Cup of Thoughts

Here is one of my holiday updos!  Dutch braids wrapped loosely around her bottom and a cute volumized middle parting, finished off with a delicate little bow on top! ♡Anna         

I got the privilege to do some dance hairstyles! For the first style, we chose to do an updo with a side braid sweeping back towards the bun. To keep it balanced, I added a small twisted braid on the opposite side.  The last style was simply curly. ♡Anna

Dutch braids are the opposite of a french braid. Instead of taking the strands over, like you would normally do in a french braid, you take the strands under the middle strand as you braid. It's hard to explain, but there are countless Youtube videos to help! And of course the best thing you can do is practice.     Here you can see I gathered the pigtails together into a bun at the base of her neck. Which ended up really elegant looking. Hope you liked the hairstyle! ♡ Anna

The fishtail is classic for looking like a mermaid braid. The bubble fishtail braid looks even more like something from under water! When doing the normal fishtail braid you simply take a section of hair and divide it into two. Giving parts of each section repeatedly creates the traditional fishtail braid. However, to do the bubble fishtail braid you'll stop after 6 or 7 "trade-offs" and end it with an elastic to divide the braid and make it look like bubbles!  Here are the tools I used to create this look: ♡Anna

This updo is possibly my most favorite. Super easy and simple to do. Gives a touch of elegance and fun.  How I did it All right, so what you're going to do first is section the pieces framing the face away from the rest of the hair. Then section another area starting 4 inches from the nape of the neck, (this is going to be your base). The crown will be put in an elastic after being volumized (teased). Braid your base section with a braid of your choice, I chose to do a dutch braid. Wrap the braid and the strands coming from your elastic into a bun by twirling it in circles and then pinning it into place with bobby pins. Determine what your desired look will be and style the pieces framing the face by draping them towards the back and pinning them. I chose to do a simple rope braid for this look and left out a few little strands to curl.  What I used ♡Anna

One of the things I love most is trying out new trends and expanding my knowledge of braids. I came across several different looks with this iconic 'infinity braid' and I was eager to try it! Here's the video that helped me the most.   You can either complete the braid by doing a simple pony at the nape of your neck or finish it with a braid of your choice. I decided to blend it in by using a fishtail technique.  Hope you like it! ♡ Anna

As you can see this hairstyle expresses quite a bit of volume, as well as curls. Not only is this updo elegant and voluminous, it has an essence of historical beauty. If I'm not braiding or reading, you'll most likely find me watching BBC adaptions of Jane Austen's classics, such as  Pride & Prejudice ,  Sense & Sensibility , and my personal favorite,  Emma . The character that is portrayed in the miniseries is by far the perfect portrait of who I imagined Emma to look like. Especially the hair. Her effortless curls and perfect updos are some of the most beautiful looks. This weekend I attempted to recreate one of them. To achieve this 'Emma' hairstyle you will want, to begin with freshly washed and blown-dry hair. If you already have two-day texture, it should work fine. Although, you might wish to add some dry shampoo to increase the level of volume. I used my NuMe 32mm curling wand  for these slight curly/waves. ...

Floating in the pool all day gives a perfectly good excuse to braid hair. Not only do you get the wavy texture later, but also the adorable fishtail! My friend let me practice on her beautiful hair — which reminds me of the Disney princess, Ariel — so obviously I had to give her the fish look. ♡ Anna