Beauty Tutorials

This past weekend, I was talking with some of my girlfriends, and we started talking about ponytails. There seem to be so many celebrities these days strolling down the red carpet sporting them. You even see all those perfect-looking girls on the street with ponies. Not as a quick “OMG! I didn’t have enough time this morning” fix, but as an actual style.

My friends Wendy & Kelly lamented that no matter how hard they try, they just look like they woke up late and needed to do something – ANYTHING with their hair. And fast. They claim they can’t make their ponytails look like a style. So I did some research for some quick tips on how to make that everyday ponytail into a style. And hopefully the following tips can help everyone – including Wendy & Kelly.

Here are some basic tips and pics to illustrate how you can create a great style out of your ponytail:

1. Play up the part! Start by parting the hair on one side. You can either go with a straight  part or criss-cross for more drama. I like taking the part back about 1.5 to 3 inches. Then pull it back gently into the ponytail. You don’t want to pull it too tight because you don’t want to lose the sweeping movement. If you have straight hair, make sure you ARE getting rid of any bumps, though. If you have curly or wavy hair, try keeping it pretty loose so you can take advantage of the natural movement of your waves, which will also easily cover imperfections.
2. Frame the face. If you have shorter layers up front, don’t be afraid to let them hang loose – don’t force them back into the pony. You can always tuck or pin the hair behind your ears. If you have bangs, even better – let them do the work of framing your face. Just be aware of the layers and lengths of your hair, and use them to your advantage.
3. Make it sleek and shiny. If you have long hair, you can go uber chic by pulling it back high on your crown. This is a high-drama look that keeps hair out of your face, but still lets it cascade down your back. If you have really straight hair, pulling it back smooth and tight can create a very elegant look. If you’d like to go a little funkier, add a twist for some interest and volume.
4. Pump up the volume. Don’t be afraid to play with twisting or teasing your hair. Creating more volume around your crown will show that you meant to make your ponytail look like that. Thus…it’s a style. Gwen Stefani has her signature look, and a number of other celebs have been captured sporting similar types of hairplay.
5. Accessorize…in moderation. Your ponytail will look more deliberate if you decorate it. You can pin a flower in the side of a tousled pony look for a casual, colorful touch. You can also use a thick headband or ribbon to make your look more stylish. I like using a ribbon closer to the hairline after I’ve teased, smoothed out, then secured the ponytail itself. This accentuates the volume and really makes the look more polished. You can also use decorative hair ties or clips. But don’t go overboard. If you have to stop and ask yourself (or someone else) if it’s too much – it probably is. Remember, ponytails are so beloved because of their simplicity. Don’t ruin a good thing. 
6. Choose sides. The low side ponytail is my personal fave, when it comes to pony styles. You can do this easily by parting the hair and using the parted section of hair to frame the face. Pull the rest of the hair back smooth, but loosely, and secure it at the base of your skull on one side. The ponytail should easily rest over your shoulder (on the front side). This can work as both an elegant and a casual look.
7. Don’t ignore your styling products! Your styling products are there to help you style your hair. If you want to do a ponytail as a style, use what you already have as a resource. If you have wavy or curly hair, enhance the movement of your hair with styling products. If you’re working with very straight hair, use a shine enhancer to help decrease flyaways and to really turn up the dial on your hair’s sheen. If you have short hair that just barely makes it back into the ponytail, have fun by using a touch of styling wax to spike it out! And everyone can benefit from a little bit of hairspray to help keep it all in place once you have it perfect.

Just remember – a ponytail is like any other good style. It takes some practice to make it perfect. So, take some time out on a weekend or evening to play around with some of these tips and find out what looks best on you. I think it’s safe to say that the ponytail isn’t a style that will go away anytime soon. So it definitely won’t be any time wasted!

Do you want fuller, thicker hair? Learn to double your hair volume and create fantastic curls using clip-in hair extensions. You can find them at many salons and beauty supply stores, and they are very easy to put in. We explain below or you can watch the video.

Kari is challenged with fine, thin hair. Let’s see what we can do to change her look.

Before we put in the extensions, let’s begin by sectioning off the hair and spraying it lightly with hairspray.  After that, start curling her hair – section by section. Use a Chi iron for this procedure. Continue the process until the entire head is curled.

Next, loosen the curls slightly by finger combing the hair. This will make the curls a better match for the extensions.

Now we’re ready for the extensions. Place 2 sections of extensions in the back of the head. To do this, part the hair horizontally and clip in the extension.

Do the same on each side. It’s that easy!

Wow! Look at all that gorgeous hair! It blends perfectly with her natural hair.

This process is a great alternative for people who don’t have the time or the money for extensions that are sewn into the hair.

Have you ever seen a mascara ad and been so jealous of the model’s long, thick, luscious lashes that you immediately picked up a tube of the over-priced, neon-packaged wonder that would make your lashes look like hers?

Yeah, me too. So there I sat, inches from my reflection. I whisked the wand over my pale, sparse lashes. Hmm … My lashes were darker, but still pretty sparse. Maybe I just need another coat! Uhh, no. Now it looked like 6 tarantula legs were extending from each of my eyelids.

How do those mascara commercial girls do it!?!? Well, beside the fact that thick lashes generally aren’t the only sign indicating that they won the genetic lottery; they’ve got a little secret. And it’s not the mascara they’re peddling (as discussed at Makeup Beat).

Fake eyelashes. And they’re not the only ones. Brides, pageant queens and every red-carpet going actress in Hollywood wear natural-looking fake lashes to enhance their eyes. There are even rumors that a certain up-and-coming male star wears falsies to make his eyes “pop” (cough*highschoolmusical*cough).

The above video is a Kate Moss mascara ad that is getting in trouble for false advertising. Sure… they might be fake, but the “London Look” looks great.

But how do you go about applying fake eyelashes in a way that makes you look more “mascara commercial” and less “RuPaul?”

Until recently, the only affordable fake eyelashes were extremely difficult to master. Sold in strips of shiny black plastic, these false lashes were too long for most human eyelids, too stiff to attach with any ease, too heavy to stay on through an entire evening, and just too … well, fake.

Ladies with lash envy, meet lash clumps. They might not sound glamorous, but lash clumps are the easiest way to get thick, full lashes. Made by a variety of cosmetics companies (many makeup artists swear by shu uemura lashes), lash clumps are knotted clusters of individual lashes that can be applied in different quantities, depending on your desired glamour factor. Best part? Once they’re on, you might not even need mascara!

Subtle sophistication in 6 easy steps

1. Begin with a clean surface by taking off all your makeup.

2. Check the length of your fake lashes. If they’re too long to follow the natural line of your own lashes, trim them down with sharp scissors (BEFORE they’re glued on!).

3. Apply a very thin line of adhesive in the spot where you will place the lashes.

4. Using a toothpick or tweezers, place lash clumps on the outside corners of your upper eyelids.

5.  Adjust them with a toothpick or tweezers.

6. Decide whether one lash clump per eye is enough to achieve the model-esque lashes you’re going for. Try not to exceed 2 or 3 per eye.

If you have an interest in cosmetology, here is an example of how to create a short cut. A haircut like this can be fun and low-maintenance on a confident woman.

Our model for this cut is Shana. Shana has thick, beautiful hair that is already cut to about chin-length. She loves the low-maintenance style of her short cut, and is ready to take her style to the next level by going even shorter.

Before

After

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Are you a shining blonde goddess with a need for smoky eyes liek Mary Kate Olsen? We have the secret!

You can also see this tutorial as a video or find a make up school.

It doesn’t take black eye liner to get that smoky look when you have blue eyes. You can create it without using colors that are too dark. Ashley is our subject for this demonstration.

To begin, we’ll start with a primer on her lids. This creates a smoother, longer-lasting, and crease-proof eye shadow application.

The base color is essential. We don’t want to go too dark yet. We’re applying a silver blue shadow to Ashley as our base color.

Now, let’s go green for a cooler, neutral shadow. In this case, we will use a blue-green in the crease.

Pretty dramatic, right? Already, her eyes are beginning to smolder. Now let’s apply a bit of dark blue in the crease as well.

When doing this at home, apply makeup in layers and you won’t get it too dark. That way, you don’t have to worry about taking anything off. We also suggest that you blend the colors on the lid.

Now, let’s line Ashley’s top lid with black and the bottom lid with dark blue. It doesn’t take much to accentuate what we’ve already done.

Finally, we will apply black mascara to the upper and lower lashes. We will finish up by filling in Ashley’s eyebrows with a brownish-blonde brow shadow.

The end result is smoky eyes, just like Mary Kate’s. Isn’t she gorgeous? She’s ready for a night on the town!