Braids Craze!

As you may have noticed, braids are having a bit of a moment! And this week, I decided to jump wholeheartedly on the bandwagon with a week's worth of braids-based styles:

1. The Braid Headband

So I've seen a lot of headbands made out of fake braids, and personally I find them a little creepy (and they never look natural). Why use a fake braid headband when making a real one with your own hair looks so much better, and is easy at that?

All I did was take a half inch or so strand of hair from behind my left ear, pull it upwards, braid it, bring it across, and pin it behind my right ear. Then, for symmetry, I did the same with the other side. Easy as cake!

2. Prairie Girl

So wrapping braids around one's head is a pretty common style, reminiscent of the olden days and simpler times, that has been used by everyone from farmgirls to alien princesses (see Leia's hair in Empire Strikes Back). My version is essentially an add-on to the braid headband.

Starting with the braid headband, I then took the rest of my hair and split it down the middle. Then, I pulled the left side up, braided it, brought it across, and pinned it behind my right ear. I did the same with the right side, and so by the end I had four braids across my head. The fact that they were all different sizes and a little messy was a plus, in my opinion. Braids shouldn't be taken too seriously! I finished it off with a flower clip for some extra spring prettiness... and...uh... to hide the splayed ends on that side that I could not for the life of me get to stay pinned down.

3. Pinned-Up Pigtails

This style looks really, really little-girl like when you begin. First, take half your hair, pull it up as high as possible (I got it to about three inches above my ear), braid, and secure with a thin elastic. Then, do the same to the other side. You'll have two super-high and cutesy pigtails that make you look like you're 6 and mommy did your hair this morning hehehe...


And if that's your thing, great! But I was going into the office, so I opted for something a little more grown-up. To that end, I brought the left braid down across the back of my head and pinned it so that the elastic was tucked up underneath my right braid. Then, I crossed my right braid over it, and pinned it so that the elastic was tucked up underneath my left braid. Et voila!

4. Braided Laurels

This hairstyle is similar in concept to the one above, in that it's two braids wrapped around the back, but is significantly more head-hugging. And although it was inspired by Princess Leia's hairstyle in Empire Strikes Back, I thought it ended up looking a little like laurels :-)

Like with the last style, I started with two braids, except this time, I started each one as close to the nape of the neck as possible. Then, I crossed the left one over to the right side and pinned it along the edge of my hairline. I did the same with the right, and there you have it!

5. The Braid Bun

And finally, the intentionally-messy casual lazy-day bun. This one's great for those days when you ant to put your hair up but don't want a boring bun, and also don't have much time for anything fancier.


First, I took a small section of hair from the front, braided it, and clipped it out of the way. Then, I took the rest of my hair, divided it into two sections, and braided each section. I twisted the two sections around each other and pinned it into place, allowing the ends to splay out as they pleased. Finally, I took the small braid and wrapped it around the bun, crossing it over the middle. Then I tucked it in, pinned it in place, and that was that!

So there you have it- a full week's worth of braided hairstyles! And the best bit- none of the involve too much time or fancy products!

~mode mare

Alien-inspired hair

Remember how I posted about Star Wars-inspired hair a while ago? Well, I'm back with more sci-fi hair, this time inspired by the big-headed aliens from Indiana Jones 4. What do you think?

All I did was gather some hair from the crown, as if making a thin partial ponytail, then clip it out of the way while I made a high bun with the rest of my hair (make a high ponytail, twist it around into a bun, pin with all pins facing in). Next, I took that top piece and pulled it down over the bun, securing it on top of the bun with a pin. I then looped the remaining hair around the bun, securing it in place with more pins (and the usual gallon of hairspray). And voila! Katy Perry's not the only E.T. out there.

~mode mare

Orange, Barrels, and Wings, Oh My!!!

So I skipped the gym this morning out of sheer laziness and thus had some extra time to play dress-up before work.

As you may know, orange is something of a trend right now- orange and navy nautical outfits, loud citrus-hued sundresses, orangey-red lipstick on the red carpet, etc. etc. etc. Of course this would be the big trend the year AFTER I've left my Orange Bubble. Well, today I decided to try something that hasn't been featured as much on the interwebs: medium orange lipstick. I actually tried it on as a joke, and ended up getting it because it actually turned out well! The color ended up melting into my skintone and looking more neutral than one may expect.

I also decided to try something that has been my eye-makeup nemesis for some time now: winged eyeliner. Don't get me wrong- I think it looks great on most people. It's just that whenever I try it, it ends up making me look evil. Well, more evil than usual. This time, however, I came up with a compromise that worked: instead of flicking the eyeliner directly up to create tilty cat eyes, I left it more horizontal. The result made me look a lot friendlier than previous attempts...

And finally, I ended up messing with my hair. What started out as a '90s Topsy Tail (remember those?) ended up a barrel roll of sorts. After making my low ponytail, I parted the hair behind the elastic (the part closer to my scalp), creating a hole, and instead of flipping the ponytail up and tucking it down into the hole, I flipped it under. And then I flipped it again. And again. And again, until the whole thing was all rolled up over the elastic. Then, as usual, I put about 10,000 pins in it and smothered it in hairspray. As a final springy touch, I added a flower hairpin.

Maybe not as productive as going to the gym, but far more fun hehe...

~mode mare

A modern take on the Gibson Girl

<- Remember her? The Gibson Girl? She was the personification of the feminine ideal in the US during the early 20th century. She was also, arguably, the first national standard of beauty, a standard that has been subsequently replaced by a variety of looks ranging from the bombshells of Victoria's Secret to the waifs on the runway.

Today, on a whim, I decided to do a modern take on her voluminous updo. Basically, I put my hair into the highest ponytail possible at the crown of my head, then pulled back the elastic a bit to create a little more volume at the bottom. My hair is naturally extremely flat, so that little bump may not look like much, but was a triumph for me! I then twisted the ponytail into a loose bun, securing it with bobby pins. It's a long way from that popular illustration above, but the idea's the same... minus the poofy front!









~mode mare

Star Wars inspired hair

I will not lie- I have been a Star Wars geek for quite some time now, and one of my favorite bits has always been the costumes and hair. I know that in order to recreate Padme Amidala's twisty, geometric hair, you'd probably need an army of stylists, but here's a relatively easy style that's inspired by her battle hair from Episode 2.

All I did was divide my hair into three sections, like I was going to make a braid. Then, I took the left one, twisted it like crazy, and pinned it to my head in every which way, allowing the twists to dictate where it ended up. Then, I did the same with the right. And finally, I did the same with the middle, guiding it in such a way as to fill in any gaps left by the other two. Afterwards, I sprayed the bejeezus out of it to keep it in place. I must warn you, though, it takes about 15 bobby pins at least...

Have I just lost all credibility for posting about Star Wars hair? Ah well... I'm not gonna deny it. I am a geek and proud of it :-)

~mode mare