Topsy Tail Twist

Glasses: c/o Firmoo.com

Last week, The Beauty Department posted an amazing tutorial for a funky topsy tail bun. 
First, let me just say, I'm a huge fan of the topsy tail.
Second, this style is so easy.

1. Gather hair in a ponytail at the nape of your neck.
2. Secure with an elastic band.
3. Pull the elastic band to the bottom of your ponytail, leaving about 1-2 inches of hair at the end of the ponytail (or until your shorter layers don't start falling out).
4. Separate the hair in the gap of the ponytail right down the middle into two pieces.
5. Bring the ponytail up and through the gap, creating an upside-down topsy tail.
6. Repeat, repeat, repeat... the hair will begin to twist into coils! 
7. Once it's all coiled into a bun, secure the end of the ponytail underneath the bun with bobby pins.
8. If your shorter layers fall out (like mine did), let them hang loose or pin them back. I gently twisted mine back and pinned them underneath one of the bigger twists (top right photo).
9. You can tug on some of the pieces to give it some body and hide the part in the back.
10. You can also tug on the coils to make them look a little bigger and more full. I had to do this because my bun was so small at first!
11. A visual learner? Want to see how it is done? Visit TBD!

The Beauty Department recommended wearing this style slicked back and straight,
but I actually prefer it a little more loose and casual-looking.
I think it's perfect for a day at the office or a nice wedding updo.

I'd love to see your version of it. Tweet me or Instagram a photo with the hashtag #topsytailtwist!

The Bubble Ponytail

I saw this on The Shine Project recently and thought, 

"Man! That's a perfect ponytail with a twist."

It's has spice.

It has zest.

It's ideal for 2nd day dirty hair.

Add some dry shampoo,

create a ponytail (high or low),

add some clear elastic bands at regular intervals,

pull on the ponytail bubbles a little bit to make them poofy,

and VOILA!

Enjoy the bubble ponytail!

Month 10.

I think the only big benefit of Month 10 is that I finally learned how to properly braid my hair. 

Though it always seems to be hit and miss.

I've been getting the question a lot lately:

"So what will you do in 2 months when BBB is over?"

My answer right now?
Nothing.

My Nanny wants me to highlight it and be really blonde.

Daniel wants me to chop it short and dye it brunette.
And I think I just may like it the way it is.

So I guess we'll see!
2 months (58 days) left!

Twisted Side Pony

It's been almost three months since I have done a hair tutorial.
What. the. hay.

Don't hate... because considering that Bye Bye Beehive has a little over 2 months (2 months!)
until its completion date on October 11,

I figured I may as well begin making the transition to showcasing my random hair tutorials on my other blog.
But don't fret, if you're a follower of BBB, I'll probably double post them.

Maybe not.
Who knows.

Today, I'm showing you the twisted side pony.

Dress: Francesca's // Earrings: Francesca's // Necklace: c/o Lisa Leonard  // Bracelets: c/o Payton Woodcraft

As you remember on Monday (if you read Aunie Sauce),
I mentioned that this weekend I did a promo event for Francesca's.
What I really did was go to their store for an hour or so and style their customers.
I had so. much. fun.
I also met lots of new friends! A special shout-out to Rhylee, Adrianna and Ashley!

Like usual,
I was running late to get there.
I had taken my time that morning to sleep in, get to the gym,
sweat my booty off,
and by the time I got home, I realized I had to be out the door in about 35 minutes.
Oops.

I did NOT have time to wash my hair,
and I was not about to go to Franny's with wet hair.
I can't use a hair dryer, remember?
So I quickly rolled it up in a friar tuck and hopped in the shower.
When I got out, I dabbed on some blush, shaded my brows, and put on a couple coats of mascara.
I had about 5 minutes before I had to leave,
so I quickly unrolled my hair from the "friar yuck."
To my immense surprise, I had curls almost as pretty as if I had slept in the headband overnight.
And I'd only had it in for 30 minutes!
I was expecing a slight curl to the tips, but not full-on waves.
Score. Humidity, thank you (this time) for creasing my fine, lifeless hair into a curl.

OK ok ok. Are you ready for how I did it yet?
This style was kind of inspired by this style.
Anyway, here's the how-to:

1. I gathered a small section of hair at the nape of my neck and secured it in a low right-side pony with a clear elastic band.
2. I took a couple of face-framing pieces from the left side and twirled them into a little twist. I stuck a bobby pin at the bottom of that to hold it in place and just let it hang down for the time being.
3. Then, I gathered small sections of hair and began twisting them back (loosly) and secured them around the clear elastic ponytail holder.
4. I kept it messy. I didn't want it to look like a "ponytail," but instead a side updo-of-sorts.
5. As I twisted the sections back and pinned them, I made sure to only pin a small piece of the twist. I didn't want huge bobby pins showing everywhere. Plus, once the hair is twisted back like that, it won't move too much, so the whole thing doesn't need to be pinned.
6. After all my sections were pinned, I grabbed the little extra twist and tucked it back behind the ponytail.
7. I then pulled and tugged on a couple pieces to give my hair a bit more volume and to make it look a bit messier.
8. If I were you, I would definitely finish this with a bit of hairspray, but mine didn't seem to move too much without it.

The little added twist would look really cool if you had highlights or colored dimensions in your hair.
It didn't show up so well in my au natural ombrè hair, but that's OK.
It's the thought that counts.

If you need help, refer back to that other tutorial.
Mine was clearly modified and doesn't look as nice, but I liked it a lot.
I even wore the same style the next day...
...with the same gross, dirty hair.
Because that's how I roll.

Month 9.

9 months.

3/4 of the way there.

This is the home stretch.

Thank goodness!

This month I see quite a bit of growth. 

As you may remember, at quarterly intervals, I'm supposed to go have my hair measured and trimmed.

The reason June's hair looks similar in length to May's is because of the trim I got 1 day after taking May's photo.

The same thing happened with March and February's lengths.

So this month? I just decided to skip it.

I'll do the final trim and measure in the end.

And I'm expecting it'll give some good results!

Also, since it's the 9-month mark... I get to make my third quarterly $50 donation to St. Luke's. My donation is going directly to cancer patient assistance, which helps patients in need who can't afford important basics such as temporary housing, meal vouchers, medications, gasoline and transportation vouchers to travel to and from the hospital, help with utility bills, and food. I still can't believe that through this project, my friends, co-workers, family and I are helping raise over $1,500 for this program!

Want to join me with this incredible project? Make a difference, donate to St. Luke's cancer patients now and join my Pledge for Patients. Help out people who are truly in need. 

If you're still following along with Bye Bye Beehive... thanks for staying true. 

Maybe these last 3 months will give me the gusto I need to try some new and fun hairstyles.

To be honest... when I made this commitment, I don't think I really anticipated a year would feel like this long.

Next time I'm giving up... sugar or something.

Um—just kidding.

That would be even harder than BBB.

91 days left. Easy.

well, that's a different ponytail than it was 8 months ago

 

Right?

Longer.
Darker (yes, that's my natural/grown out color).
Still just as messy.

When you don't do anything to it for 8 months, I guess that's what happens!

Oh, and if you're wondering how I got those fun waves... they are 2nd day Friar Tuck curls.

Month 8.

This month makes 8 MONTHS that I've been doing Bye Bye Beehive. Whoopee! Only 4 more months to go. I can totally do it. I see a slight difference in my hair growth from last month to this month, but not much. In fact, I even had two people ask me if I've had a haircut in the last two weeks. Um... no. I think it's because I've been wearing it straight (instead of in beach waves) so you can see the choppy layers a bit more.  

Either way, growth is growth. I'm excited! 121 days left!