How to wear a ponytail

The Sleek Ponytail - Wear this look to the office or out to a nice dinner. Especially gorgeous when paired with thick, dark sunglasses. (Everyone will think you're famous). My favorite look is the sleek ponytail with thick, heavy bangs.

How to get it: It's best to dry hair straight with a brush since wet ponies are the antithesis of sexy. Part hair slightly off-center (parting in the middle is also trendy) and fasten the tail lightly so that it sits slightly below the middle of the back of your head. To combat flyaways, spritz hairspray on your hairline.

For added polish, run a shine serum (we like Bumble and Bumble's Gloss) through pony and straighten hair completely with a flat-iron. Extra tip: Stylists love the look of hair wrapped around the elastic. To get this look, skip the nasty fake hair ones you can buy in drugstores and department stores (tacky!) and instead, pull a pencil-thick piece of hair from the bottom of the pony, wrapping it around elastic. Leave 2 inches to pull down through the elastic. Secure with a couple bobby pins.

The Cute Ponytail - This look is great for the weekend and works with all lengths of hair. We call this look "cute" because it relies on little kid barrettes (or opt for funky ones in cool geometric designs) or decorative bobby pins to hold back bangs or layers that don't fit in the ponytail. This look is particularly cute on chin-length hair. The pig's tail curl is super cute. How to get it: Best not to get too sleek on this one. Spray volumnizer at the roots, then let hair airdry, scrunching it for a bit of wave. Don't have time? Blowdry hair without brushing, use fingers instead to separate hair. Rake hair back with your fingers (skip the brush) and secure either at the nape of your neck or just a bit higher. Scrunch pony more for more wave. Pin bangs or unsecured layers with a decorative bobby pin or little kid barrette. We love these France Luxe Long and Skinny Barrettes


The Rumpled Ponytail - The perfect weekend or after work hairstyle. This look works best with unwashed hair, which we find most manageable.

How to get it: Either start with unwashed hair or get the messy look by spraying roots with volumnizer and airdrying hair or blowdrying using your fingers instead of a brush. Scrunch as you dry. Tease hair at the crown. then rake hair back at the nape of your neck. To get fullness, secure four or five bobby pins just above the elastic. This way you get a fuller look. Scrunch the tail once it's in place.

The Cheerleader Ponytail - A super-high ponytail will take years off your face, but if you have excessive widows' peaks at your crown or if you have a big forehead this look can be unattractive. To see if you're a bad candidate, pull hair back and look in the mirror, if hairline starts high at the top of your head, this look can bring too much attention to your forehead.

The Dramatic Ponytail A high, tight ponytail is swingy and totally sexy. It's also wearable at work or at night. The key to this look is the barrette, so go more dramatic in the evening. Be careful if you have a high forehead, when you wear high ponytails, you don't want to look bald from the front. A better ponytail for you is one with a sidepart and fastened lower on your head.

How to get it: Spritz hair with a volumizing spray like Bumble and Bumble Thickening Spray, then dry hair straight. If you have curly hair, use a diffuser and an anti-frizz product instead of the volumizer. Take a section at the top part of the back of your head and tease hair at the root. This will give you needed volume for the dramatic look. Once hair is sufficiently teased, carefully brush hair back into a pony up high on the back of your head just above your ears. Gently pull hair at the top of the pony out and up for drama.

Run a gloss (we like Bumble and Bumble Gloss, see sleek ponytail above) through ponytail, using extra at the ends. If you're going out at night, up the drama ante by securing a gorgeous barrette (we love the ones that look like brooches) near the elastic and on the side of your head. If you use a barrette, keep in mind that it's a piece of jewelry so be careful not to overdo the look with earrings, necklace and a bracelet. The less jewelry you wear, the more oomph your pieces have. Check out these gorgeous barrettes and books on how to make your own


Enjoy
Lorette
http://www.make-up-tip.com/