those looking to add subtle or bold highlights around the face.
- Schwarzkopf Blonde Ultime
Schwarzkopf’s Blonde Ultime is perfect for achieving bright, luminous highlights. Its formula ensures minimal damage while providing intense color payoff.
- Manic Panic Amplified
For those interested in fantasy colors, Manic Panic Amplified offers vibrant hues like lavender and pastel blue, perfect for trendy money pieces.
Highlighting Tools
- Lightener and Bleach
Using a high-quality lightener is essential for brightening exact strands. Products like Blue Powder Lightener effectively lift your hair color without causing excessive damage.
- Foiling Kits
Foiling kits streamline the highlighting process, ensuring even distribution and precise placement around the face. They are a must-have for achieving professional-looking money pieces at home.
- Color Brushes
A good color brush allows for controlled application of hair color, helping you target the exact sections you want to highlight. Look for brushes with comfortable grips and precise tips.
- Sectioning Clips
Sectioning clips keep your hair organized while applying highlights. They prevent overlap and ensure that each strand is treated accurately for a natural finish.
By selecting the right hair color brands and utilizing effective highlighting tools, we can achieve perfect money pieces that enhance our facial features and add vibrant dimension to our hairstyles.
Conclusion
Money pieces offer a fresh way to elevate our hairstyles effortlessly. They blend seamlessly with our natural hair, adding that extra spark that makes all the difference. Whether we’re aiming for a subtle enhancement or a bold transformation money pieces provide the flexibility to match our personal style.
Embracing this trend not only keeps our look modern but also highlights our best features with minimal maintenance. Let’s incorporate money pieces into our routines and enjoy the vibrant and ever-changing hairstyles they bring.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are money pieces in hairstyling?
Money pieces are strategically placed highlights that frame the face, enhancing the overall appearance of the hair. Originating from celebrity hairstyling, they add dimension and vibrancy by lightening sections near the face. This technique brightens the complexion, accentuates facial features like eyes and cheekbones, and prevents a flat look by adding depth and movement to the hair.
What are the benefits of adding money pieces to your hairstyle?
Money pieces frame facial features, create a multi-dimensional look, and brighten the complexion. They enhance skin tone, add layers and volume to the hair, and prevent a monotonous appearance. Additionally, money pieces boost confidence by highlighting personal features, keep hairstyles modern, require minimal maintenance, and improve overall hair health by reducing the need for excessive heat styling.
How do I choose the right money pieces for my face shape?
For round faces, place highlights around the temples and hairline to create an elongated appearance. Oval faces can experiment with various placements and medium-thickness highlights for balance. Square faces benefit from curved highlight placements that soften strong jawlines and add depth with a mix of light and medium tones. Choosing the right placement based on face shape ensures a flattering and balanced look.
Can I apply money pieces at home?
Yes, you can achieve money pieces at home with the right tools and products. You’ll need lightener or bleach, developer, a mixing bowl, brush, comb, clips, gloves, and optionally, toner. Follow a step-by-step guide: prepare your workspace, protect your skin and clothes, section your hair, mix and apply the bleach, monitor the lightening process, rinse and condition, and style your hair. This allows you to create salon-quality money pieces at home.
How do I maintain my money pieces?
To keep your money pieces vibrant, use color-safe, sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners. Incorporate regular conditioning treatments to maintain hair health. Limit heat styling and schedule touch-ups every six to eight weeks to prevent noticeable grow-out lines. Additionally, use color-improving products and protect your hair from sun exposure and chlorine to preserve the highlights’ brightness and longevity.
What are some styling ideas for money pieces?
For everyday looks, opt for natural-looking highlights in warm blonde, caramel, or ash blonde hues. Subtle beige or ashy blonde options also work well. For evening styles, choose bold colors like copper, platinum blonde, deep mahogany, velvet red, or golden champagne highlights to create striking contrasts and add elegance. Money pieces are versatile, allowing you to transition effortlessly from casual to glamorous settings.
What common mistakes should I avoid when applying money pieces?
Avoid over-highlighting and uneven application by following a systematic approach for even distribution. Ensure proper blending to prevent harsh lines and choose shades that match your hair tone and skin undertones. Over-highlighting can make the look unnatural, while improper blending can result in a patchy appearance. Selecting the right shade and maintaining balance are key to achieving flawless and natural-looking money pieces.
Which hairstyles best complement money pieces?
Long layered hair is ideal for framing the face and showcasing movement and texture with money pieces. Short cuts, such as bobs and pixie cuts, also complement money pieces by drawing attention to facial features and creating a chic contrast. These hairstyles allow the highlights to blend naturally, enhancing the overall definition and style, making money pieces a versatile addition to various haircuts.
What tools and products do I need for perfect money pieces?
Essential tools for achieving money pieces include lighteners, foiling kits, color brushes, and sectioning clips. Recommended hair color brands are L’Oréal Paris Feria, Wella Professionals Color Touch, Schwarzkopf Blonde Ultime, and Manic Panic Amplified for fantasy colors. These products and tools help create professional-looking highlights at home, ensuring your money pieces enhance your features and add vibrant dimension to your hairstyle.
How often should I update my money pieces?
To maintain fresh and vibrant money pieces, schedule touch-ups every six to eight weeks. This prevents noticeable grow-out lines and keeps the highlights looking sharp. Regular maintenance helps preserve the brightness and health of your hair, ensuring that your money pieces continue to enhance your overall hairstyle effectively.
