How To: Soft Romantic Waves for Spring

With Spring in the air for most of the Australian southern cities, it's time to look at let your hair down and get ready for the warmer weather and there no easier way to do that than by adding some waves into your look.

The loose wave is quick and easy to do and is soft, wispy and romantic - perfect for the longer days as well as evenings for a bit of socialisation with friends. This looks works best with hair just past the shoulders as those loose curls will just fall softly around the face to delicately frame it.

Today I have expert tips from Wella Styling Ambassador Travis Balcke to walk us through how to achieve the look in next to no time.

1. Start with freshly shampooed and conditioned towel dried hair haired. If you are like me and have coloured your hair, make sure to use a colour-saving product (try Wella Care's Brilliance Shampoo and conditioner or if you feel you need extra conditioning powers, up the treatment level with the Brillaince Mask). 
2. Apply a good amount of styling primer to prepare hair (use Wella Professional's Velvet Amplifer to coat and prime hair to give it more manageability and improve structure and hold during styling).  Then mist with Perfect Setting lotion at the roots to get hair more volume and shine. (If you don't have these products you can try working some light hold mousse through the roots of hair for similar results). 
3. Proceed to crank up the hair dryer and blast hair dry upside down- to give maximum volume at the roots. 
4. Take a 4cm section of hair from the top of head and using a hot roller, start to roll hair up in a brick pattern and secure hair to roller with a bobby pin. A brick pattern rolling technique is basically a technique used to roll or perm hair. Rather than straight rows, the sections are offset from the rods in the row above like how a brick layer would lay their bricks to minimise any gaps in hair and false lines and parties created for a more natural-looking wave pattern. 



visual of the off-setting rollers in the brick lay technique

5. Work your way down and roll the rest of the hair. Don't worry about being too perfect as the the curls will be brushed out later. 
6. When the rollers are cool, take the rollers out and brush with a wide bristled hairbrush to tease the hair into soft loose waves.  Spray some hairspray to set the style and if required and finish off with some shine serum. 

the finished look - large soft waves

Products used:

*Wella Care Brilliance Shampoo and Conditioner 200ml - RRP A$24 each
*Wella Care Brilliance Mask 150ml - RRP A$25
Wella Professional Velvet Amplifier Styling Primer 50ml - RRP A$24
Wella Professional Perfect Setting Lotion 150ml - RRP A$24
Wella SP Exquisite Gloss Shine Concentrate 40ml - RRP A$37.00
Hot rollers
Bobby pins
Round bristle brush

What hair looks do you feel like rocking this spring season?

Wella Care and Professional products are available at selected salons nationally. Call 1300 885 002 for your nearest stocklist.

Products marked * were provided for consideration.

How to: Get it on with the Side-Part Pony Tail

Winter's windy and cold weather outdoors and heated dry conditions indoor not only wreak havoc on skin but is also very damaging to hair.

And if you find that your hair's looking shabby (as mine currently does) and you don’t have time for a cut, then the current trend of a sleek pony tail will give your hairstyle a new lease in life as you can easily hide the messy hair.

Other than using a great hydrating shampoo and conditioner, you will also need to up the anti on your styling products to keep your hairstyle looking in tip-top condition in the colder months. 

My current product of choice is the Wella SP Elegant shape Body Mousse 300ml - RRP A$33.50 as it adds a flexible hold to hair, gives it a bit more structure and adds body and volume to the roots of hair.

Applied to towel dried hair and you not only have something to work with on your hair, you're also giving your hair some heat protection from hairdrying and also has UV filters to protect again from sun rays.

Now back to the pony tail style -  it's easy to achieve and looks great on anyone any age, it’s elegant, classy, chic, seductive, hide bad hair and was all over the run way at the Marc Jacobs Fall Winter 2011/12 show.

Nars for Marc Jacob NYFW 2011

For a something a little different though, try the sleek side parted pony tail which Lucy Liu sported when she stepped out for the NYC Kong Fu Panda 2 premiere last month. The side part works as it's more wearable and helps to diffuse attention away from an uneven hair line.

image credit: John P Iblis/jpistudios.com

To get the look:
Start with straight dried hair and create a strong side part with a comb and then brush hair down. If you have curly hair, you might want to use an anti frizz serum like before hand to smooth the hair down first.

Brush hair back towards the back of the head and make sure to brush out any bumps on the side. Depending on how high your front hair line is (the higher your hairline, the lower your pony tail should sit to balance it out at the back), fasten hair with a hair tie and then smooth down flyaway bits with hair spray.

Smooth some Gloss Shine Concentrate at the ends of the ponytail to make your hair shiny and prevent frizz during the day/night

Products used:
Wella SP Perfect Hold hairspray 300ml - RRP A$33.50  
Wella SP Exquisite Gloss Shine Concentrate 40ml - RRP A$37.00  
Medium tooth comb and round paddle hair brush

What other styles do you use to hide bad hair days?

Additional image credits: Google images
Wella SP products were provided for consideration. 

Wella SP Hair Care: Color Save Shampoo and Conditioner & Hydrate Mask

You probably already know that coloured hair needs a lot more TLC than normal hair. And with my recent hair colouring as well as permanent straightening back in January, my hair is just crying out for lots of TLC.

To address this I've enlisted the help of some products from the Wella System Professional range to incorporate into my hair care regime.

Wella SP Color Save Shampoo - RRP A$32 

• This stuff smells amazing! Honestly, one of the best fruity/floral fragranced hair products I’ve used lately. 
• This is very gentle and gives a soft lather to ensure it isn't stripping too much colour from your hair. My colour is still looking fresh 4 weeks on. 
• Has colour saving ingredients like polyquaternium, d-panthenol, beeswax, UV filters and olive leaf extract to protect and enhance shine. 
• On its own, I felt it left my severely dehydrated thick hair under conditioned. My over processed hair was feeling very straw-like so this may not be suitable for those with very fine hair. An extra dose of the Color Save conditioner or better yet a hydrating masque massaged into hair left it feeling soft and silky again. 

Color Save Conditioner -RRP A$32 

• What more can I say other than thank goodness this stuff turns my straw-like hair into lush silky manes. 
• Has the same awesome scent as the shampoo and helps to maintain and protect hair colour with UV filters, olive extract and d-pantenol. 
• Smoother hair is noticeable as a result of use of the conditioner. I use this after every wash and followed by a hair mask once a week. 
• Hair feels light, clean and regains its volume after use of the shampoo and conditioner 

Hydrate Mask – RRP A$34 

• A must have for anyone with dry, overstyled or colour processed hair. 
• Hair masks are a dry hair’s best friend and this is no exception - it provides intense nourishment to parched hair like mine.
• Contains glycerine, d-panthenol, glucose and fructose to lock in moisture and prevent further split ends and damages to hair. 
• Pleasant smelling (like a fragranced soap), this thick cream doesn't add weight to hair so it won't kill off hair's natural volume (very important to me since my hair is now stick straight). 
• I use this on top of the conditioner for added silkiness and moisture but if you are time poor, you can forgo the conditioner and leave this into hair for 5 minutes before rinsing. 

My only lament is that I can’t find an all-in-one colour saving and hydrating range shampoo and conditioner, so I have to alternate between washes of the color save range and a rich repair range (review to come later) to keep my hair in top condition.

Wella SP products are available at selected hair salons across the country. 

What is your favourite shampoo and conditioner to protect against colour fading?
The above products were sent for consideration.

How To: Milan Fashion Week - Hair from Antonio Marras Show

I've been keeping my eyes on in the recent Autumn/Winter (A/W) '11 Fashion Shows held in New York and Milan and often find myself staring at the amazing makeup and hairstyles as much as I am at the amazing gowns that are gracing the catwalks. 

Apart from the bold colours and pale skin as the trend for makeup this upcoming season, it seems sleek and well sculpted hair that maintains its fluidity and delicate textures also feature heavily. 

Case in point: The "Clip Art" look created by Wella Global Creative Director Eugene Souleiman from the Milan's Antonio Marras show. 

I so love the multi-dimenional look of this 50s inspired style that is strong and angular when viewed from the front, yet soft and feminine when viewed from the back.  

The Makeup: 

Lips take centre stage here and it is the brighter the red, the better. Try Illamasqua Box or Elizabeth Arden Red Door Red. Remember to use a lip liner for more definition and ensure the colours stay inside the lips. 

Keep face fairly neutral with nude/naked colours on lips and cheeks. Think naked palette colours of soft browns and light shades that complement your complexion. One coat of mascara is more than enough here. Blush is kept to minimum or if you dare, forgo it all together. 

The Hair - how to:

1. Apply Wella Professionals Sleek Wonder (straightening balm) on freshly washed hair and blow dry hair straight with a round soft bristled brush. 
2. Create a side parting then take large front section from the short side parting (right side on the model), give it a spray of Wella Professionals High Hair Crystal Styler for a sleek shiny finish then lift the entire section, pull up tight and give it a tight lift by pulling the hair in upward direction with a round brush while heating it with a blow dryer. 
3. Then spray this section of hair with some Wella Professional High Hair Finishing Spray and back-comb the roots of hair with a fine tooth comb for some texture and volume.
4. Wind the hair around a chopstick or stick to create a tight roll before sliding out the stick and clipping the hair in place on the side with some bobby pins. 
5. On the other side of the parting, brush the hair flat and square against the heard and back behind the ear. Use a large contrasting colour hair clip to hold hair flatly in plate. 
6. For the back, pull hair into a side low ponytail then twist, while pulling towards the nape of the neck at the same time to get it tightened around the around the base of the head. When the complete section of the hair is twisted, pin the hair in place using a bobby pin inserted horizontally and another vertically to form a cross to secure it. 

You dont' have to be too precise with the ponytail twists as flyaways and loose hair form part of the wispy soft look. 

Eugene back-combing the curled side part

Products used: 

• Wella Professionals High Hair Sleek Wonder RRP A$23.50
• Wella Professionals High Hair Crystal Styler RRP A$23.50
• Wella Professionals High Hair Finishing Spray RRP A$23.50

Available at Wella salons nationally.

What do you think of this look? Love it or leave it?

Going Blonde with Wella Professionals

I've always wanted to go for a change in hair colour just as I would for my makeup or lipstick when the seasons change but I was never quite sure what colour I wanted to change to and I was also afraid of the additional damage I'd be subjecting my hair to (I already get my hair straightened so it's more manageable in mornings)

When I recently had the opportunity to have leading Melbourne Wella Creative Director Marie Uva, 4 time finalist of the prestigious Hair Expo Awards and Creative Director at Rokk Ebony South Yarra transform my hair, I thought it was time to ditch that fear.

Rokk Ebony South Yarra

The stylists at work

Despite the resolve, I was still nervous on the day about my hair colour transformation as I still wasnt' sure what shade I want to end up being. 

Thankfully, the minute I walked into the swanky establishment that was Rokk Ebony on Toorak road, South Yarra. I was immediately put at ease with a cookie and a cup of tea (talk about service here), abundant magazine offerings and the ambient environment of the salon - the place is amazingly beautiful with its high ceilings and modern, streamline decor and importantly, well equipped styling areas. 

See how sleek and chic this place is?

I was even more comforted when I looked over at the window sills which were literally covered with a multitude of awards and trophies won by the talented creative stylists throughout the past few years.

After a few minutes wait, I met my amazing stylist, Marie who has styled many celebrity hairs and have had her creations featured in magazine spreads as well as making guest appearances on TV show The Circle, for styling tips and advice for the latest looks. 

One of Marie's creation for the 2010 Hair Expo competition

The photo above is one of her styling creation for last years Hair Expo Check out her work last year and you can see more here.

We went through what colour I wanted to achieve and what shades would complement my complexion best. She mentioned that for it is better to do 2 sessions of bleaching to lift the colour out for dark hair like mine than to try and bleach it to blond in a single go to mimimise damage done to hair (as well as achieve more accurate colours). In the end we settled on blond foils on top of my crowns with a warm chocolate base to soften the contrast.

With that decided, marie went on to work her magic. This took quite a bit of time as I have a lot of hair and the foiling technique that Marie did was time consuming to achieve the look of diffused highlights. All up my colouring session took just over 2 hours for application and colour development and another 30mins for rinsing and toner application to add depth and remove harsh brassy tones from the bleaching. 

Marie working on the foils - check the trophies in background by windows

My hair was then dried up, styled and given a trim. So what do you think of the results? 

Before Wella hair colouring/cut and after

With Marie after the colour

I'm loving the super subtle blond highlights is amazing diffused throughout my head.

Many thanks to Marie and Natalia, Marie's assistant that day for my amazing hair transformation and for the lovely Wella girls for organising this styling session for me. 

If you're thinking of transforming your hair colour or looking for a change in style, visit Marie at Rokk Ebony South Yarra and you will walk out with amazingly transformed hair.

Marie will once again be entering this year's hair expo competition. Good luck Marie - those style creations I had a sneak peek of are amazing!