I'm so psyched with this look because if I blow dry my hair the night before, this hairstyle only takes about three minutes to create. If I'm ever in a time crunch, I know I'll be trying this look again. And again. And again.
Step 1: For this look to work, I need plenty of volume at my crown, says O'Neil. So I start by backcombing the top of my hair with a teasing comb. Then I (very gently) use a boar bristle brush to smooth over the top layer of my hair.
Step 2: I comb my hair into a half updo with my fingers and hold it in my hand. Then I twist my hair to the right until it feels nice and tight. I push it up slightly to create volume, and secure it in place by criss-crossing two bobby pins at the base.
Step 3: I brush my bangs to the side for a romantic touch, and mist the finished look with a flexible-hold hairspray.
Photo 6/8
Day 5: Sleep (and snooze button) overdose
I have absolutely no time this morning (damn snooze button), so I come up with this look on the fly. I don't normally slick my hair back, but with the amount of time I save, this might actually become my new go-to hairstyle.
Step 1: According to Dunton, "sleek buns are easiest to get on wet hair." Since I don't have enough time to shower, I just wet my hair and use a towel to blot out some of the water. Then, I create a deep side part using the tail end of a comb.
Step 2: I apply a generous dollop of styling gel to my hair, and use a comb to distribute it from root to ends. While it is still damp, I brush all of my hair into a low ponytail, and tie it with an elastic.
Step 3: Starting at the elastic, I twist the ponytail all the way to the ends, and wrap the twist around the base to create a tight bun. I tuck the ends under and slide bobby pins into the bun at different points all around until I'm sure it won't fall down at my desk.
Photo 7/8
Day 6: Going out with a bang
Finally, the grind of the workweek is over and the weekend is here. I have a party to go to tonight so I want to do something special. So I invite a friend -- OK, a hairstylist friend -- to come over and help me create this look, which I found while scanning some runway pics. Cheating? Maybe a little. But I think I'll be able to pull this off on my own again. Here's how we do it.
Step 1: I follow this trick from hairstylist Natasha Sunshine-Antonioni to get a bump-free side pony: Wet your hair and lean your head to one side. Then brush all of your hair into a ponytail while keeping your head angled, and secure it tightly with an elastic.
Step 2: Next, I split my ponytail into two sections. My friend helps me twist the two sections in opposite directions (one to the left, and the other to the right).
Step 3: She then takes both twists and twists those together. I bring the whole twist over my head towards my other ear, and secure the ends with bobby pins.
Step 3: I finish by misting all over with a strong-hold hairspray (one to try: Pureology Colour Stylist Strengthening Control Hairspray, $19).
Photo 8/8
Day 7: Faux sho'
Am I getting the hang of this or what? As you can tell, I'm starting to get a little cocky in my hairstyling ability at this point, so I decide to try a look I've seen on countless celebs (Leighton Meester, Rosario Dawson, and Taylor Swift are big fans): the faux bob. Luckily, I recently had layers cut into my naturally curly hair so I'm a shoe-in for this look.
Step 1: I start by grabbing a handful of bobby pins and some hairspray.
Step 2: Then I pick up small sections of hair and pin them at mid-hair length underneath my top layer of hair. I repeat this all over my head until my hair is just under my chin and even all the way around.
Step 3: To get my bangs out of the way, I put them up in a roll and secure with a bobby pin.
Step 4: I finish by misting all over with a strong-hold hairspray.
So my dare has come to an end, and honestly, I loved every minute of it. I learned that it's OK to take risks -- in fact, it's better than OK -- because it almost always results in tons of compliments (and who doesn't love those?).
It's amazing that a tiny button can have such a profound impact on your life.
Don't press it and you get extra time to eat your Kellogg's and blow dry your hair. Press it and you get 15 minutes' worth of semi-tortured sleep and have to run out of the house with hair that's still wet.
Of course, we are talking about the almighty Snooze Button -- the temptress keeping your head on the pillow and your hairstyles uninspired.
We don't know about you, but we're sick of having to sacrifice some winks for a decent 'do. We are women of the millennium after all, multi-taskers of the century. We have babies and bring home the bacon. Surely we can master some go-to gorgeous hairstyles that don't take all morning to pull off, right?
Well, we put one woman to the test to find out. We asked the hairstylists at Byu-Ti Salon in Santa Monica, Calif., to teach her how to transform her self-proclaimed "boring" hair quickly. Then we challenged her to recreate a new look every morning for a week. The catch? She was given no more than ten minutes a day to create seven unique and inspiring hairstyles.
Read her story, learn how to do the looks yourself, and go ahead and press that snooze button, baby -- you earned it.
