by VioletLeBeaux | Dec 20, 2010 | Beauty, Hair, Hair-Tutorials, Tutorial
Following on from the previous hair tutorial requests, I was asked to do a more formal updo that was still nice and Summery ^_^
This style doesn’t look good on me personally because of the gradient in my hair but it looks awesome in dark hair because it’s textured enough to show up without looking over the top.
What you need:
- Brush
- Hair spray
- Hair ties
- Hair spray or frizz serum
![]()
|
Firstly section your hair in two like this and tie the bottom one into a high pony tail:
Put the top section to the side and clip it for later. Now divide the ponytail into 3 sections as if you were going to plait it. Put two of the sections to the side and then divide the remaining one in half. This style is created by repeatedly tying those two pieces into loose knots then pinning. It gives much more rounded interesting sections than normal plaiting would so it can be good for a change. |
The knots you should be using are pretty much square knots or the kind you would use to tie your shoe, an example can be seen here: http://www.folsoms.net/knots/
Start with one like this:
If you do it evenly it should form a pretty pattern. Depending if you want the look to be messy and casual or sleek and complicated you might want to use frizz reduction serum or something similar before you start knotting. Don’t worry about not being able to get them undone later because the pieces of hair you’re using to tie them are so large they should just spring back apart like a plait.
Then keep tying the pieces over and over until you get something like this:
Now pull the section upwards and curve it toward the base of the ponytail. Pin it in place.
Repeat this process with the next section of hair but curve it a bit towards the right of the ponytail when you pin it:
The third section should be curved downwards and pinned at the bottom of the ponytail. After pinning all 3 parts you shouldn’t be able to see the hair tie in the ponytail anymore, it should just look like a big loopy bun:
Finally it’s time to do the top section. This is really what determines the final look so here are two options!
Brushing it to the side tie it in a loose knot about half way down:
Continue knotting from that point.
You have something like this:
Pull it backwards and pin into the main bun:
Add a little flower and you’re done ^_^
You can see how it looks a bit like a big swirl from the back:
Other side:
Front:
Top:
Another option for the top which makes it look a little more prom-ish is to tease/backcomb it a bit, pin it in place then knot the rest and add it into the main bun:
So yes while it doesn’t suit my hair very well it’s a decent style for those with medium length darker hair and can be dressed up or down accordingly ^_^
by VioletLeBeaux | Dec 19, 2010 | Nails, Review
Time for some serious nail polish swatching! Today is my favorite brand of all time 😀
Brand:
Ulta3
From:
Local chemists, don’t think you can get it online but I could be wrong. Generally sold in large discount bins.
Price:
$2-3
Volume:
13.5ml
Bottle:
Generic round bottle with a white top. Fairly cheap looking but who cares for $2 XD Only real problem I’ve found is that the glue holding the brush to the lid is a bit crap so often the lid comes off minus the brush. Easily fixed by removing any dried polish around the top of the bottle and closing/opening it again.
Brush:
Average size, flexible.
Drying Time:
Roughly the same for all of them. Fairly quick but nothing to write home about.
Colour Name:
Freesia
Description:
Dark pink with silver shimmer.
![]()
|
Thoughts:
One of my favorites in the Ulta3 range because it’s really lovely with purple nail art. It’s quite a dark pink so it’s definitely not drawing any Barbie comparisons but in the sun it really picks up the silver shimmer and looks quite spectacular.
Good for:
-Office appropriate manicures that still pack a punch
-Matching with purple nail art
Colour Name:
Lagoon
Description:
Acid green with a very slight silver shimmer.
Thoughts:
Whoever came up with the name should have picked something else. The only thing that I think that this colour has to do with a lagoon is disgusting poisonous alge XD That said the colour itself is actually really nice and layers well, perfect for Spring manicures 😀
Good for:
-Spring themed nail art
-Flowers etc
Bad for:
-Konad, too sheer.
Colour Name:
Sizzling Red
Description:
Very fire engine red, can’t see it when it’s on but there is a little violet through it too.
Thoughts:
This one packs a punch 😀 Bright and shiny and very pigmented. You really can get away with one coat as you can see below:
Good for:
-Vampy manicures
-Looks great paired with white tips.
Colour Name:
Seduction
Description:
Bright pink with a slight gold shimmer.
Thoughts:
This is your serious Barbie pink ^_^ There is no way to un-cuten this colour hahaha! I think the photos and the fact that I’ve used 3/4 of the bottle probably speak for themselves.
Good for:
-Sweet styles
-Lolita/Hime Gyaru styles
Bad for:
-Konad, too sheer
Colour Name:
Silver Grey
Description:
Name says it all 😉
Thoughts:
Quite pigmented which makes it fantastic for nail art and making little accents on already done designs. It’s not my favorite silver that Ulta 3 have done (that’s Snazzle) but it’s still a really nice colour in its own right.
Good for:
-Nail art in general or using for small accents.
-Probably good for konad because it’s decently pigmented.
Colour Name:
Little Boy Blue
Description:
Sheer light blue with a lot of silver shimmer.
Thoughts:
This is probably my favorite of all the Ulta 3 colours. It can be used to layer really effectively over other polishes like I did a while ago with that snow manicure or layered by itself for a really deep glitter. By itself it the shimmer becomes so deep it almost looks like glitter. Needs about 3 coats to be opaque
Good for:
-Layering over other polishes
-Making an interesting base coat alone.
Bad for:
-Konad, too sheer.
That’s part one in the ridiculous number of Ulta3 polishes I have! This is going to be a long series because they are so cheap I tend to amass them XD |
by VioletLeBeaux | Dec 18, 2010 | Craft
Recently the lovely BGDinosent me a little present of a craft kit from Daiso 😀
I’ve never done any bead craft things like this so I was a little scared when I saw the instructions were all in Japanese and super complicated looking XD
![]()
|
Buuut I muddled through with my beginner’s skills (in both beading and language) and eventually got it done 😀 Though I did take a whole bunch of photos along the way to make a tutorial out of it… the instructions seemed so hard to explain I thought it would probably be better to just post a couple of progress shots instead *_* |
I had to make the cup part first and the whole thing was done with 2 threads working at once…
It was all about looping the two threads around each other to form circle after circle.
Then once I got to the top the middle was filled with beads to be the milkshake…
And finished!
I think this is one of the most fiddly crafts I’ve ever done… but the result was so worth it!
I love it and I can’t wait to find a place to hang it 😀 I think I want to try to doing more little things like this too! What’s the most complicated fiddly thing you guys have ever made?
