Quick and Easy Holiday Hair for 2014

'Tis the season for last minute shopping, gift wrapping presents and attending holiday parties and family get-togethers. With the hustle and bustle of the 2014 holiday season now in full swing, the last thing we want is to spend a lot of time styling our hair for all of our festivities. Have your hair party-ready in a hurry with these simple, yet elegant, quick and easy holiday hair how-to's.

No Curling Iron Needed - Only 4 Quick & Easy Steps - 2 Sleek & Chic Holiday Styles

Supplies Needed:

• hair clips 
• elastic hair ties/rubber bands  
• hair doughnut
• teasing brush or tail comb
• bobby pins
• hair spray and shine spray 

Holiday Wrapped Bun



Step 1: Choose a deep side part on either side of your head, the opposite side of where the bun is placed. Take a horizontal section at the parietal ridge* and clip the hair on top out of the way. Smooth the hair on the bottom section and with a hair tie, secure a low side ponytail at the nape. *Parietal ridge: the widest area of the head, starting at the temples and ending at the bottom of the crown.

Step 2: Next, add in the hair doughnut by sliding the ponytail through the opening of the doughnut. Tilting your head down and to the side (so ponytail is facing up) to evenly spread your hair over the doughnut. Secure hair around bun by placing a hair-tie over the entire hair doughnut.

Step 3: Tease the remaining hair left out of the doughnut to create a cushion above the bun and towards the back of your head, then secure cushion with bobby pins. 

Step 4: Remove clip holding hair on top of  your head. Tease the hair at your crown and smooth all of your hair back towards your bun. Twist the ends of your hair slightly and wrap hair clockwise around the base of the bun. Secure ends with bobby pins. Finish with hairspray and shine spray.

Holiday Wrapped Chignon

           

Step 1: Create a side part from the front hairline to the high point of the head and take a horizontal section from ear to ear and secure each top sections with clips.

Step 2: Secure a low ponytail at the nape with hair tie and add a second hair tie approximately 6 inches down from first. Spread out hair in between each hair tie. PRO TIP: While placing a firm grip on second hair tie, pull on the longer strands of hair at end of ponytail to best achieve this.

Step 3: Wrap the remaining hair of ponytail around the middle of the doughnut, creating a crescent type shape. Wrap upward until at the base of your ponytail. Smooth hair covering the doughnut and secure with bobby pins.

Step 4: Remove clips from top sections. Over direct each side back behind the ear and create a soft, loose twist. Twist hair and wrap around the doughnut and secure with bobby pins. Finish with hairspray and shine spray.

 

 

While these styles are both simple and easy to do, they may still require a little bit of time and preparation before hand to become efficient at them and get just right. Always remember that 'practice makes perfect!'

Balayage Highlights: The Foil Replacement

Balayage Highlights

Balayage, a French hair colouring technique originally developed in the 1970's, is the latest highlighting technique gaining popularity in salons all over the United States. This highly sought after, in-demand salon service is rapidly make it's way on soon replacing the traditional foil highlighting technique.

The balayage results are completely natural looking, creating ‘sun-kissed hues and dimensional tones to your hair. Also, the regrowth or outgrowth is much less obvious with the balayge highlights, so it requires less up-keep, in comparison to the traditional foil highlighting technique. Clients are able to go longer in between salon visits, which makes it a great maintainable color with our busy day to day lifestyles.

Balayage Highlighting Technique:This technique allows the colorist or stylist to have more creativity and freedom with the color placement for a completely customized look. No foil is used with this technique, but a clear plastic wrap and/or cotton my be applied to separate sections of the hair. A different lightener product is needed to properly achieve the balayage technique, than the lightener typically used with foil highlights. A lightener designed specifically for this procedure has a thicker consistency with the ability to adhere to the hair, preventing any spotting or bleeding onto other parts of the hair.

The application is a free-form, hair painting technique applied directly onto the hair with the use of a brush and a paddle in a downward sweeping motion. Where the lightener is applied depends on the desired effect or ending result that you are looking for or wishing to achieve. A common misconception with balayage is that the lightener doesn't get close to the scalp or root area, possibly due to the confusion of what the difference is between balayage and ombre. (see: below) This is completely untrue, in fact, with the balayage application, those thin, wispy baby hairs around the hairline that are many times unable to be foiled, they can be accomplished with this technique. 

Bayalage highlights results on dark brunette, not just for blondes.

Balayage & Ombre: What's the difference?

A common question asked by many clients in the salons of today, is about how these hot hair color trends differ from each other? Many women are confused by the difference between the two and believe that they are one in the same. The best and simplest explanation is that Bayalage is a technique used for applying a lightener or a color to the hair and Ombre is the color effect that is created or achieved as a finished result of the hair coloring process. 

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balayage 

Syllabification: ba·lay·age Pronunciation: /ˌbalāˈyäZH / (also baliage, balliage)
Definition: BALAYAGE in English: noun A technique for highlighting the hair in which the dye is painted on in such a way as to create a graduated, natural-looking effect.
Origin: 1970s: French, literally 'sweeping', from balayer 'to sweep'.

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ombré
Syllabification: om·bré Pronunciation:\ˈäm-ˌbrā\
Definition: OMBRÉ adjective Shaded or graduated in tone: said of a color
Origin: First Known Use: 189. French past participle of ombrer, to shade ; from Classical Latin umbrare ; from umbra, shade

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Ombre Hair Color Effect:

The ombre hair color effect is a graduation from a darker shade at the root area or top of head to a lighter shade on the ends or bottom of the hair. The contrast of the ombre can range from a subtle, natural look to an extreme, more dramatic hair color or color melting effect. The ombre is frequently achieved using the balayage technique, but some colorist or stylists may opt to use a foil to achieve a higher level of lift on the ends, especially for the more dramatic and extreme ombré effects. The use of a toner or demi-permanent color may be applied after the initial process for obtaining the desired results or color effect.

Subtle Ombre Hair Color

Subtle Ombre Hair Color

Extreme Ombré Hair Color

Extreme Ombré Hair Color
Pink/Purple Ombré Hair Color
Reverse Ombré Hair Color

Top Halloween Makeup-Inspired Costumes for Women in 2014

GET 'ALL DOLLED UP' FOR HALLOWEEN 2014

As Halloween soon approaches, many of us are still left with the difficult decision of choosing a Halloween costume. There is always the option of the usual sexy cop, nurse & school girl. As well as, the new popular choice of Elsa, the Ice Queen from Disney's Frozen. These choices may be great for some, but they definitively lack in originality & imagination.

The best Halloween costume options for women in 2014 don't have to be a mass-produced product purchased from your local Halloween store. If you are looking for something a little bit more unique and one-of-a-kind, here are my 3 favorite Halloween makeup-inspired ideas that should help inspire you and spark some creativity.

1. THE BROKEN DOLL

With this Halloween costume idea you can make it as creepy and scary as you want. The cracked porcelain doll face is a must to complete this broken doll look. There are many different varieties of doll to choose from, you can be a Raggedy Ann doll, a marionette doll, a Barbie doll & even a paper doll, just to name a few. The possibilities are endless with this idea!

Halloween Doll by MAKE UP FOR EVER's Halloween Look 2013


Annabelle Doll - The Conjuring - Makeup Tutorial! by Pinkstylist (Charlie Short)


             

       

2. POP ART / COMIC BOOK CHARACTER

This one is by far my favorite! This Halloween makeup look was inspired by Roy Lichtenstein's pop art creations, such as Drowning Girl, M-Maybe Girl, and Ohhh...Alright...Girl comic book characters. This look requires the use of a vibrant and bold primary color palette, thick outlines and the Ben-Day dots, as if created in the printing process.

This visually striking makeup application calls for attention to detail along with careful planning and execution. PRO TIP: You will more than likely need to touch-up the makeup throughout the evening, so keep in mind the level of maintenance that comes along with this makeup. 

Another Halloween makeup look that I love is the Pop Art Zombie. The color choice of vibrant mint green along with contrasting hot pink really make this look pop!

       

                  

Pop Art Zombie

          

Pop Art Zombie

3. DAY OF THE DEAD / SUGAR SKULLS

This Halloween makeup choice allows for you to go as bold as you want or keep it a more minimal makeup application. You can use a white cream makeup all over or opt to just use a pale foundation color instead. If you want to play up your sugar skull makeup with color or keep to a white and black palette with the option of adding a deep red accent color.

If you are feeling a little apprehensive about the look, a good choice is to do only half of your face with the sugar skull makeup and finish the other half off with a beauty makeup application.

 

Need some more Halloween costume ideas and inspiration? 

Pinterest is a great source in helping you find and choose a great Halloween costume idea.

Need help with the makeup application? 

Check out YouTube for Halloween makeup tutorials. Pinkstylist (Charlie Short) is a great one to watch.

Whatever costume choice you make for Halloween this year, remember to have fun with it and make it your own!