Doing your hair can be a challenge and let’s face it: Throwing it up into a topknot every day gets boring. Christina over at Hair Romance believes your hair is your best accessory and it should always be treated at such. This week, she’s sharing all her best tips and tricks to make every day a good hair day.
Braids are one of the hottest hair trends and seen on catwalks all over the world during fashion week. From the basic braid seen at Valentino in Paris to the crown braids at Alice + Olivia in New York, braids are the “it” hairstyle you have to try right now.
Above is a selection of four of my favorite braids and here are links to tutorials for each:
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Doing your hair can be a challenge and let’s face it: Throwing it up into a topknot every day gets boring. Christina over at Hair Romance believes your hair is your best accessory and it should always be treated at such. This week, she’s sharing all her best tips and tricks to make every day a good hair day.
I absolutely love braids (I even created a 30 Braids in 30 Days e-booklet that you can download on my website). The fishtail braid is easily one of my favorites and is perfect for both the office and upcoming summer festivals.
Here’s a simple step-by-step tutorial on how to do this braid in your own hair.
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While Fashion Week tends to feature looks that even the chicest among us would have to tone down, occasionally something totally wearable makes an appearance on the runway. Case in point: the ladies at last week’s Valentino’s fall 2013 runway show in Milan. We love that the fresh face and polished side braid look is easy to recreate at home—and it’s a great a daytime style that can be amped up for a night out.
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We know you don’t have oodles of time to browse through everything on the Birchbox blog and in the magazine each week. Here’s a short list of the top blog posts, articles, videos, and news you need to read this weekend. Stay warm!
4 Complexion-Clearing Tricks for Sensitive Skin: pūr~lisse founder and skincare expert Jennifer Yen told us her fool-proof tricks for saving her finicky skin from acne, hives and rosacea.
How To: French Fishtail Braid: Regular braids are SO over. Just kidding! We still love them, but this combination of a French braid and a fishtail braid is so cool we may never separate them again.
Trend Alert: How to Style the New Bob: Life changes, like welcoming a new year, always make us want to change up our hair. Luckily there’s a hot new hair trend we can get behind. Check it out and get your stylist on the phone.
Quarterback (Style) Controversy: Flacco vs. Kaepernick: Get prepped for Sunday’s big game with these lowdown deets on Flacco’s and Kaepernick’s Birchbox Man-worthy style. Included: junior prom suit rentals, flat-brimmed hats, and temporary tattoos.
Celebrating Grand Central Terminal, Then and Now: A century ago, Grand Central Station was brand-spanking new and extra luxurious—which meant it even had a women’s hair dressing parlor. Even cooler? Seeing the layout of the actual New York Times from Feb. 2, 1913.
Stay up to date on the latest and greatest news—check out our morning must reads.
We fell hard for Natalie Alcala last fall, when the LA-based writer and blogger spent a week guest blogging for us. In fact, we loved her posts so much that we asked her to be a contributing editor. In addition to blogging for us once a week, she’ll also be writing for the Birchbox Magazine and keeping us up to speed on all things fashion, beauty, and fun.
Although my go-to party look is a super-smoky cat eye and a rich rouge pout, some occasions deserve more experimentation. While perusing for New Year’s Eve beauty inspiration, I stumbled upon this brilliant editorial in French magazine Madame Figaro. Although the feature is meant to promote three of the season’s fiercest headbands, it also showcases three fantastic makeup options for this year’s ultimate party.
(Photo: Madame Figaro)
1. Victorian Vixen: Channel your modern Marie Antoinette by dipping into your spring pastel palettes for this look. After filling in brows, lightly apply Make Up For Ever’s #93 Irish Green (an exact match) or Stila’s Night Sky (a charming blue alternative) around the entire eye. Complete the look with a few coats of Alicia Silverstone for Juicy Beauty’s Pure Kissable Lip Color for the perfect pink pucker and a swipe of a creamy blush, like Jouer’s Poppy. Top your messy bun with a standout bejeweled headband and you’re good to go!
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While the usual low-slung pony is great for day-to-day, holiday party season provides the ideal opportunity to experiment with a different style. That’s why we’ve teamed up with one of our favorite sites, Beauty High. Each week, they’ll be sending over a few runway shots to inspire you to try something new for your upcoming festive fetes.
Left: Elie Saab; right: Emilio Pucci. (Photos: Imaxtree)
With holiday season in full swing, having a few go-to hairstyles in your arsenal is pretty essential. Most of us have our favorite bold lipsticks that we keep in our purses to swipe on when we realize we have to run from work (or school) to three different holiday parties, but our hair can be a completely different issue. Luckily, the trends on the fall/winter runways had plenty of different styles to inspire us, from bouffants to braids.
Most of us have been braiding our hair since we were in elementary school, so we immediately took to this trend—and it’s one that has become a runway staple ever since Guido Palau sent girls down Alex Wang’s runway in spring of 2010 with disheveled side braids. This season, we saw the braid take on a few more forms, from the milkmaid to cornrows, and they all work equally well for your holiday activities. Click through to find some inspiration for your packed holiday calendar, and for how to adapt these looks to your off-the-runway life.
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Based in Washington D.C., Ayren Jackson-Cannady is so savvy that we wished she lived closer to NYC so that we could swap products with her. This beauty writer knows what’s up (she’s written for Fitness, Glamour, and Gloss Daily) and we’re excited to have her sharing her know-how and multi-culti beauty expertise as a contributing editor.
All I could manage to do over the last couple of days—other than watch the weather channel and nervously eat Goldfish crackers—was pin pretty pictures on Pinterest. I’ve been finding a ton of quicklooks (think things you can do in 30 seconds or less) and I had to share them. Here are three of my favorite ‘dos plus an expert’s tips on getting the looks just right:
(Photo: trendyhaircutstyles.blogspot.com)
The Tousled Bun: For a messy (but chic!) look, Vanessa Fernandez of Butterfly Studio Salon in New York City suggests sticking with your natural texture and adding a texturizing spray (like Davines For Wizards No. 14 Sea Salt Primer) to create separation. “Flip your head upside down; spray, scrunch, and smooth your hair upwards toward the ends, twisting it until it’s in a bun shape and securing with a hair tie,” she says.
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The flirty days of spring and summer may be far behind us, but no one—least of all the Birchbox team!—seems ready to give up on the braid trend. Our friends at JolieBox obviously feel the same, as evidenced by Malvina’s crazy awesome revamped French braid below.
Mathilde says: “We love to give the traditional French braid a bit of a twist!”
Want to see how the Birchbox team has been wearing braids this season? Check out the gorgeous fishtail Katia wore to the office and Meredith’s wraparound fishtail tutorial, courtesy of Shu Uemura!
![The “Rachel” Cut Creator Teams Up With Aniston Again, DIY Gel Polish Removal, and More
Add this easy braid to your list of ideas for second day hair. [Refinery29]
The “Rachel cut” creator, Chris McMillian, teams up with Jennifer Aniston again, but this time to promote the haircare line Living Proof. [WWD]
Do you wash your hair every day? Read this to uncover the truth behind common beauty do’s and don’ts. [Lauren Conrad]
Has your gel mani grown out and you have no time to visit the salon? Here’s a tutorial on how to take off that gel polish at home. [The Beauty Department]
Instagram’s December numbers fell significantly because of a change to their Terms of Service. [Complex]
-Charisse
Keep your face fresh this winter with this quick tip from one of our favorite resources, Pre-Dame.](http://25.media.tumblr.com/54e3da6c63df87494195ee2a57256d34/tumblr_mgp0j55kF01qbz3xno1_1280.jpg)
