Get The Look: Nina Dobrev’s Knotty Updo

Everyone loves easy and effortless. It’s particularly an attractive look in the summer months, because really, who wouldn't rather be poolside then slaving hour after hour on polka-straight hair?

If you want a low-key look that is fab in any social environment, embrace the knotty updo. I think it's been worn best, recently, by beautiful actress Nina Dobrev at The People's Choice Awards.

Here’s how to achieve the look in ten minutes or under:

1. With dry, naturally textured hair (this means no previous blow drying or straightening) spritz all over with a sea salt spray. This will give you natural grit, and later volume.
2. Divide your hair in half. Take all the hair at the crown of your head and tie into a loose messy bun to work with later. With the bottom half of your hair, divide off the two panels nearest to your ears and pin away for the time being. You will now be left with a strip of hair from the top of your crown to the nape of your neck.  
3. Take sections of hair approximately 4cm by 4cm and twirl into tight scrolls, then tightly wrap into small tight buns and secure with an invisible hair elastic. Do this until you have no hair left in this panel from crown the nape.
4. Release one panel that aligns with your ear. Again, take 4cm worth of hair and scroll tightly. This time don’t form a bun, instead drag your tight roll of hair over to one of the centred buns and attach discreetly with a bobby pin of your hair colour. Do this for the remainder of this section, and then repeat on the panel of hair next to your other ear.
5. You will now only have hair left on the crown of your head and hairline. 
6. Carefully divide the hair along your hairline into 4cm chunks. You will want a little bit of volume and height here, so take a small toothed comb and back comb at the base of the roots. Gently twist your 4cm sections of hair back and pin to the top mini bun at the crown of your head. 
7. For extra volume, like Nina, carefully pull at your twirls at the crown of your head to make them appear more effortless and loose.
8. Voila. Look at you, you sexy demon!

SS xo

Louise Roe, it’s time to step away from your brow kit. Enough is enough.

Louise Roe has shown us all that you really can have too much of a good thing, in this case, having brows that are too bold, and too beautiful, with an end result mirroring that of the mid-afternoon soapie. That being big on drama, and little on reality. We know those are not your real brows Lou, and that’s not a good thing!

Don’t get me wrong, I love Louise and have been her fan for a long time, even in the beauty stakes. 

I’m also a huge brow lover. Look to super weight models like Bambi and Cara Delvigne. Their perfectly groomed arches are what set them apart from their photogenic counterparts.

However, sometimes beauty trends can sometimes be taken too far. Yes, I am looking at you Louise. If we glance at a red carpet photo of you before you got too jiggy with a brow kit, we can all see that you already have naturally thick brows, with a flattering shape. 

You must have heard all the fuss about filling, defining and drawing attention to brows, that you developed body, or shall I say facial, dysmorphia. Did you think yours were on the smaller side?

Dear oh dear. Louise put your hands up and step away from the brow kit. Enough damage has been done.

Here are my tips to make sure you strike the right brow balance:

You’ve gone too far if:

·         You’re brows are almost as big as your eyes. (Half the width of your eyeball is more proportioned).

·         The shape is so well defined that it’s almost three dimensional due to the amount of powder, pencil or gel you have applied.

·         You’re worried to lie down on the couch, in fear of leaving a permanent stamped-on-print of said brows. (This may be a good thing; you will always remember that you went too far.)

·         You’ve left the house without brushing out your arches with a spoolie, and now it’s obvious in your rear-view mirror where your natural brow starts and where your drawn on powder, gel, pencil begins.

·         You’ve lost your natural arch from too much filling in. Your eyebrows now resemble facial rectangles.

Make a quick fix:

·         If you’re reading this and suddenly realise “hey this is me!” don’t stress. Take a makeup wipe and remove your beauty sins. However, this doesn’t apply to those who have gone one step too far and had your arches tattooed in. You can stress. Dat Shi is fo lyf!

·         Sit in a well lit space, preferably with filtered natural day light, and hold up a mirror to your face.

·         Take your spoolie and brush your eyebrow hairs up at where they start in the center of the face, and across at the end of the arch.

·         Use a brow powder opposed to a pencil or gel. The powder sits on the hair follicle and doesn’t look as if it has been drown on with a chubby brown crayon, a la Louise Roe.

·         With a small angled makeup brush, apply a tiny amount of the powder in upwards strokes where the brow begins. Continue to colour in the brow with your natural brow shade till the end of the arch.

·         Take your spoolie and brush brows again to make sure the pigment is uniform.

·         Catch a close look in the mirror. Are they thick enough? If the honest answer is no due to years of over plucking, then gently fill in any sparse gaps, and line just under your natural brow shape, never above.

·         Take a clear brow setting gel and brush onto your new and improved set.

·         Finito! Never again will you look like your face has been imprinted with a one-size-fits-all brow stamp.

Three kits to love and use correctly:

1.       Youngblood Brow Artiste, $40.00

2.       Sigma Expert Brow Design Kit, $69.00

3.       Benefit Brows A-Go-Go, $38.00

What do you guys prefer? Louise with her natural brows or her defined ones?

Do you use brow kits?

SS x