Pony Up With Christian Siriano

In keeping with my love for Christian Siriano this week, I thought I'd post the how-to for the funky ponytails at his recent show.

The Look:
This is a low, sleek ponytail adorned with a textured bouquet of waves; a play of smooth versus rough. Hair is sleek and groomed on each side of the head and through the ponytail, with a slightly rough, matte finish on top and elegant, textured waves pinned above the pony. The finished look is chic and contemporary with a bit of attitude.

Get the Look/Step-by-Step:

• Step 1: Create a deep side part. Draw a horseshoe-shaped section of hair along the top of the head, from each brow-line. Isolate this section of hair and pin in place with a single-pronged hair clip.

• Step 2: Pull the bottom half of hair into a ponytail and secure with a bungee elastic. Divide ponytail into sections with fingers and spray with Aveda Air Control™ Hair Spray for workable hold.

• Step 3: Use a flat iron to straighten the ponytail section by section, creating a smooth, sleek finish.

• Step 4: Unclip the top section of hair and comb it back and over the ponytail. Sprinkle Aveda Pure Abundance™ Hair Potion and massage into hair to create volume and matte, rough texture.

• Step 5: Working with the same top section, divide hair into smaller pieces and spray with Aveda Air Control™ Hair Spray. Wrap each piece of hair around a ceramic Curl Rod, creating spirals, until the entire top section of hair has been curled.

• Step 6: Brush through spirals, loosening curls into soft waves. Loosely backcomb waves to create fullness, volume and texture, and shorten the length of hair.

• Step 7: Pin the sides and ends of wavy hair against the head, close to the base of the ponytail. Hair is sculpted into a voluminous, undulating chignon adorning the ponytail.

• Step 8: Work Aveda Light Elements™ Texturizing Creme into palms. Smooth hair along the sides of the head and above the ears to create a sleekness and shine.

• Step 9: Finish the look with Aveda Air Control™ Hair Spray for shine and hold.

Aveda Products Used:
Aveda Light Elements™ Texturizing Creme
Aveda Pure Abundance™ Hair Potion
Aveda Air Control™ Hair Spray


Antoinette Beenders Quotes:

Q: What was your inspiration for this look? How did you collaborate with the designer to create the look?
“Christian and I worked together to create a hair look that reflects the inspiration behind his collection: waves and the ocean, with shimmering silks, silvers, and blues. I call this look the “wave” because of the back-combed wave that floats atop the ponytail. Since Christian is a young designer, the hair look is elegant yet very modern.”

Q: How could a woman achieve this look on her own?
“This is an elegant, alternative version of the ponytail—beautiful for evening. Using a fine comb, separate the front/top of hair and part it into a horseshoe shaped section on the top of the head. Tie the rest of hair into a low ponytail. Rake the front/top of hair back with Aveda Light Elements™ Texturizing Creme, and curl with a curling rod. Brush through curls and backcomb slightly, then pin teased hair to the base of the ponytail, creating loose, textured waves. Finish look with Aveda Air Control™ Hair Spray.”

Sunscreen for Hair

Always a huge fan of sunscreen, my latest obssession is L'Oreal's EverPure UV Spray. It can be used on wet or dry hair, and is lightweight so it doesn't weigh hair down. It has really helped to keep my color from fading this summer. Weeks later, my highlights are still fresh and vibrant; if it wasn't for the dark roots, I wouldn't even need to get my hair done yet.

Tousle Me Softly

I hadn't used Herbal Essences since junior high, so torn between nervousness and excitement when their new Tousle Me Softly collection arrived in the mail. Nervous because do I really want to return to something I used when I was 13? My hair was awful then! Excited because the cheery purple bottles promised my hair would be scented with a "tousled fusion of wild violet & pomegranate." The main thing I noticed in this collection is that it's fairly heavy and weighs the hair down, which I love, but is not for everyone.

Shampoo and Conditioner for a Tousled Look: I am extremely picky about the shampoo I use, but I found that this one worked well, especially when used with the conditioner. I've always felt that the instructions to use products from the same brand was a marketing ploy, but these really complemented each other and left my hair smooth and soft.

Tousle Me Softly Mousse: My favorite product in the collection! Smelled amazing, held my waves, and really cut down on frizz.

Tousling Spray Gel: I liked it as a 'freshener' later in the day for my hair, but thought it was too crunchy when used on wet hair.

Flexible Hold Hair Spray: I know it's bad for the environment, but I believe that aerosol hairspray is an essential. My beliefs have only been made stronger with use of the Tousle Me Softly hairspray. It comes out in more of a stream than a fine mist, and left my hair looking like it was coated in a glaze.

Finishing Touch Cream: I feel like this product is almost misplaced in this line. It would be better packaged as a smoother/defrizzer than a curl enhancer. Either way, this product is great and adds tons of shine. Just make sure to learn from my mistakes--a little goes a LONG way!

So Sexy Hairspray Is So Yummy

I adore Victoria's Secret's So Sexy Natural Hold Hairspray. It's not the product itself that's amazing, though the hairspray works well enough for me, it's the scent. It's seriously like spraying perfume on your hair, with the added benefit of hold. It smells soooo good! When I walked into Victoria's Secret on Monday and they were having a sale on their So Sexy hair products, 3 for $24, I jumped at the chance to stock up for cheap. True, the salesgirl looked at my six bottles of hairspray like I was trying to bring the 80s back, buy what do I care? I'm going to be walking around town with delicious smelling hair!

Placenta Hair Mask. Crazy, But True.

The Product: Hask Henna 'n' Placenta Dual-Action Pac

The Claim: Nature's most complete conditioning treatment. Strengthens and repairs dry, brittle, lifeless hair. An extra rich formula combining two of natures most complete hair conditioners - neutral henna and natural placenta. Together for the first time to quickly repair and strengthen dry, brittle, lifeless hair. And will not change hair color. The result is ravishingly beautiful hair with manageability you never before thought possible. Placenta extract, derived from animal placenta (Environmentally responsible formula), is combined with amino proteins to revitalize and protect every hairtype.

The Review: Just the thought of slathering my hair in placenta was enough to make me slightly nauseous, and more than a little skeptical. After shampooing my hair, I open the packet (the directions tell you to use the entire packet in one use) and started saturating my hair. There's a lot of product in the packet, so I sectioned off my hair and put them in buns. Then I covered it with a shower cap and let it sit for 20 minutes. After rinsing and styling, my hair has never been more manageable and frizz-free. It shocks me to say it, but my new go-to hair product is a $1.99 hair mask with 'Placenta' in the name. The next day I went to the drugstore and bought out the rest of the stock. You should probably go pick up a packet for yourself before I get to it...

Life Changing Product!!!

I don't have enough amazing things to say about the Remington Emi Style System Dryer with Airwave Attachment. Currently on sale for only $20.99 at drugstore.com, it's a wavy-haired girls dream--it provides frizz-free beach wave every time! To use, place 1-inch sections of hair in the clear plastic vent and turn the dryer on. It creates a wind tunnel the twirls each section into beautiful waves. Normally when I have the dryer on high it creates frizz, but with this product it just creates perfect curls--it saves tons of time, reduces frizz and static, and looks as close to Giselle waves as you can get without a curling iron.

Features:

-Infused with anti-static technology Static Control

-Unique Airwave™ attachment twirls hair into gorgeous loose waves
-Concentrator creates smooth straight looks
-Static control technology prevents fly-aways and frizz
-Ionic ceramic for healthy looking shine
-2 Speed / 3 Heat settings / Cool shot to set your style
-1875 watts for maximum power
-Removable filter for easy cleaning
-Use dryer with or without attachments
-Works on long hair and short
-Hang-up loop
-2 yr. warranty

Are you a Rockaholic?

Tigi's new Rockaholic line has been flying off shelves. Tigi says, "We are a culture surrounded and influenced by everything music - it is you and everyone you know - the way we dress - how we style our hair - the way we think. Admit it, you are a Rockaholic. Unleash your inner icon and get addicted today." The product I'm most excited to try is the Dirty Secret Dry Shampoo. I love the look of second-day hair, and I've heard this product is amazing.

Thicker, Longer Hair

My mom has been using Ovation Cell Therapy products for a few months in the hopes of thicker, longer hair and now she raves about the stuff! At the steep price of $56.95 for a 12 ounce bottle, the company claims this product "dramatically accelerates hair growth, reduces breakage and hair loss. Creates visibly thicker, fuller and longer hair." Now that my mom has been using it for a while, you can see the baby hairs starting to grow out. That's good enough proof for me!

Less Frizz for 6 Weeks

I'm really tempted to try Liquid Keratin's 30-day starter kit. It claims to remove curl frizz and, to be quite honest, I'm completely sold on this brand just by looking at their website. Their tagline: "Defy your DNA." Am I just getting sucked in by the sleek packaging and scientific-sounding tagline? I'm such a sucker for marketing ploys. In fact, I could sleep the other night and was thisclose to buying a sham-wow on tv. True story.

But I digress...the company claims this product is "the first safe, at home alternative to expensive salon treatments." It supposedly last up to 6 weeks. If I straightened my hair I would definitely give this a try; the only thing holding me back is that I don't want it to ruin my natural curl when my hair starts growing in. What if I had half straight/half curly hair? Then I'd have to chop my hair off and you'd never hear the end of my whining. Will someone please try this and let me know what you think?

Recession Obsession, Part 1

Lack of money is forcing me to get creative with my spending habits, so I've switched some of my more expensive beauty products for drugstore brands. Here are some substitutions I've found so far that hold up to the pricey originals.

--My normal Frederic Fekkai hairspray has been replaced with Pantene Classic Hairspray in Flexible Hold. Both provide soft, non-sticky hold.

--Bumble and Bumble hair powder has been replaced by Psssssst Instant Spray Shampoo, and I actually prefer the Psssssst.

--My Nars Body Glow is now Neutrogena Body Oil. Different scent, same results.

I'll keep you updated on more items as I find them! To be continued...

A Glimmer of Shimmer

In college I would stock up on the hair glitter that was sold at Halloween, and wear it out at night. It looked great in pictures, put in person I was a walking Disco ball. I gave it up after college because I could no longer pull off the tacky glitter look. Now, however, I use Frederic Fekkai's Spray on Hair Crystals. The super-fine glitter leaves a subtle shimmer and light hold on my hair. I spray in on the underneath sections of my layers so that a little sparkle peeks out when my hair moves. This limited edition item is available in Champagne, Copper, and Bronze (I use Champagne).

'Perfectly' Disheveled Hair

I've tried many Sea Salt Sprays on my hair to give it that beachy, windblown look , but all it did was make my hair dry and sticky; it inevitably ended up in a ponytail. I had pretty much given up on the look, until I found Nick Chavez's product, Flocker. It's exactly what I've been looking for: it texturizes and gives lift without any stickiness. The texture is a lot like a hairspray, but you spray it in your palms and then scrunch it. Now, I'm not saying I looked as good as Jennifer Garner in this picture, but I was pretty darn close...

The Ultimate Clarifying Shampoo

Another one of my 'life changing products' is this clarifying shampoo by Frederick Fekkai. I use it about once a month to get rid of the buildup from my gels, conditioners, silicone serums, etc. It smells amazing--exactly like the apple cider it's name after. Also, it gets rid of all buildup without turning my hair to straw, and it leaves it soooo shiny. I've tried a lot of clarifying shampoos, but I keep coming back to this one. It's like a new beginning for my hair every time I use it.

Hair Color Drops

I used to go into the salon every month for a glaze. I like the added shine and the color boost it gives my hair. When John Freida added the color glaze to their line I stopped going to the salon, and started using this glaze several times a week in Sheer Blonde to stretch out the time between my highlighting appointments. The glaze really increased the shine, but the color didn't make much of a difference.

Now, however, I'm using Ken Paves Healthy Hair Color Drops, and it's amazing! To use, add several drops of the concentrated color to your normal conditioner and then leave it on your hair for a few minutes. By being able to control how many drops you put in, you can really personalize the amount of color that is deposited in your hair. I'm using Beige, but it also comes in Red, Brown, Platinum, Honey, and Black. I definitely notice less of a line between my highlights and my natural color. The drawback: the first time I used it my roots looked oily, but now I scrub a little at my scalp to get rid of the film the color leaves, and it works great.

Conditioning Treatment Must-Haves

My hair is extremely dry and porous, which is really upsetting because I don't even blowdry it. I rely on twice weekly conditioning treatments to keep my split ends from becoming unmanageable. On Sundays I use a protein mask. Right now I'm in the middle of a tub of Frederic Fekkai Protein Treatment. I slather it on my ends and then wrap my hair under a shower cap for an hour or so while I watch TV. A warning about this mask: if you use it too often, your hair actually gets worse, so I recommend once a week. Trust me, I was using it too often and my hair was breaking off, so I would just use it more--it was traumatizing. My hairstylist later told me that too much protein can have an adverse reaction on hair.

One evening during the week I use a deep moisturizing mask. I switch off between Komenuka Bijin and Bumble and Bumble Creme De Coco Masque. I HIGHLY recommend both of these masks; I guarantee that your hair will feel better after using one or both of them. Komenuka Bijin is a line from Japan that uses Rice Bran and other natural ingredients--this has been a staple of mine for years. The Bumble and Bumble mask is fairly new, but is quickly becoming a permanent fixture in my shower. Plus, it smells amazing! Does anyone else have any hair treatments they can't live without??

Another Frizz Secret

It's been raining here in San Diego, so I'm thinking a lot about hair products that help eliminate frizz. I've tried dozens of hair serums to help get rid of frizz and boost shine. Funny enough, it was a drugstore brand, John Frieda, that I think is the winner. John Frieda Frizz-Ease Hair Serum is somewhat miraculous when it comes to fighting frizz. I put this all over my hair and then twist sections to bring out the wave, but's also good for straight hair. It comes in three different formulas: Light, Original, and Extra Strength. The Original formula works great for me, and at under $10, what do you have to lose?

Weather-'Poof' Your Hair

Kiehl's Creme with Silk Groom has become a staple in my hair styling routine. (I use the term 'hair styling' loosely, as I blow dry my hair maybe 3 times a year.) I have frizzy, poofy, wavy hair that is oily at the roots and dry at the ends. It's basically 'nightmare' hair. However, it does become a bit more managable when I use this cream. It's fairly heavy, so I don't recommend it if you have thinner hair. I slather it on from mid-shaft to ends, and it really weighs the hair down and eliminates a lot of frizz. It helps my hair have more defined curls, as opposed to the stringy mess I have without it. It works in dry heat and rain, which is nice, so I don't have to switch products with the season.

Also, if you buy it (or anything) at kiehls.com, you get three generous sized samples.