5 Minute Bun Tutorial

A bun is the perfect hairstyle for days when you want a quick ‘do that still looks polished or you woke up late and need to leave like right now. It can be dressed up or down, messy or sleek, anyway you wear it can sometimes be a challenge. I have  watched many videos and read many bun tutorials over the years trying different create different looks for different occasions, but have found nothing as quick and easy as I technique I discovered a few years ago. I get asked all the time how I do my buns or how long it takes, and to many people’s surprise it only takes 5 minutes or less.

Things You’ll Need:

• hairbrush
• 2 hair ties
• a few bobby pins (this can depend on hair length and thickness)
• hairspray (optional)

1.  I first began by brushing out all of the hair making sure it was free of any tangles. I did this on my sister and as you can probably tell her hair is still slightly damp. It does not have to be, but it can.

2.   Next, I just gathered the hair into a ponytail; not securing a hair tie. Where the ponytail is will determine where the bun is.

3.  Keeping your hand in place around the ponytail, use your free hand to separate the hair around the circumference of the ponytail into a doughnut shape. Then secure an elastic around it, making sure to keep the shape small and close to the head. When it is secure, pull out pieces are the bun to loosen it and make it bigger. At this point the bun should be quite floppy and the ends should still be hanging down. Don’t worry it won’t stay like this though.

 

4. Bring the ends up around the top of the bun and hold them under it, close to the hair tie, then secure the second hair tie over
the top making sure to include the ends. The loosen the hair if you need to.

5. Now take the looser sections around the middle of the doughnut and pin them into a loop into the middle. Do this as many times as it takes to secure all the loose pieces or until you have a look you are satisfied with. Then you can also pin down the sides to keep the bun in place.

6. All you have left to do is hairspray everything into place and you will be set.

Beauty Blender Dupes

Using a beauty blender is a great way to apply foundation and liquid concealers for a flawless and glowing look. It’s the only way I’ve found to apply foundation thats looks almost as natural as skin. However, $20 for something that seems as simple as a sponge seems quite ridiculous if you ask me. Although I still go back to using my beauty blender, I have tried a few other dupes that greatly compare if you are looking for something good quality for less.
The first beauty blender knock-off I have tried, is the Swissco Precision Blending Sponge, which I got at Ulta. I stumbled across it on my way to check out and decided to give it a try because it looked convincing enough as the original beauty blender, and for only $6 it couldn’t hurt. Honestly, I was surprised how much it actually compared to the beauty blender. It is super soft yet still firm enough to ‘bounce’ on the skin. It also expands to twice it’s size when wet just like the original. I do have a few concerns though. First, it soaks up a lot of makeup. I know it’s a sponge and sponges are supposed to absorb, however I felt like I was having to keep adding more and more foundation to get any sort of coverage. In the long run I would probably be re-buying foundation so much more often than the $16 I save right away is worth. Also, I wash my makeup sponges with a gentle soap and water about every other day to avoid bacterial growth, (because beauty blenders are best used wet, they are a breeding ground for bacterial!) but within about the first month of using this sponge the material began to deteriorate, eventually ripping in half. A problem I have yet to encounter with the Beauty Blender. Personally, I won’t be buying this sponge again for this reason, but in terms of texture and performance there is hardly a difference.

After my Swissco blending sponge ripped, the second beauty blender dupe I tried was the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge also for  $6. The obvious first difference between the Beauty Blender and the Real Techniques sponge is the shape. It still has the pointed end that works well for under the eyes and around the nose, but it also includes another end with a flat side. I find that this flat end makes it easier to blend out larger areas of the face, lowering makeup application time. A major difference that I have noticed is the texture. It’s still quite soft but much denser. It doesn’t have the same springiness as the last one or the Beauty Blender, which makes the makeup go on someone thicker than the last and doesn’t look as airbrushed or natural. However, this difference in make application is slight and still better than any foundation brush I’ve tried. A plus about this product that I did not experience any ripping or tears in the sponge, thus far. I also have noticed it doesn’t absorb nearly has much makeup as the Swissco brand.

Overall, these to products are definitely worth considering when trying to find a blending sponge comparable to the Beauty Blender, especially for a fraction of the price. I think I will be sticking with my Beauty Blender, though. I just feel like it will last the longest and the soft yet firm texture applies makeup flawlessly. Although $20 is quite pricey for a sponge, to me it’s worth not having to replace every month.

Homecoming Updo Tutorial

My school’s homecoming was just this weekend, and I was asked by a few of my friends to do their hair, which gave me the perfect opportunity to try out some cute up-dos. My favorite one that I did was on my sister. It is a loopy bun with a braid that would look good not only for homecoming, but prom, or any other formal event.

First, I started by parting the hair deep to the left side. The side of the part doesn’t really matter but it determines what way the braid will be going.

Next, I loosely curled all of the hair with a curling wand, a regular curling iron will work just as well, but i prefer to use a wand because it saves time. The curls do not need to be perfect, or all the same, because they are only needed to give the bun texture and fullness.

After I finished curling the hair, I sectioned off about a 3.5 inch section, starting from the part and going all the way back to right behind the ear, and clipped it off to the side to be used in the braid. With the rest of the hair, not going to be in the braid, I started at the crown of the head and teased it. I did about 3 sections making sure to apply hair spray to the roots after each one. Then I smoothed out the top of the tease and pulled the hair into a half up-half down ponytail using a clear elastic. Make sure to secure it low and not too tight or else it will be hard to cover up later. You could skip this step but I found by applying the elastic to the teased section it kept more volume when I made the the bun.

Now onto the bun. I actually did this hairstyle two separate times and the first time (shown in the picture above) I made the bun more centered at the back of the head, which I think looks pretty, but my sister was worried the bun wouldn’t show in pictures. I ended up doing almost exactly the same thing but moved the bun to the left. In both looks I gathered the hair into a ponytail at the nape of the neck( where you place the ponytail determines where the bun will be). Then I took about 1 inch pieces from the ponytail, twisted it around loosely a few times to give it definition, then looped it up and pinned it against the head. I continued this until all of the hair was arranged in the bun.

The last step is to add the braid. I unclipped the previously sectioned hair and began dutch braiding at the part. A dutch braid is almost the same as a french braid but instead of bringing the outer strand of hair over the middle strand, you bring the outer strand under the middle strand. Just like a regular french braid, keep adding in sections as you go. When you run out of hair to add in, continue braiding normally the rest of the way down the hair. Before tying the end of the braid with a clear elastic, I pancaked  the braid to make it fuller and fluffier. To do this, hold the end of the braid in one hand and with the other hand gently tug on the outside of the braid. Start at the bottom and work your way up each individual loop of the braid, making it bigger. When you have the braid to the fullness you desire tie the end with a clear elastic. Next, all you have to do is wrap the braid around the top of the bun, pinning it down as you go, until you reach the end. Make sure to place the braid over the elastic from earlier, so that it’s hidden.

When everything is in place smooth down any fly aways and spray the whole head with hairspray.

Quick Tips: Color Correcting Concealer

What comes in green, lilac, pink, and yellow?  The answer is concealers. And you thought matching the flesh tone shades to your face was hard enough, but now there is almost every color under the rainbow. Skin isn’t even green …