Braids and chignon

My younger brother is registering his marriage next month and my future sister-in-law has asked my little sis to help her with the makeup and hairstyling. Being the usual midnight owl and having mid-length hair, I was naturally my sister's preferred subject to practise hairstyling on.

My little sis does not have formal training in bridal hairstyling and she learnt all those skills simply from watching YouTube videos or reading up instructions on the Internet. Last week she tried doing a chignon with braids and the photos are as follow:

My little sister trying the same hairstyle for the second time. It was quite messy the first time but she got better at it.

The back view of the hair after she was finished with it.

From the side

Adding a simple tiara is a nice touch, and I like how nicely the tiara sits on the hair.

I cut a section of the beaded lace I bought at Spotlight ($14.99/m), and used it as a hairpiece, instead of the tiara:

If vintage is more your style, place a lace hairpiece on the side. Having some pearls sewn to the lace will give it a more elegant touch. I was feeling lazy, so I just used a really thin plastic hairband and tucked both ends of the lace under the hairband.

Top view of the lace hair piece.

We had a lot of fun exploring the different looks. There were also a few learning points while we were trying out the chignon/braid hairstyle. As much as braids add very nice details to an otherwise plain hairstyle, it can be rather tricky. I ended up with a lot of "bald spots" because the hair were not properly parted and my sister tied the braids too tightly:

Look at that bald patch! I certainly hope that I am not balding! If my sister had taken bits of hair and add it on to the braid as she worked on it instead of just randomly grabbing a bunch of hair and start braiding away, that bald patch would be at least minimised. Loose braids would help too.

I used the same piece of lace and placed it near my collarbone. It will work very well as a choker too. This is one of the DIY projects I have on my list. I ordered some faux pearls and coral beads online and they arrived just before I left for Jo'burg. I will be working on the lace chocker once I find time.

Interesting floral-inspired updo

While I was going through the internet looking at the images of wedding hairstyles, I came across two very interesting updos:

The flower looks very "Chanel". It will be a pity to cover over it with the veil. 

This "Chanel" flower hairdo does not look too difficult. From what I observe, it is simply twisting the pleat in an inwards twirl and securing it with a simple pin at the heart of the flower. I shall ask my little sister, who is currently training to be a makeup specialist to try doing this hairstyle someday.

It looks like a blossoming tea rose. Very romantic and soft look, minimising the need for accessorising.

As for this hairstyle, it will be more challenging for my sister to try out. I shall catch her at a free time and see what she thinks of it. Hopefully she will rise to the challenge, and hopefully I will not lose too much hair in the attempt. >___<

Both updos will be perfect for the evening, during the wedding banquet. It will look stunning with an evening gown.

A side comb fringe like this will add a touch of old-world glamour to the whole look:

This type of fringe gives the updo a timeless and elegant look. I think this hairstyle will look absolutely ravishing on Asian women. A simple pair of sparkling shoulder duster, well-shaped eyebrows, a subtle sheen of eyeshadow and defined red lips will complete the look.

This type of side fringe will work better with the second updo that looks like a tea rose. It creates a very romantic yet relaxed look. Perfect for a garden wedding.

I bought a pair of shoulder dusters (SGD9.50) which I think will go very well with this hairstyle or with a richly-coloured evening gowns:

Unlike some costume jewellery that only looks good on wedding or evening gowns,  this pair of shoulder dusters can still be worn for a nice evening out, with a LBD or a well-cut structured dress and simple heels.

Bouffant, Chignon, Bohemian, and we do the twist...

I was just telling my friend how befuddled I was when I saw my female colleagues or friends getting all stressed up and tired over their wedding. Wedding should not be as such, it is after all a happy occasion, no? Or maybe I am just very fortunate that I do not have to live up to any loved ones' expectations of a perfect wedding.

However, now that I am in my friends' shoes, I can kind of see how it can be overwhelming, planning and preparing for a wedding. There are sol many details to look into in so many different areas.  Take hair for example, it is a small element but not negligible. I went through the internet and I was blown away by the so many diverse types of wedding hairstyles. Practically spoilt for choice but too many choices is not a good thing.

One of the essential things to consider when choosing a hairstyle is the basic features of a person's face. If it is round, oval or heart-shaped, high forehead, stick-out ears, etc. The correct hair style can soften or accentuate features, hide flaws and communicate a person's style... Thereafter, there are more things to consider:

- Hair colour and hair length

- Hair accessories: hair combs, tiaras, lace, flowers, etc

- Types of style: chic, unconventional, romantic, bohemian, rock chic, country, sophisticated, etc.

I realized that knowing my own personal style is a plus point because it will help me to know better what I want. When I went online to search through images on wedding hairstyles, certain images just called out to me.

Bouffant and chignon style are definitely not me; I was never a glamorous or "princess-y" kind of person. I do love long hair and loose curls though, it speaks to the inner child in me - fun, carefree and happy, with a defiant disregard for formality. In the Disney world of princesses, I would probably be Pocahontas.

I will go for soft, romantic curls with flowers in my hair, loose pleats - very bohemian style. This is my favourite hairstyle so far:

I like how relaxed and beautiful the hair looks, and how the flowers looks delicate and effortlessly natural with the hair. However, the flowers might look very striking with my black hair, therefore the flowers must not be too big or stand alone.

The following hairstyles are quite nice and they caught my eyes too:

This hairstyle is very Rapunzel and I like the way it can be pushed to the side to look like a very loose pleat.  I might not have the flowers sparsely spread out like the photo because it might look very stark and odd against dark coloured hair.

A variation on the Rapunzel hairstyle, but the basic style remains: long loose curls.

A simple but beautiful hairstyle, very child-like. Perfect with a simple wedding dress.

As much as I love the long, flowing hairstyles, hair that is too long and not styled well can make a person look tired or "tied-down", perhaps even shorter, much like the way horizontal stripes work. That would be something that I would sincerely love to avoid. With all 1.58m of me, I cannot afford to look any shorter.

Moving on, this style is very gypsy/bohemian but I kind of like it. Just not too sure if I can pull off such a look:

Maybe not for the actual wedding day, but this is one look that I might consider for my wedding photo shoot. I think it will go wonderfully with a long flowing dress that looks like the foaming sea waves, a glimpse at the rarely-exhibited, theatrical and dramatic side of me.

I love this look too, just not too sure if I can pull it off.

I know I mentioned earlier that bouffant is not for me, but somehow, the following bouffant style appeals to me. I might consider this if I need to do up my hair in order to wear a veil:

I love the overall look where the hair does not look so neat that I am afraid to have one single strand of hair out of place, but yet sweet and not too pompous. Since my wedding theme is butterflies, I might clip a pair of small butterfly pins at the top of the chignon where the veil will be pinned to.

While looking at the pictures online, I found certain things that I do not like about certain hairstyles and made notes not to repeat the very same things:

The arrangement of hair accessories are too "orderly" and seem unnatural. As a personal preference, I prefer things to look more "organic"; it is more pleasing and easy on the eyes.

Big flowers or hair accessories on their own are too striking and can look out of place on dark coloured hair. 

At the end of the day, there is no one perfect hairstyle. It all boils down to personal preference, knowing yourself well and and letting your true self shine through. While some people have big personalities and big hair that goes very well, or a sophisticated polish that makes bouffant look timeless and elegant, I am happy looking like a flower nymph. Not the kind that flit around the flowers naked (thank you very much), but the kind with flowers in their hair, sprightly, carefree and childlike.