Editor's Note: The products mentioned in this article have been provided by Pantene, The Zoe Line and L'Oreal.
Celebrity hairstylist Tippi Shorter provided us with details on how to create a flirty holiday bun:
“Here’s a quick, festive style for a night out. Play around with the look and see what works best for you. You can always try a deep side part, or pull hair straight back for more lift on top. You can also leave strands flowing in front for a more feminine, romantic touch. Have fun with this look, and happy holidays!”
We're actually feeling this braided bun that Ashanti sported earlier this year at the BET Inauguration Ball. A dramatic high bun crowned with a sleek braid automatically takes you to "it" girl status!
Start your style with clean hair, blow dry with a paddle brush. Believe it or not, but we actually prefer Pantene Pro-V Nature Fusion Moisture Balance Shampoo and Conditioner over the Relaxed and Natural line.
Another Pantene product that you might want to try (we do!) is Pantene Beautiful Lengths Conditioner. Marie Claire voted it as one of the best beauty buys of all time.
Once hair is dry, separate into two sections front and back from ear to ear. We've gotten into the habit of using a wide tooth comb for all of our styling needs. Our favorite wide tooth comb is the Goody Ouchless Detangling Comb.
Clip the front out of the way and secure the back into a low ponytail. Unclip, and use a 1-inch curling iron to curl the top section of hair. This would a be a perfect time to try a hair fastener from Goody's Luminatica like the Briana Ponytailer. However, we have our favorite: the Camellia Ponytailer. Not only have we constructed effortless, elegant updos with it but it has served as a stylish alternative to safety pins for our toga!
Add a little serum like Pantene Pro-V Style Always Smooth Anti-Frizz Serum to your hands and run fingers through hair to separate the curls and add shine definition. Another serum you have to try? Zoe Fortifying Shine Serum from The Zoe Line. Described as "truly unique," this serum has three essential oils: shea oil, macadamia nut oil, and natural tamanu oil. It protects and conditions hair and skin from the harmful effects of the environment while producing an incredible, oil-free shine.
Gently pull the hair back toward the ponytail and secure with hairpins. Again, we turn to Goody: Ouchless Bobby Pins in Black or Brown. Wrap the hair under the ponytail to create a bun full of voluminous curls.
Finish with a light hold hairspray to hold the style and seal frizz. We recommend that you turn to a L'Oreal classic - the L'Oreal Professionnel Texture Expert Infinium 3 Hairspray. If you haven't used this hairspray before, get ready to have some fun! It holds your style until you decide to rework it without flakes or leaving the hair rigid.
Editor's note: Since Pantene haven't officially revealed Sanaa Lathan's new ads for the Nature Fusion Line, I have taken the liberty of snapping the above picture with my beloved iPhone. Not the best picture obviously, but it will have to do until I can scan the
Revealed in the beauty news section of the February issue of Essence Magazine, Sanaa Lathan is the face of Pantene's Nature Fusion line! I am personally excited because I was so over the Relaxed and Nature collection but actually fell in love with the Nature Fusion collection a couple of years ago. [...]
