The Party Season Kit: 5 Essentials to Keep Within Reach

Five essentials, one evening bag, and hair that goes from the desk to dinner without starting over.

Party season asks a great deal of hair. A morning blowout is expected to arrive at the office, sit through the meetings, and then walk into a candlelit room as if it had just been done.

The secret is rarely more product. It is the right few, and knowing which one to reach for, and when. These are the five worth keeping within reach.

1. The Finishing Serum

Everything starts here. Work the Iles Formula Finishing Serum evenly through damp mid-lengths and ends before styling, and let the heat of the blow-dry activate it into lustrous, sumptuous, unforgettable silk. It is a favorite on red carpets and in studio work for a reason: the hair looks finished, never coated.

Within reach: a little more on dry hair before you leave, to smooth the lengths again. If your hair curls, the Iles Formula Curl Revive takes this step, worked liberally through damp curls and diffused or left to dry.

2. The Rinseless Root Refresh

The essential for day to night. By evening, the roots are the first to tire. Spray the Iles Formula Rinseless Root Refresh onto the scalp and roots, massage it in, then blow-dry the roots in the opposite direction to the way the hair grows. Brush through and restyle as normal.

It is a botanical, rinse-free alternative to dry shampoo, and the reason to skip the hairspray. It is also made for exactly this: small enough for the evening bag.

3. The Invisible Styling Oil

The last thing before the door. A few drops of the Iles Formula Invisible Styling Oil in the palm, rubbed between both hands, then slid over the lengths or pieced through the sections that need a little control. It disappears into the hair and leaves a velvety silk finish with quiet control and zero weight. As Wendy Iles puts it: "Don't see it, but you feel it."

Within reach: for the moment the coat comes off at the party and the hair needs one more pass.

4. The Signature Styling + Wet Brush

Designed for the shower, kept for the dressing table. The Iles Formula Signature Styling + Wet Brush is gentle on wet hair and an excellent styling tool on dry hair, with anti-static needles that smooth instead of charge. As Wendy Iles says: "I also love using it on set to dry style and add finishing touches to a coiffure."

5. The Conditioner Distribution Comb

Made as the partner to the Iles Formula Conditioner Haute Performance, the Iles Formula Conditioner Distribution Comb is the quiet hero of a night out. Run it through a finished blowout to sculpt soft, elegant texture tracks, or to set a clean part before you leave the house. Like the brush, it is gentle on wet hair and an excellent styling tool on dry hair.

The founder's last word

"Styles that have class." Wendy Iles

Discover the kit: the Iles Formula Finishing Serum, Rinseless Root Refresh, Invisible Styling Oil, Signature Styling + Wet Brush and Conditioner Distribution Comb.