by Alisa Gafur

What's the best hair style to go with your holiday look?  Well, we here at Musk have a few favorites, but we just gush over done up hair-slick, messy or braided, up do's are the way to go. Our fav updo? The bun of course-simple, classic and always chic.  

Variations on your favorite hair bun:

For the slick bun that you see on the runways, you really need to start with a good foundation and a good ending.  You need to prepare your hair so it will be easy to work with.  We found that our favorite products are from Shu Uemura's Art of Hair  lines (which are the products that were used in our shoot this month).  We particularly like Shu Uemura's Depsea Smoothing Foundation ($30.00US/40.00CDN). It is perfect for smoothing and taming frizz, as well as detangles and makes your hair much easier to work with.  To finish, you really need to hold things in place with a good, lightweight finishing spray.  Our suggestion is Shu Uemura's Sheer Lacquer ($30.00US/33.00CDN).  It is a very fine finishing spray, that gives a weightless, lasting hold to secure ANY style,  It also gives the most beautiful shiny, finish to your hair.  With that in mind, follow the following steps:

1)With your slightly dampened hair (not just out of the shower), work some of Shu Uemura's Depsea Smoothing Foundation through your hair.

2)Comb through your hair with a wide tooth comb to smooth your hair out.

3)Make a low pony tail by gathering your hair neatly and secure with a good hair band (we like to use an elastic from Bumble and Bumbles Bandball ($20.00 US), the perfect non tangling elastic).

4)Twist the hair in the ponytail (in a clockwise fashion, like your screwing a cap), until all the hair is twisted from the base of the ponytail until the end.

5)Wrap the twisted hair around the base of the ponytail in a clockwise pattern.

6)Look for any pieces of flyaway hair and secure them down with bobby pins.

7)Then spray your hair with  Shu Uemura's Sheer Lacquer.  This will hold your hair in place and give it the perfect shine.

Want some variations on your bun?  Then try wearing your bun higher (on the crown of your head) or to one side.  If you're feeling retro, try a double bun (like the one Princess Leia wore in Star Wars), or do lots of mini buns throughout your hair.  Too neat? 

Then go for a messier bun, by dividing your pony tail up into 3 different sections, twisting them, then pinning them to the base of the ponytail again.  Tease a bit of your loose hairs for that sexy, messy look. 

For even more texture, why not add some braids to your bun, by separating out sections before you make your ponytail, braiding them, then working them into the base of the bun.  For a really stunning look, make a bun with the hair on the back of your head, then pin in place.  Divide up your remaining hair up into 4 sections (one for each quadrant), braid them then place them around the bun. Pin them all into place, and spray Shu Uemura's Sheer Lacquer, then your all done, holiday glamour in 10 minutes!

Some tips on braiding hair:

-it all starts with healthy hair, so make sure you take care of it and trim your hair regularly

-the key in perfect looking braids is the symmetry of them, so make sure your hair is divided into even sections

-make sure you use an even amount of tension, as you twist and pull your hair

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