Vanity by Victoria: Braids and Buns!

If you haven't noticed, braids and buns are very "in" right now and they are easy ways to create a stylish hairstyle for work or play, especially if you don't have time to wash your hair.

Fast Figure-Eight Bun
You know how you twist your hair when you're bored on a lazy day? That's the key trick to this style,according to NYC stylist Leon Gorman,who created the looks seen here. Make a low side ponytail,leaving a few pieces loose around your face. Twist the length of your ponytail,and wrap it into a figure-eight shape-smoosh it up against your scalp,and tuck the ends into the loop. Insert a few hairpins or tiny barrettes to lock it all in place. Finish with a mist of lightweight hair spray that'll give you extra hold minus any stickiness.

Braid and Bun Combo

Pairing braids with a messy bun is one of my favorite looks right now. Just a bun can be a little boring after a while. This look is such a feminine way to add softness and detail. To recreate the look take two sections of hair on either side about 2-3 inches wide and braid. Gather all of the hair in a pony and secure with a non-slip rubber band. Twist the ponytail into a bun and secure with another rubber band or bobby pins. For variation you can do a braid on one side only, or place the ponytail and bun higher on the head to give a more chic effect.

Fishtail Braid

You have probably been seeing a lot of messy french braids and fish tail braids on the runway lately. The fishtail braid is actually much easier to do than it looks. If you need extra help, look it upon youtube and follow along. Unlike the French braid that requires you to be constantly incorporating and overlapping hair into three sections, the fishtail only overlaps two.

First, separate hair into two chunks.

You will begin by taking a piece from the outside of the left side and pulling it over so it crosses to the right side. Then, take a piece from the outside of the right side and pull it over.

Repeat this in an overlapping/crossing manner with small pieces of hair from the outsides until you reach the nape of your neck (or your desired look is achieved). The tricky part is keeping the hair taut as you are pulling hair from each side.

Just like with braiding, as you incorporate new pieces from the outside in, you need to keep a firm hold on it as you move down the braid and add more hair.