HAIR: How To Use A Sock Bun When You Don't Really Know How To Use A Sock Bun

If you have seen a YouTube video on how to use a sock bun, you've seen how effortless and easy it looks. If you have tried to use a sock bun you know that it is difficult. I have tried using a sock, I have tried using the donut, but I just can't seem to master the sock bun look. I'd like to blame the layers in my hair, but deep down I know that I just can't do it. So I have come up with a way to use the donut, perfect for the person who:
 a) just can't do it the normal person way
 b) has layers
or c) is just sick of doing the regular sock bun

All you need for this look is a hair donut, some elastics, and some bobby pins. I got my hair donut here, but they are sold at a variety of places, and you can also make one yourself out of a sock. I used two elastics and six bobby pins, but the number of pins you use will vary on your hair type (mine is on the thicker side).

1. The first thing you need to do is put your hair into a ponytail. Wherever you put the ponytail is where your bun is going to be. I like mine at the top of my head, but you could also do this look for a side bun or a low bun.

2. After you have your ponytail you need to slide the hair donut/ sock/whatever you are using over top of the ponytail. It will kind of look like a giant scruchie-type thing. All it needs to do is sit there at the base of your ponytail.

3. and 4. The next step is to spread your hair out evenly all around the donut. I find it easiest if I tilt my head then spread the hair around with my hands. It is important to hide the donut, especially if it is a different color than your hair.

5. After the donut is completely hidden, you need to keep it that way using another elastic.

6. You can leave your hair like that if you really want to, but I don't so I need to put the ends of my hair up around the bun, which also helps hide the elastic. You can do this in a variety of ways, (twisting, braiding, fishtailing, etc.) but I decided to simply take a piece of hair, wrap it around the base of the bun, and pin it with a bobby pin.

7. Just continue the technique you used to pin the hair up until all the hair is either in the bun or around it, and you are done!

This is my easiest method to create a full looking bun and would definitely suggest trying it out if your donut is just sitting somewhere collecting dust because you don't know how to use it.

How do you use your donut/sock/whatever? Can you do it the right way (and would you like to explain to me all of the secrets to doing so?)
XOXO,
Taylor

TAG: Would You Rather?

I bet you didn't think there was going to be a post today did you? But guess what? I haven't fallen off of the blogging band wagon, I have just had a super busy week where I was barely at home and barely had time to do anything except sleep. You can expect more blog posts later on this week as per usual, but today- because I am still no where near finishing it- instead of the What's Your Style post on edgy dressing, I decided to do a quick but fun beauty tag. I was not tagged by anyone, but whatever, I am doing the Would You Rather Beauty Edition anyways....

That's My Girly Girl

Being a girly girl is all about all around femininity, but even if you aren't graceful and swan-like or a master at being polite about your burping habits, you can still dress like you are sugar and spice and everything nice, if that is what you want to do. Girly style clothes are sweet and flirty, and pretty without being prim and proper. Girly is looking cute and fabulous at the same time...

NAILS: On The Dot

                           
                         
Polka Dots seem to always been in style. The 20's. 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, on bathing suits, dresses, or blouses, the dot trend just never goes away- not that I want it to. They are back in for Summer 2013, and in one of my favourite ways- nail art! Creating the perfect dot can be hard, but a tool called the nail dotter can help make it a little easier. Here are the steps to getting polka dotted nails with a nail dotter.

What You Need:
A Nail Dotter (or bobby pin/straight pin if you don't have one)
A Clear Coat (I used this, in Grand Central Station)
Two Colors Of Your Choice ( I used white and blue*)
*The blue was called Blue Escape but is no longer avalible.

1.Start with clean nails that have no polish on them.

2. Put on a base coat to prevent your nails from turning yellow. I just used my clear coat.

3. Paint all of your nails your main color, except your ring finger (the one beside the pinky.). This will be an accent nail, and if you don't like the way it looks, you can just paint it like the rest of the fingers. My main color was blue.

4. Paint your accent nail your second color. If you do not want an accent nail, skip this step and just paint your ring finger the main color. My accent color was white.

5. Let your nails dry. If your colors are not dark enough, add a second coat.

6. Once your nails are dry, pour a little bit of your accent color onto a piece of paper or a napkin.

7. Take your nail dotter and dip it into the nail polish. Then dab the dotter onto your nails to make a dot. Continue to make dots onto your nail at random, then do the same for every nail except the accent nail.

8. After all the dots (except for the ones on the accent nail) are done, pour a little of your main color onto the same paper or napkin that you used for the first set of dots. Make sure the color from the previous dots is off of the dotter, then take it and start making dots on the accent nail using your main color.

9. Once the nails are all dry, put a clear coat over top of the nails to help keep the polish on for longer.

My two favorite patterns are polka dots and chevron. What patterns or designs are yours?
XOXO,
Taylor

P.S. I wrote a post for another blog about BB Creams which you can check out here.

HAIR: Waving The Magic Wand

This post is all about curling your hair with a curling wand instead of a curling iron. Some people are scared of using the wand because they do not want to be burnt- but with a little practice you can master the curling wand and never get a burn...unless you are prone to doing clumsy things. Like grabbing the wrong end of the wand. True story. I personally prefer the wand over the regular curling iron with a clamp-even after I have burnt myself- because I find it easier to use and doesn't not leave indents on my hair. Anyways, here are the steps to curling your hair with a wand.

What You Need:
Heat Protector (I used this one.)
Hairspray (This one.)
Curling Wand (I used this one with the 32mm straight barrel but I also recommend this one.)

1. Protect your hair from damage caused by the heat by spraying in a heat protector before blow drying or curling your hair. The instructions on the back of the bottle will tell you when the best time to spray it is. The Aussie Heat Protecting Shine Spray suggests to spray it in your hair while damp.

2. Dry your hair before curling. If you curled your hair while wet it would damage it and also wouldn't hold the curl. You can either blow dry it or if you have time let it air dry.

3. Section your hair in half, one section on each side of your head, then section it again so you have a top and bottom piece on each side. Pin the top piece out of your way for now. If you have thicker hair, you might want to make more than two sections on each side.

4. Separate about an inch of hair from the section. This is the first piece of hair you will be curling. Make sure that the curling iron is on, and at a temperature you feel comfortable using. A higher temperature is better for thicker hair and a low temperature is best for thin hair.

5. Curl the piece by wrapping it around the barrel. I find that the best curls are made when you wrap the hair away from your face and when the wand is pointed downward. The size of the curl will depend on the size of the barrel. For example, this barrel is big so it will make waves or loose curls instead of tight ringlets. I keep my hair wrapped around the wand for a little under 15 seconds, but that amount of time will not work for everyone. You need to be careful about not keeping it on too long,  or this could happen.

6. Continue separating pieces and curling them (steps 4 and 5) until you are finished the section.

7. Spray your hair with your favourite hairspray to help the curls hold after you are done the section. Take down the top section and repeat the process of separating, curling, and spraying.

8. Finish by repeating steps 4-7 on the opposite, uncurled side. Spray your hair one last time with hairspray is a good idea to keep the curls for longer, and flipping your head upside down while spraying will increase the volume of your curls.


Which do you prefer the wand or the iron?
XOXO,
Taylor

What's Your Style?

Surprise it's a Monday post! I know I said that I would only be posting every Wednesday and Friday, but I got really excited and just kept writing and writing and could not wait to share it with you. I will try to write every Monday, but if I do get a little busy I will have to sacrifice it. Anyways...

Before I begin, I want to start off by saying that you shouldn't let 'styles' define who you are- they aren't that important. You don't have to wear something because it is in style or because someone else thinks you should. You don't have wear a certain type of clothing because someone says that "It's you." Just wear what makes you happy. But because I am a total hypocrite, I am also going to say that styles can be helpful and important in discovering who you are.

The styles I am talking about are more like categories of clothing, instead of fads that go in and out of style. These styles are timeless and can adapt to whatever are the trends right now. They are used to describe clothing, makeup, hair, etc. They are, in my eyes, the main six out of the dozens and dozens of very particular styles. These styles are girly, glam, classic, boho, indie, and edgy.

Like I said before, these are only six styles but I feel like the rest of the styles (e.g. preppy, goth, scene) are all more defined versions of each main style (e.g. preppy is like classic, goth is like edgy).

Anyways, the whole reason why I am doing this kind of description of what styles are is because I am going to be starting a series about them. I plan to do a post about a more in depth description of what the styles are, some clothing examples, some celebrities you can look to for inspiration, some stores you can shop at, and some other things you can look forward too.

I hope to have the first of those posts up soon. I don't know which one I am going to start with so if you have a request leave it down below!

Before we go into a deeper look at this styles, which one do you think you are and why?
XOXO,
Taylor

REVIEW: Maybelline Volum' Express Falsies Big Eyes

To me, no makeup look is complete without a coat (or several coats) of mascara, but it is extremely difficult to find that one formula that lengthens, thickens,curls, and doesn't clump. There are so many options at the drugstore alone that at first I used to just pick the one with the prettiest design and hoped for the best. After I few tries, I finally realized that maybe I should  read the back of the packaging to make sure it was really what I wanted. 

Maybelline Volum' Express Falsies Big Eyes Bottle

What I wanted- and still want today- was a mascara that made my eyes look bigger, and the fairly new Maybelline Volum' Express Falsies Big Eyes delivers. I am a big fan Maybelline mascaras, and while I have only tried a few of their twenty-some options, they are my favourite mascara brand. I stumbled across Big Eyes by chance when I was looking up reviews for another product, and rushed out to the store to get myself a bottle as soon as I read what the product promised.

 I bought the waterproof kind at Walmart for a Maybelline Volum' Express Falsies Big Eyeslittle under $10, which is a little more expensive than some of the other products but it was still a good price considering that it was fairly new and is like a 2-in-1 mascara. I fell in love with the product the first time I put the brush to my lashes. 

Each Application

Maybelline Falsies Big Eyes made them instantly longer, and darker, and there were hardly any clumps after the first coat. The second coat was a different story, while they were still long and dark, I found that the upper lashes had a few clumps. In an attempt to get rid of them, I put on a third coat which seemed to help and I was very pleased by the final product.

The Awkwardly Shaped Wands.

Except for two things. The bottle was kind of awkward to use and the mascara was not as water proof as I had hoped. I personally think that the wands should have been where the product was  or that the part that connects to wand to the bristles should have been longer because I found it that the rest of the bottle behind

the wand was too big to not make a mess. This could only be because of the way that I hold the brush but it was difficult for me to get to my bottom lashes on my left eye and my right hand was not comfortable at all. As for the waterproof-ness, after a little bit of swimming I noticed that it was a little dark underneath my eyes. It did not make me look like a full-bore raccoon, but I was still a little disappointing.

Overall I think that Maybelline Volum' Express Falsies Big Eyes is a great product and would recommend it to anyone- even the people without the ability of hand eye co-ordination and the constant habit of somehow smudging mascara even when it is waterproof.

Maybelline Volum' Express Falsies Big Eyes is my current favourite mascara, what's yours?

XOXO,

Taylor

First Crack At It

I'm not good with hellos. I find them kind of awkward-especially with people you don't know- so,I'm going to keep it simple.

Hello.

My name is Taylor and I am a total beauty addict. That makes it sound like a need a 12-Step program... Anyways, I love hair, makeup, nails, and everything girly. I spend a lot of time watching YouTube videos and reading beauty blogs, but I could never find that one guru or blogger that seemed to make videos or posts that were made for me. That's when I decided that I could write a blog, that had posts that interested people like me. That's also when I decided that I was interested in a lot of things.

Because of that, you will see hair tutorials, nail tutorials, review, posts about trends, random posts that have nothing to do with anything- the list could go on and on. I have a bunch of ideas already in mind for posts that I want to do, but if there is anything you would like to see don't be afraid to comment and I will do the best I can because I know how frustrating it is to not be able to find what you are looking for.

Well, I said my hello was going to be simple, so I am going to stop here before it gets to the point where I am telling you every single thing about myself. I hope you liked my first crack at a post enough to want to come back and read more, and even give suggestions!

Like I said before, if you have anything you want to see, just ask so-
What do you want to see?
XOXO,
Taylor

P.S. As of right now I think I am going to be uploading every Wednesday and Friday!