Military Bun Tutorial

Not much of a fan of the ever-popular "sock bun" trend, when I joined the Air National Guard, I told myself, "I will never be caught DEAD wearing a sock bun!" You know, because it seems like every photo you ever see of anyone in the military shows them wearing a sock bun—and I was not going to do it!

Let me tell you what, after being at Basic Military Training for about two weeks with short hair that would just not stay up in any kind of bun and having an MTI come up to me and say, "Get it together, Rowe! Your hair looks like a hot mess!" it was then that I decided to embrace the dreaded sock bun. And I decided to call it the "donut bun" instead, because that just sounds better—I suppose. After about three successful buns created with my small, brown mesh donut, I was sold. I don't care what anyone has to say about the donut bun, it's quick, it's easy, it works for almost any hair length that can be put up, and it's the only way to put your hair up in less than a minute as Reveille is going off and 46 girls are scrambling around you to get their beds made.

So whether you're researching how best to wear your hair while at BMT or just wanting to try a new updo, here's my tutorial for the military version of the sock bun.



Basic Steps:

1. Pull hair up into low ponytail (it has to be low enough to put your ABU cap on)
2. String ponytail through mesh donut, bringing donut all the way up to base of hair tie
3. Fan ponytail over mesh donut, making sure to evenly cover mesh with hair
4. Wrap second hair tie around mesh donut
5. Secure loose ends with bobby pins
6. (Optional) Pull & tug hair around mesh donut to create a fuller, more voluminous bun
7. Finish with a light (or heavy—if you're at BMT) mist of hairspray

My favorite step and trick to the whole process is Step 6, where you give your bun that added bit of volume. I know the slicked-down look is so popular in the military, but I think a nice, full bun (especially if your hair is fine like mine) looks so much better and really elevates the whole look.

Also, if your hair is longer—at Step 5, you can either braid or twist the loose ends (try making 3-4 small braids/twists) before pinning them to give your bun a really chic, polished look. Unfortunately, my hair is still far too short to attempt any of those neat tricks, but the other girls at Basic Training looked so nice when they added little braided accents to their buns.

Below, I've included the exact products that I bought and used while down at BMT to achieve this style.

Do you rock the donut bun? I know several women who wear it out and about and I think it looks really nice—especially when it's not totally slicked down!

The little details: Eyes: Younique Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes c/o my cousin & Younique Presenter Lindsay, Sterling Silver Wrap Ring: c/o The Vintage Pearl

Messy Bun for Shoulder Length Hair

I recently posted a tutorial for a messy bun that is meant for longer hair but can be adapted for shorter hair. Within the video, I included written instructions for how to modify it for those with shorter hair styles. Sometimes seeing it written isn't quite as simple as seeing it being done, so today I'm showing you how I do the shorter-haired version.

This video is how I do my messy bun when it's anywhere from just below chin-length to just below my shoulders. Once it's long enough, I add back in the double bun featured in the other tutorial.

Basic Steps:

1. Pull hair up into low, small bun
2. Tug loose ends up and around ponytail holder, making the bun bigger and adding fun, messy spikes
3. Twist & tuck shorter pieces that fall out of bun into hair tie
4. Pull & tug crown to add volume

Is that a quick and easy messy bun or what? This is typically how I wear my hair to work during the week (because it's so fast and I get ready at the gym) and for a low-key style on the weekends. In fact, my hair is almost always up in one of these funky buns.

Style tip: This updo works best for me if my hair has some curl/wave/kink to it. Try curling your hair with this heat-free curling method or sleep in a French braid the night before—it makes a big difference and when you pull and tug to add volume, having either face-framing soft curls or waves really takes this style up a notch (as seen from a distance here—see the face-framing curls?)!

The little details: Eyes & Lips: Younique Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes and Younique Lucrative Lip Gloss c/o my cousin & Younique Presenter Lindsay, Sterling Silver Wrap Ring: c/o The Vintage Pearl

Messy Bun Tutorial for Long or Short Hair

I'd like to preface this post by saying that I filmed this tutorial last year—the day before I whacked off 12-inches and donated my hair to charity. Looking back, I don't regret my decision to opt for a shorter 'do one bit, though this does make me miss my longer hair.

This messy bun is my go-to look for 2nd (or 3rd or 4th!) day hair. Though my hair is currently shoulder-length, I can still do a bun like this—I just have to modify the steps a little. My favorite part about this look? That it's a messy bun—it doesn't have to be perfect and will look different each time you do it.



Here are the basic steps:

1. Make a little bun
2. Double the bun
3. Twist and tuck loose ends into hair tie
4. Pull & tug bun to add volume
5. Secure loose & floppy bun pieces with bobby pins
6. Pull & tug crown to add volume

If you're trying this look on shorter hair, that's no problem! When you make your bun, skip step 2. Instead, twist and tuck the loose ends into your hair tie above your bun, creating what looks like a mini bun on top. It will give that "double bun" effect. And then, just like in the tutorial, pull & tug to add volume and secure loose pieces in place. I used this same method to create this bun and this bun on my much shorter hair.

Enjoy!

I CUT THE BEEHIVE!

Today is my twenty-seventh birthday. It's my Golden Birthday... 27 on the 27th. I'm not sure why, but for my whole life, I've always told myself that 27 would be my favorite year... and now that 27 is finally here, I can't wait to see what it brings.

Also, I kicked my birthday off with a "why not" of all why-nots:

I've always been a fan of change, and for this new year of mine, I'm embracing it fully. I ended up having 12 inches cut, and I'm donating my hair to Children With Hair Loss—they accept all kinds of hair and since the tips of my hair were bleached a few years ago, I picked their charity because some of the others have requirements against bleached & highlighted hair. I went to Kendall of Roots Salon in Boise (208-514-5895) and can't recommend her enough. This new cut is spunky, sporty, and of course—extra saucy. Why not, right?

Last year as I blew out my candles, I made sure that I didn't wish for "babies or anything crazy like that." This year, let's just say I can't promise the same, though I'm in no rush to make any changes that big (or small) quite yet. Oh, 27, I can't wait to see what joy you'll bring.

Here's to new short hairstyles and a brand new year!!

Simple Twists

Tease your crown for subtle volume. Twist the front pieces of your hair back & pin. Add a flower or bow clip & you're set!

Wedding Hair Styles

With our wedding just three days away (oh my—three days), I have been asked questions about my hair almost more than anything. "How are you going to wear your hair?" seems to come up every time the wedding does.

And guess what? I have no idea how I'm going to do my hair on the wedding day. NO IDEA.*

Recently, I had my hair curled for my bridal shower, and afterward, I went home to play around with some styles. I took some photos to help make a note about what I liked and didn't like. I have a little archive of wedding hair ideas on Bye Bye Beehive, so I adapted some of those styles to make new ones.
Here are a couple of my ideas for wedding hair styles.

THE TWISTED HALF-UP STYLE. This one is so easy. It's the base hairstyle for most of the other ones featured here. It's really similar to this style, but instead of just pinning it back, I twisted the hair as I pulled it back & before I pinned it, creating a pretty and soft design in the back. It would be great to add a little pearl or flower hair clip to hide the bobby pins or gap between the twists.

THE PINNED UPDO. I took the Twisted Half-Up pictured above and simply pinned my bottom half all up to make this easy updo. It took about 10-15 extra bobby pins. I would just grab a strand of hair, twist it and then pin it into place, creating a little "poof" (best word I could come up with) of hair with each pin. In the end, I had about 10 poofs that came together to create the definition in this updo. I pulled and tugged at each one to make this style look nice and full.

THE TWISTED PONYTAIL. You've seen this one before. This time, I didn't pin the last couple pieces up so high, so instead of creating a waterfall look, they simply cascaded down the ponytail. To create this look, all you do is just twist & pin (going under the curls to hide the pins). It's so simple and stays in place all day if you add a little hairspray.

THE TWISTED LOW CHIGNON. I started again with the Twisted Half-Up style, and instead of pinning smaller pieces of hair all over the place and higher up like the Pinned Updo, I took a couple large sections of hair, pinned them in a low bun, and then tugged on them to make the chignon just a bit bigger. I think this style would be really pretty with a couple loose curly strands falling down from the bun.

THE SIMPLE TWIST & PIN. As the name implies, this one is simple. You tease the hair at the crown of your head, twist back the front pieces & pin them under your hair, and you're set. This style is perfect for the easy-going-hair-all-down kind of bride.

And there are 5-easy wedding hair styles. Each of these took me less than 10-minutes, with some of them taking much, much less.

*FYI: in case you're wondering, I will not be wearing a veil, and my dress is not strapless.

Which is your favorite?

Ombre, Braids & A Contest

Photo: c/o Matt Martin Photography

Ombre.

Waterfall braid.

Curls.

Perfect.

Granted, this was one of the two occasions this year
where I had my hair done for a wedding (in May), but the girl who did it is amazing.

And... the photography? 

Amazing.

The photo was done by my friend, Matt.

I got to meet him when I went to said wedding down in Oklahoma.

And... something cool?

ATTENTION, ATTENTION! Calling all 2013 Brides! Matt Martin Photography is giving away a complete wedding photography package to anyone living outside Oklahoma. He loves to travel and will come to YOU! 

How does it work? Enter HERE by October 31. Three finalists will be chosen, and a voting period will be held from November 15 thru December 15th. The couple with the most votes at the end wins!

What comes with this prize package?

• full wedding day coverage by Matt 
• complimentary engagement session
• handcrafted box of 4x6 curated prints from your wedding day
• online proofing and ordering gallery for 3 months

So, what's the catch? None. The one thing you must do if you win is pay his travel expenses. And honestly? Just Expedia.com that little trip... you will save thousands. If I were getting married in 2013, I wouldn't even let him open up this contest. I would automatically declare myself a winner by default.

For all the details, click here. There's even a little contest of my own if you read to the bottom. To be honest... you'd be silly not to enter Matt's contest. Want more proof he's awesome?

Told you. Now go enter and win the package from the best photographer ever for yourself.

Half Updo.

 

Just the other day, one of my best girlfriends, Alyssa, sent me a Pinterest pin and asked me to try this style.

So I did what any decent friend would do and whipped it up the next day. Granted, mine looks NOTHING like the photo (because hers it totally teased and awesome). I'm fairly certain that mine turned out way different because there were no instructions to go along with it. So hey, I just went for it.

Since the style didn't come with a how-to, how about I provide some sah-weet step-by-step action for you? You're welcome.

1. I began with crimped hair that I had loosely braided the night before.
2. I gathered the top section of my hair (still with a part) and secured it at the back of my head with a barette. 
• In hindsight, I should have used bobby pins or a clear hair elastic. That would have been much easier to cover than my big old barette.
3. Then, beginning with small sections below the top portion that was already baretted, I would take a section from each side of my head and pull it back to cover the barette and then pin it. I let the loose end hang down. In fact, they kind of add different dimensions and layers to my hair which is pretty cool.
• If your hair was curly, the loose ends could make a really cool layered look.
4. I criss-crossed sections like that until I had half of my hair pinned up. 
• I'm a little disappointed the criss-crossing didn't show up better. It just looks like 2 pieces that were crossed, when it was really 4 or 5. I'm going to follow my instructions a little better next time and maybe not try to hide the bobby pins so much. 
5. I added 2 flower pins to hide the last big bobby pin that just wouldn't disappear under the criss-crossed strands.

And voila! A hairdo that can be casual, formal, or as Alyssa is thinking "perfect for her wedding day hair!"

Right-on girl. That makes me so happy. What do you think?

xo

----UPDATE----

After checkin' her blog, I discovered she's a professional hairstylist. Sheesh! No wonder hers looks so much better than mine! Don't judge, ya'll!!!

Crochet Me Happy.

Are you ever wondering what to do with leftover crimped hair from a braided updo the day before? Why not add a simple crochet headband and walk out the door? Sounds like a great idea to me!

P.S. In 2012 I'm learning to say no... and lately managing 4 blogs is slightly overwhelming.  Yes. I have 4 blogs. Silly me. Simply Aunie, LastLash, No Naked Nails, and of course, BBB.

In lieu of wanting to keep my blogging time under control, I'm planning on posting on here Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. However, if you want to keep up with my daily happenings, make sure to visit Simply Aunie. Oh-- and I'm also running a sponsor special on that blog. Buy 2 months, get the rest of January free! Come on over, will ya?

Twist Braid.

Sometimes I don't always like the traditional braid. That's where the twist braid comes in. Think of a braid with a twist. It's so simple... and you can find how to do it with this tutorial from The Beauty Department. They are definitely my go-to beauty resource, and I was so happy to finally have a chance to test out this braid.

I sure have been showcasing a lot of braids lately. That's because I'm preparing for a guest post tomorrow, so be sure to check back here for that link to a fun new blog!

P.S.>> Sorry for my super-messy hair lately! Not having a blow dryer is killing me!!!

Three By Three.

Good morning!

Are you ever in the mood to braid your hair back but don't want just a simple braided plait? How about you try a Three by Three! I called it that because it's 3 pieces of hair in a braid, times three (duhhh). You simply braid back 3 little braids and then braid those braids together! You can make them as large and funky, or as small and neat as you like them. Have fun!

Sheesh... how many times can I say braid today? 8. To be exact.

P.S. My curls are thanks to my trusty Wrap Snap & Go curlers.

Scrunch It!

You know those days when you wake up,

Have approximately 5 minutes to get ready,

and your hair just isn't your first priority?

Those are the days I do this.

 

Scrunching.

However, normally when I scrunch my hair

I also use gel and a blow dryer.

Since I can't use either of those,

I sprayed my wet hair with It's A 10 leave-in conditioner,

scrunched my hair with my fingers a couple of times,

and let that hot mess dry.

I feel a slight bit frumpy today,

but it's low maintenance, and I can't ask for anything more than that!

Rock The Band.

When you're running late, and you know that your hair is going to be the least of your concerns, why not opt for something easy? Usually I'm so preoccupied with trying to attempt intricate hairstyles, that once in a while it's nice to go with something simple.

That's where the headband comes in. What headband, you may say? Any headband. Plastic. Rhinestoned. Alligator patterned. Comb-like. Fabric. Elastic... any and all headbands work.

Today I picked my simple, black plastic Scunci headband. Last night I had thrown my hair into a couple of Wrap Snap & Go curlers (not freshly washed since I washed it yesterday morning), and this morning when I took them out I had a simple wave instead of corkscrew curls. I tossed a headband on and was out the door.

Easy as pie... well just kidding. If I were a baker, it would be easy as pie. But I surely am not (I make a fabulous bowl of cereal!) so I guess this hairstyle is more aptly said as easy peasy.

Headband Braid.

When I was a little girl, my mom used to always braid the front of my hair from one side to the other to make it look like a French braid headband. I thought it was so cool. And really, it was.

My mom used to show and jump horses when she was little, so she has plenty of experience with braiding. She used to braid the horse's tails and manes so intricately. It figures that she could make braiding magic with my hair.

Now, I'm fairly good at braiding. But when it comes to the headband braid, I struggled. It took me three times to even get it to look presentable. Also, since my hair is entirely lacking in volume, I braided cornrows (as I was informed that they were called, instead of reverse French braids... hehe) down the back of my head before bed as well to help give my hair some good body.

I'm going to warn you ahead of time. DO NOT be fooled by the photo. The picture actually makes this style look pretty sweet.

However, in person... not so much. it was so flat and dull. Also, on the left side, by my ear (no photo for you... sorry), there were lots of little hairs sticking out all over the place. It was just a mess.

I decided to scramble and re-do it at work. It ended up in two reverse French braids with a chignon in back. (I know... I did one yesterday... but I had to do something). And it looked lovely... so I let it stay in all day.

The best part about chignons is that they can be a little messy but still so chic at the same time. Want to know another secret about them? They even stay in during my workouts at the gym. Now that is a fool-proof hairdo!

The Faux Fro.

Well, I did it. I made it one whole day without hairspray or teasing. Just 364 more days to go. Awesome.

Last night, I washed my hair and now it's officially product-free for the next year. See, I wouldn't say that I cheated, because yesterday's hairstyle was the day-after, brushed-out version of the hairstyle I received from Lindsey on the day before this whole endeavor started. And let me tell you... already my hair is feeling flat, dreary and boring.

To help rid myself of my plain-Jane straight hair, I decided to put it in braids after I got out of the shower last night. Call it a Bo Derek-inspired day.

I sectioned my hair into 4 pieces and cornrow braided it down the back of my head. It was quite attractive. I mean, if Bo Derek can do it... I can too, right?

Um... maybe not. I'm far from the Bo Derek fantasy with this hair. Truth be told, I seriously never let people see me with that hairdo. It's just downright funky looking and totally makes me look like a pinhead. But it does make a great morning-after crimp... so that's why I chose it. The nice part about braiding it right before bed is that it doesn't have to be nice. I knew I was going to take it out in the morning, so I just did a quick job.

This is a very, very easy hairdo to wake up with. Basically, I woke up this morning, showered, put on my makeup and went out the door. I actually took my braids out while I was in the car by running my hands through them. And that's how I left my hair for the day.

I call it my "faux fro" because it definitely has some good body when it's crimped. If I'm not allowed to tease my hair, but I know I want body, this is the look I'm going to go for. I don't care if it's "in" or not. It's easy-peasy... and that's just what I'm looking for. Since my hair is pretty fine, it tends to hold what I do to it pretty well. I'm hoping that same fact is still true when I don't have my trusty hairspray by my side.

The ONLY downside of this wake-up-and-go style is that you MUST know how to french braid. You could always have someone do it for you, but when you live with your dad... it's usually not an option. So a big thank you to my beautiful mom, who taught me to braid at a very young age. Knowing how to braid just might be the only thing that gets me through the next 364 days.