The Princess Bun

I have been absolutely obsessed with giant buns lately. Even though I secretly (well not so secretly now!) look like a boy with my hair up, I've just been loving the way big buns look. I saw this tutorial on YouTube recently and HAD to try it ASAP. Plus, if you haven't checked out LeighAnnSays yet, you totally should because she's awesome!

All you need is a hair tie and a few bobby pins. First you create a pouf in the front and secure with bobby pins. Next you use the hair tie to create a tight ponytail, but instead of bringing the hair all the way out of the hair tie, you create a "loop". Lastly you grab each end of the loop and bring them to the front so they meet- pin together. The last few steps are all about shaping and pinning to your liking. What's great about this hair style is that it does not have to be perfect to look great- perfect for a bad hair day or when you're in a mad rush!

Here's my first attempt at the "princess bun":

Aerial view!

Excuse the awful blurring of the background but my house but the background was a mess!

This is by far the easiest way to get a HUGE gorgeous bun in just about 5 minutes. I absolutely love this.

What's your go to quick and easy hair style?

::We interrupt Fashion Friday's regularly scheduled programming::

to share the experience I had with Keratin straightening! (regularly scheduled Fashion Fridays will resume as normal next week.)

I've been perming my hair curly since I was 12. Yeah... I know I know. My hair is stick straight naturally- the kind that won't hold a curl or have any volume whatsoever. After years of perming my hair though, I felt that I was finally ready to move on and embrace my natural texture. I had a little problem though- my hair is chemically processed in every which way imaginable and I was not about to look like a fool growing out a perm on my long hair. So what now?
A friend recommended Milady Beauty Salon's Keratin Treatment. This post will be a review on the salon (helpful if you live in or will be visiting the NYC area) and a review on the keratin treatment for my processed hair. I was concerned about doing a keratin treatment because my hair is not naturally curly but after some research online, I felt comfortable giving it a try.
The technician I worked with was Nilsa, and she was very friendly, professional, and understanding of my concerns. She gave me a full consultation where the whole keratin treatment process was explained and a hair diagnostic free of charge, and set up an appointment with me.
On the day of the service, she washed my hair and did not add any conditioner. She discussed the benefits of the brand of treatment she used, Rio Keratin, which you can read more about here if you're interested. After my hair was completely dry, she added the keratin treatment into my hair and straightened with a flat iron at 450 degrees. This was an extremely scary process for me, just because I never ever heat style my hair and if I do, I always add a ton of heat protectant (definitely more than necessary!) After the treatment was complete, she advised me not to wash my hair for a total of 4 days (EEEEKKK!!!) My hair gets extremely oily, so even with the use of dry shampoo I have to wash it every other day or else it looks awful. Nilsa also advised me that I should not use any products in my hair... including dry shampoo. Oh well, gotta take one for the team!

This is what my hair looked like before the treatment:

This is after the flat ironing:

The 4 days without washing my hair was excruciating for me. The day I could final wash, I swear I was like the old school Herbal Essences commercials- I was never so happy to wash my hair!! I was also partly terrified of what it would look like after I did wash.
After it dried completely, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was completely silky, smooth, and straight with no product and no styling- just wash and go.
This is after my first wash: (yes, I am totally rocking Hello Kitty PJ pants- love them!)

Overall, I had a very positive experience with both the salon and the keratin treatment used. For my long hair I was charged $125 which is a stark contrast to the $350+ charge of other salons. If you are interested in making an appointment, I highly suggest you request Nilsa. For more information on the salon, click here.

Feel free to leave questions or comments about either the salon or the treatment. Also, if anyone is interested in updates on the status of my hair, I'd be happy to do it so let me know!

Flattie Flat Iron

I abuse my hair like its no one's business, I admit it. Its not something I'm proud of, but it seems like I can never leave my hair alone. Perm, highlight, get sick of highlights, back to dark, need another perm, and the cycle continues. What I am great about, is hair hair- deep conditioning, Moroccan oil, all that jazz. Also, I never EVER heat style my hair.
Today though, I decided to style my hair differently for a change. I used a ton of heat protectant, but I actually straightened it. What I used was an adorable 1/2" iron- a Flattie.

teeny tiny flattie!

This flat iron is literally the smallest iron I've ever seen. Its also extremely light-weight and would be GREAT to stash in your purse, at work, locker, etc. for touch-ups or emergencies (because we all know that happens!) It's also great for taming that "chick frizz" (aka baby hairs) around the hairline. While it doesn't have any heat settings or on/off switch (you plug it in and its turns on) it does heat up rather quickly.

Here's what the ceramic plates look like up close:

If you have a a lot of hair, this iron may not be ideal for you just because it would take forever to straighten your hair. Also, as it doesn't get super duper hot, it may not be ideal for ladies who have hair that is tough to style.

I thought it gave wonderful results and for the price I paid ($12.99), I'm really happy with it.

Here's what my bangs look like after I used the Flattie to style them (easy-peasy and great results!)

I purchased this product at my local beauty supply store (I swear they love me in there!), but if you're interested, you can pick one up here.

What's your favorite way to style your hair? Are there any tools you absolutely cannot love without?