hair therapy: a 'sweet' twist on the sock bun

Mario Russo, owner and lead stylist of Salon Mario Russo in boston, recently shared with me a fun variation of the oh-so popular sock bun {which happens to be one of his favorite looks for fall}. dubbed "Cinnabun," this bun is actually more of a hair wrap than a traditional bun.

so, if you've been busy cutting up your socks with the hope of creating that perfect round bun, stop! follow these steps and try this new version instead...

begin with a classic blow-dry; apply a smoothing serum to tame any flyaways {try Oribe Smooth Style Serum}.

sleekness is key for the front of this look; it should appear seamless and tight, so use a fine tooth comb to pull all of your hair to the back of your head. for extra interest, place a stretchy or decorate headband at crown of the head. this will help you to better achieve the smooth finish as well as give the style an added twist.

gather hair into a ponytail at the back center of your hair and secure with an elastic, take a 1 to 1.5 inch of hair near the base of the ponytail and create a very small loop with the hair. this loop should loop under and face down towards the neck. 

pin the small loop with bobby pins, fastening it under the elastic of the ponytail. think of this as the center section of a flower ~ it will act as focal point for the rest of the Cinnabun. separate the remaining hair into two parts, one to the left and one to the right of the center loop.

taking the left section first, loosely begin to wrap it around the loop. using a fine tooth comb, make sure the hair that’s being wrapped is smooth. as you begin to run out of hair to wrap, take a few bobby pins and secure the ends of the hair under and into the bun.

next, take the right section and loosely begin to wrap it in the opposite direction around the loop. again, lightly use a fine tooth comb to make sure the hair that’s being wrapped is smooth, pinning the ends under and into the bun.

take the fine tooth comb and go over any section of the bun that needs to be smoothed out; to finish the style, liberally apply a strong hold hairspray all over {Mario's favorite is MoroccanOil Luminous Hairspray}.

what do you think of this updo? will you try it??

2nd image courtesy of Salon Mario Russo

Natalie Portman's 'Black Swan' Premiere Looks

Natalie Portman's new movie "Black Swan" is getting a lot of buzz, and while it is likely i won't see the movie for months (getting to the theater is so hard these days), i'm loving the looks she rocked for two of the premieres-- one in Toronto, the other in NYC.

at the Toronto Independent Film Festival red carpet premiere, Natalie paired a smoky eye with a pretty pink lip. her hair was styled by Nexxus creative director Kevin Mancuso, who chose to create soft, feminine waves, a fabulous complement her black and white Jason Wu dress.

Kevin says,"...to bring out the natural, organic beauty of Natalie’s hair...i went for touchable texture and a feminine silhouette."



get the look at home by prepping with a volumizing shampoo and conditioner, followed by a curl enhancing mousse on damp hair (Nexxus Gorgeous Curls was used in this case). to style, dry hair with a diffuser, smoothing ends with a round brush, and transfer warm hair to large Velcro rollers. after the rollers have cooled, remove and tousle hair with fingers. curl hair around the face using a medium barrel curling iron and tousle again with fingers to release the curls and create more of a 'wave' effect.

to finish the hair, apply a dime-size amount of a taming lotion like, Nexxus Sleek Finish, to fingers and gently run over hair to help define and control waves then lightly mist hairspray for hold with movement.




at the new york premiere, Natalie's hair was again styled in full waves, but this time looked like a classic Hollywood starlet, complete with a perfect deep red lip, lush lashes and black Dior off the shoulder dress.

her hair look was created by stylist John D. he says of the look:"it was beautiful, and helped balance the total look, especially since the bottom of the dress was so full. he says, "i started with argan oil-infused Moroccanoil Hydrating Styling Cream then blow dried the hair smooth using a round brush to give it 'oomph' at the root.



since Natalie has naturally curly hair, it needs extra moisture to look its best. so, John used Moroccanoil Hydrating Styling Cream for its soft hold benefits, but also because it helps protect hair, moisturizes, smooths the cuticle and is perfect for getting rid of any frizz and static.

John says, "i then used a 1" curling iron, and starting at the back of her head, i curled round sections all over her head to set the volume in. i finished her hair with Moroccanoil Luminous Hairspray to give it extra hold that looked soft. it was raining in new york tonight and i wanted to make absolutely sure the body stayed. after her hair cooled, i used one of my tricks: i sprayed a paddle brush with hairspray and used it to separate and loosen the hair. this also tames the curls at the same time. i completed the look with a touch (more) of hairspray to give it extra hold. i find that i can brush through the hair several times and it gives no residue. it looks naturally shiny and still moves. i gave used a light mist of Moroccanoil Glimmer Shine Spray to finish.”

Natalie looked great at both events! which look do you prefer?

xoimages: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images North America, Michael Loccisano/Getty Images North America and Photo Agency

hair therapy: Moroccanoil Masque for Hair

i love a good hair treatment, and since i'm growing my hair out, i know that pampering it while it does will keep it healthy. Moroccanoil Masque for Hair has become one of my favorite treatments since being introduced to it a few weeks ago.

this amazing hair treatment contains the latest "it" ingredient, argan oil, and it is fabulous! the oil comes from the nut of a tree that only grows in morocco, and has been used by women there for centuries. i'm so happy someone discovered it and brought the secret to the masses, so we can enjoy it too!

after using this masque, i find that my hair is super shiny and oh-so soft-- everything i expect to see and feel after using a deep conditioning treatment! the directions recommend leaving it on for 5-10 minutes, but when i want a fabulous treat, i apply it to my hair and leave it on for 20...wow!

this is definitely worth the investment! since it is so conditioning, you may find you only use it a couple of times a month to keep your hair in good condition. and since it comes in a pretty good size tub, it will last a long time. of course, it may not last as long if you end up like me and become addicted, using it every week!

find Moraccanoil Masque for Hair at beautychoice.com

xo