Earlier this year my eldest sister (I’m the youngest of three all spaced 2 years apart – I bet you can imagine what our household was like during our teenage years!) and her boyfriend took a relaxing vacation to Thailand. Knowing my fondness for all things beauty, especially hard-to-find international prods, she kindly brought me back a delightful looking Rosemary and Vanilla Hair Oil by Lemongrass House – “fresh handmade spa products” or so the bottle says.
Looks innocent enough doesn’t it? And it certainly sounds inviting, frivolously bandying about words like “vanilla”, “handmade”, “spa product” so what could go wrong?
A LOT my beauties, a lot can go wrong! Now this product didn’t come with instructions so I, being the smart cookie I sometimes am, decided to use as I would my Moroccan Oil Light. After washing and towel drying my hair I applied a small amount of the product through the ends of my hair then blow dried as usual. And blow dried .... and blow dried, but my hair didn’t dry. Instead it stayed damp and stringy with the “oil” refusing to dry, leaving my hair all damp and lank looking. To top it all off I didn’t have time to re-wash it and left the house the next morning with it slicked back in pony only to be immediately asked by a co-worker why my hair smelled like petrol = EPIC HAIR FAIL.
See how stringy it is? Touching it was even worse, felt all slimy. Ewwww.
Now I’m going to keep moving right along to some much more positive hair experiences – buns! Over the past few years I have become quite the bun connoisseur and who doesn’t like a good ole bun? A bun, A.K.A its more stylish name the Top Knot, works on a multitude of platforms to make you look A) elegant and B) fashionable. However, I for one believe that you should not be strolling through life with the same Ballerina Bun you wore as a seven year old. Your bun should reflect where you are and what you’re doing.
Want some examples? Ok.
Bun 1. The Work Appropriate Bun
As you can see this is quite neat and semi difficult for me to achieve as I’ve never really belonged to the Not a Hair Out of Place club. The hair is brushed back into a tight ponytail and secured on the crown of my head. It is then divided into two sections which I twist around each and wrap around the base of the hair tie before pinning into place with bobby pins. To finish I sparingly spritz a fine-tooth comb with hair spray and lightly sweep through from my hairline and back towards the bun to keep flyaways at bay and everything looking sleek. I have aptly named it the WAB as it’s ideal for work, job interviews, court appearances and other times when one wants be taken seriously.
Bun 2. Effortlessly Chic Bun
This pic was taken in March this year at a family dinner (please excuse my shiny nose and forehead). The Effortlessly Chic Bun is a staple in my hair wardrobe as it can take you from dinner with the girls (or family), to a festival, to a black tie event and even to pilates. Unlike its stern cousin the WAB, the Effortlessly Chic Bun is bit more relaxed, a bit more thrown together and lets be honest a bit more fun! To achieve, I begin by pulling the hair back in to a loose high ponytail positioned a few centimetres forward from where you would have started for the WAB. Now split the pony in to three sections and tease each section before giving a quick spritz with the hair spray as this creates some luxe volume – I like Schwarzkopf Extra Care Hairspray 10 Carat Shine. Loosely plait or twist the three sections together then wrap around the base of the ponytail and secure with bobby pins. Softly rub the palm of your hand around your hairline to add texture and loosen flyaways as this enhances the overall look.
Now please be kind and tell me if you have ever experienced a hair disaster like me?
Do you enjoy buns also? I hope so! All the better to see your pretty face with and show off those expert makeup skillzzzzzzzz.
Couldn't help it ... Lauren's amazeballs bun.
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Couldn't help it ... Lauren's amazeballs bun.
"Higher the hair, closer to god... Tonight I'm feeling like saint haha."
