Hair Pins for a Flawless French Twist Are Under $20 for Black Friday

Right this way for an up-do to rival Taylor Swift's.

Taylor Swift enters arrowhead stadium wearing her signature nars lipstick and a french twist up-do
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Most Novembers, I scour the best Black Friday beauty deals in search of a skin-enhancing LED mask or a salon-quality hair dryer. This year, my ambitions were simpler: All I want is a hair pin to achieve a French twist like Taylor Swift's at a recent Chiefs game, or the hundreds of hair-fluencers flooding my TikTok FYP. And this year, it looks like the Discount Powers That Be have delivered.

After sifting through hundreds of deals, I found a few eternally chic French hair pins—each that are less than $20 at checkout. I don't feel like I'm exaggerating when I say these simple, elegant accessories are the key to even more excellent hair.

Taylor Swift walks into Arrowhead Stadium wearing a Versace suit NARS lipstick and a French twist up-do

Taylor Swift wore a French twist for her most recent Chiefs' game appearance.

(Image credit: Getty Images)
@oliviadaytonn

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On TikTok, French twists are the heir-apparent to the claw clips that ruled all of 2022 and 2023. Like those accessories, they're a ticket to a ten-second-or-less up-do—but hair pins have an even more upscale bent. They have a curved, elegant shape laying out on a vanity; once they're secured into a chignon, they're practically invisible. And after hours in a virtually immovable style, they don't crease or indent hair the same way an elastic hair tie does.

I've been hypnotized watching creators twist and fasten short, medium, and long hair into quintessentially chic arrangements all fall—and each time, I've been surprised that such an old-money look could be so easy and affordable. Right now, it's particularly accessible. In Madewell's Black Friday sale, tortoiseshell and acetate hair pins are up to 50 percent off with code MADEBETTER at checkout. (Yes, even the ones that were previously marked down.) Meanwhile, at Anthropologie, gold and pearl-embellished versions are 30 percent off at checkout, no code required. I've also caught Black Friday hair deals at Amazon and the It-girl brand Machete, where packs of hair pins in every color, texture, and shape imaginable are between $8 and $17 on sale.

@dianaaaavel

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For a take that telegraphs a walk around the Marais, I suggest a hair pin that's curved, solid gold (like Anthropologie's) or one with a curling gold loop at the center (like Madewell's). The latter retailer also has a few zany takes made from wavy, multicolor acrylic. After I shop one of each for myself, I might just hit "Order" on a few tortoiseshell versions for family stocking stuffers as well. I know the beauty lovers in my life are seeing as many French twist tutorials online as I am—and they'd be just as excited to level up their daily hair game, too.

@elisehoogerdijk

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Halie LeSavage
Senior News Editor (Fashion & Beauty)

Halie LeSavage is the senior fashion and beauty news editor at Marie Claire, where she assigns, edits, and writes stories for both sections. Halie is an expert on runway trends, celebrity style, emerging fashion and beauty brands, and shopping (naturally). In over seven years as a professional journalist, Halie’s reporting has ranged from fashion week coverage spanning the Copenhagen, New York, Milan, and Paris markets, to profiles on industry insiders including stylist Alison Bornstein and J.Crew womenswear creative director Olympia Gayot, to breaking news stories on noteworthy brand collaborations and beauty launches. (She can personally confirm that Bella Hadid’s Ôrebella perfume is worth the hype.) She has also written dozens of research-backed shopping guides to finding the best tote bags, ballet flats, and more. Most of all, Halie loves to explore what trends—like the rise of doll-like Mary Janes or TikTok’s 75 Hard Style Challenge—can say about culture writ large. (She justifies almost any purchase by saying it’s “for work.”) Halie has previously held writer and editor roles at Glamour, Morning Brew, and Harper’s Bazaar. Halie has been cited as a fashion and beauty expert in The Cut, CNN Underscored, and Reuters, among other outlets, and appears in newsletters like Selleb and Self-Checkout to provide shopping recommendations. In 2022, she was awarded the Hearst Spotlight Award for excellence and innovation in fashion journalism. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Harvard College. Outside of work, Halie is passionate about books, baking, and her miniature Bernedoodle, Dolly. For a behind-the-scenes look at her reporting, you can follow Halie on Instagram and TikTok.