The Savvy Girl's Guide To A Fishtail Braid

The hottest hairstyle for this summer is the fishtail braid, as seen on numerous stars, runways and magazines. The fishtail braid is a more complex take on the regular braid that we all wore to mask those school day hair blues. It may seem daunting to try out at first, but according to blogger Akanksha Chawla from Fictitious Fashion, it's as easy as pie. After seeing Akanksha wear a fishtail braid on her blog, I asked her to do a guest post on how to recreate the look. She's written a step-by-step guide, along with corresponding photographs - which makes this hairstyle easy enough for anyone to achieve.

How to Create a Fishtail Braid

In the Words of Akanksha:



A Warm Welcome to Everyone. I wanted to share my favourite hairstyle, the fishtail braid.



Step 1. If you’re doing it yourself then I’d suggest making a side braid or one at the back. Tie up all of your hair to the side with the help of any rubber band.



Step 2. Divide your hair into two sections. Hold each piece separately.



Step 3. This step is very important - Take a thin bunch of hair (see picture) from the end of one of the divided sections.



Step 4. Take the thin bunch over to the other half of the hair, making a cross. Hold it tightly.



Step 5. Now, take a thin bunch of hair from the second half of your hair.

Step 6. Take this second thin bunch over to the first half of hair, making a cross.  (This is the equivalent of pulling smaller strands from outside the larger sections, and drawing them into the center).



Step 7. You should get your first Fishtail.



Step 8. Repeat steps 3-6 until you get to the the end of your hair. Secure with a  hairband.



Akanksha's Tips:

*You could spray gel onto your hair for a solid and sophisticated look.

*My hair is a little silky and cut in layers so you would see tiny hair hopping around. Not to worry, long hair wouldn't have an issue.

*Remember to make this hairstyle your own by adding beads, colourful rubber bands, tic-tacs, etc.



Feel free to ask her any questions on http://fictitious-fashion.blogspot.com/

Special thanks to the very sweet Akanksha for sharing this tutorial and tips with us.

Celeb Inspired Looks

Now that you have learnt to do the simple side swept fishtail braid, you can move on to more intricate braided styles, as shown off by these celebrities.

Top Row

Kim Kardashian lets a few strands hang loose from her braid and wears a side-swept fringe.

Wear a blunt fringe and tie a ribbon around your elastic hairband like Bella Thorne.

Hilary Duff used thin strips of black leather to style her fishtail braid.

Ashley Tisdale added some volume to her look by teasing the front of her hair.

Center-part your hair, make two separate French braids then pin them up like Sarah Michelle Gellar.



Bottom Row

Blake Lively's version of an unkempt fishtail braid. She added a pretty gold hair brooch.

Amanda Bynes used her smaller braid as an Alice band, with the rest of her hair loose.

Nicole Richie plaited her hair in two sections from the roots.

Try a high ponytail braid like Diane Kruger.

Mary Kate Olsen combines tousled waves with her fishtail braid.



I hope that this post will inspire you to create your own fishtail braid.

Happy Styling from Akanksha & I!

Make Your Own Lace Necklace

The Savvy Girls Guide 

To Making Your Own Necklace

I am one of the least crafty people you can find, so when I wanted to do a DIY accessory post, I knew I had to get the expertise and advice of the creative and kind Nadia van der Mescht from Cupcake Couture. Nadia is a South African based arts and crafts designer, specializing in exclusive wedding accessories, exquisite vintage-inspired corsages and stationery. She creates one of a kind pieces according to your personal taste and wedding day theme. Here Nadia shows us how easy it is to make a beautiful and trendy lace necklace. 

Step 1 & 2

Step 1:

Gather what you will need:

A piece of lace – you can find some at a haberdashery or even search for a vintage piece in your grannies sewing box.

Pliers

A small, sharp pair of scissors

Small jump rings:  available from most craft or bead shops

Chain: 

Lobster clasp

Step 2

Put the jump rings onto the ends of the chain using the pliers.

Step 3 & 4

Step 3Make a small hole in the lace.  Make it slightly away from the edge so that the jump ring doesn’t rip through.

Step 4

Thread the jump ring with the chain attached through the lace.  Do the same on both sides.

 Step 4 & 5

Step 5

Pull the chain to a peak at the centre this will allow you to find the middle easily.  Bend open a link and add the lobster clasp and jump ring.

Step 6:

This shows how it should look once done.

And Voila!

All done! An easy DIY with a pretty result

Special thanks to Nadia for her lending her time and skills to this guest post. I hope it will inspire you to create your own unique neckpiece.

The Savvy Girls Guide To Purple Shaded Eyes

I noticed the gorgeous Katerina Graham wearing bright purple eyeshadow at the Teen Choice Awards earlier this month. It's a very bold look, definitely not one for shrinking violets. But Kat carried it off beautifully. The striking violet colour complimented her green eyes. She wisely kept the rest of her make-up very subtle, with dusky rose blush and nude lips.

Recreating this look can be quite tricky; you don't want people to stare at you and wonder if you've done your makeup in the dark. 

Choose a matt eye shadow for daywear and a shimmery one for night time. Try a pale lavender to start, if you like the effect, you can experiment with darker shades like plum or mauve. 

Here are some tips on how to keep it classy and pull it off as well as Kat.

Get The Look

1. Use an eye primer or concealer to hide any dark circles under the eyes & brighten up lids.

2. Sweep a light lilac shade over your entire lid, stopping just under the brow bone.

3. Layer with a darker shade of purple, starting at the outer corner of your eye, blending inwards to the middle.

4. Add a shimmer or highlighter to the inner corners of your eyelid. Gold or silver works well. 

5. For more definition, line eyes with a dark grey or black eye pencil.

6. To get Kat's complete look, use a purple eye pencil or the same shade of purple eye shadow to line your bottom eyelids. Alternatively, you can use a silver-grey liner. 

7. Finish off with a good coating of black mascara. 

8. Keep the rest of your make-up toned down with lightly blushed cheeks and clear lipgloss.

Nice To Try

Top Row

Kanebo Eyeshadow palette ES04. Four blendable shades including a shimmery aubergine and soft pink highlighter.

Stila eyeshadow duo in Orchid. Two complementary shades of purple.

Yves Saint Laurent Ombres 5 Lumiéres in Lilac Sky. Five harmonious colours in brighter and lighter highly pigmented purple shades.

Middle Row

Make Up Forever eyeshadow in Deep Plum. A matt texture with a satin finish and a hint of shimmer.

Maybelline Expertwear eyeshadow quad in Amethyst Smokes. A crease proof quad that instructs you where to place each colour.

The Body Shop Baked to Last eyeshadow in Amethyst. An iridescent indigo eyeshadow duo.

Last Row 

Dior 5 Colour Eyeshadow in Petal Shine. Pastel shades for a more subtle look.

Clinique Colour Surge eyeshadow quad in Plum Seduction. Pretty purple powder shadows that can be used separately or all together.

Lancomé Colour Design 5 Shadow & Liner Palette in Mauve Cherie. Long wearing shades to create a seamless, smokey look.

These eyeshadow palettes are available in department stores like Edgars or Stuttafords, and at Sephora, SAKS and Harrods overseas.





Celebrity Inspired Looks



These looks show that purple shaded eyes suit all skin tones, hair and eye colours. Notice that the rest of their make up is left soft and natural, with a dash of pale pink lip gloss.

Top Row

Rachel McAdams' orchid shaded eyelids work wonderfully with her blonde hair and blue-green eyes.

Redhead Emma Stone wears a shimmery lilac highlighter that extends up unto her eyebrows.

Keri Hilson's hazel eyes are brightened by a vivid violet colour.

Scarlett Johansson combined pink and purple to create a pretty and eye catching look.



Bottom Row

Emily Browning wears a smokey aubergine look that accentuates her green eyes.

Katy Perry, who is always one for the bold and unusual, mixed bright violet and lime.

Model Frida Gustavsson shows off dramatic purple smeared eyes at Jason Wu's Spring 2011 fashion show.

Eva Longoria bats her false lashes under a richly pigmented violet shade.





This is not a look for everyday, but instead for an occasion where you would really like to stand out. It's also projects a youthful, playful image. I have yet to find the courage to wear it out in society. What are your thoughts on this beauty trend? 

The Savvy Girls Guide to Side Swept Waves

Side Swept Waves

I was browsing for a formal hairstyle for this weekend, and the one that appealed to me the most was side swept waves. This 1940's Veronica Lake hairstyle exudes vintage glamour and elegance. It will work for medium to long hair and suits all face shapes. If you want to show off a pretty pair of earrings, this side styled look is a great option. It's young, yet formal but not too fussy. Just Perfect. These are my favourite side swept looks.

Top Row

Julianne Hough wears her long blonde locks to the side.

Camilla Belle styled her glossy dark tresses with picture perfect make-up.

Amy Adams channels old Hollywood glamour with her side swept red hair.



Bottom Row

Lea Michele wears this hairstyle beautifully with more defined curls.

Ashley Greene added some volume to her look.

Taylor Swift wore an asymmetrical fringe with her cascading waves.





How to get Side Swept Waves



1. Shampoo and condition your hair as normal.

2. Use a protective styling product that won't weight your hair down.

3. Dry hair roughly with a hairdryer, until almost dry.

4. Use a fine tooth comb to create a deep side parting, whichever side works best for you. 

5. Separate your hair into small sections.

6. Using a wide-barreled curing tong, curl each section. Start with the top layer of your hair and work your way to the middle and bottom layers.

7. Wrap hair diagonally around the tong, starting about 5 centimeters from the root.

8. Once you've curled each piece, keep it wound up and pin it gently to your head with a small clip. By allowing it to cool this way, it will set better.

9. Once you've completed curling all your hair, you can remove all the clips and loosen the waves with your fingertips.

10. Spritz with hairspray and you're all glamed up and ready to go!

The Savvy Girls Guide to a Smokey Eye

How to create the Perfect Smokey Eye



The smokey eye is a timeless and glamourous look, seen on runways, models, celebrities, in magazines...and now on you. If you've always loved this smouldering makeup look, but didn't know how to achieve it, this guideline is especially for you. My friend Shakira is a talented Johannesburg-trained, Cape Town-based makeup artist. She shares her steps on how to create the perfect smokey eye.

Step 1: Choosing a base that will keep eyeshadow flawless is very important. Apply foundation around your entire eye area. Then apply concealer one shade lighter than your skin tone. The ideal consistency for this is a cream concealer. Set with loose powder - which will also help catch all the shadow that falls underneath your eyes. Alternatively, you can use an eye primer - MAC 'paint' is a great one.



Step 2: Starting with the eye shadow - choose a highlighter in either a matte finish for the day or shimmery finish for a night time look. A white, cream or pearl coloured highlighter is ideal. Wipe the highlighter over the entire eyelid, up to the brow bone.



Step 3: Use a darker colour and line your eyes with an eyeshadow brush. You're not restricted to just black, you can choose any dark colour you like - blue, purple, green, brown or grey (as pictured above). Use the same colour to line the bottom part of your eyelids, just under the lash line. Then use a cotton bud to softly smudge the top and bottom of your eye line.



Step 4: You will need an even darker colour shadow to create a full smokey effect (such as the black one pictured above). Softly pat the eye shadow with a brush over your eyelids, making sure to stop before the crease. 



Step 5: Remember that the key to a perfect smokey eye is to blend. Take a flat shadow brush and blend. You don't want to see any definite lines.



Step 6: Take your shadow brush and dip it into the darker coloured shadow. Close your eyes, put the brush tip into the crease, then open your eyes (with brush still in place) and sweep it from half way to the end of the crease.



Step 7: Use the highlighter again, and brush on to the brow bone, following the eye brow shape.



Step 8: You can now choose to be more dramatic by taking a black liquid liner and lining your top lashes. For extra 'Oh la la' use an eye pencil to line the bottom eye lid. You can stick to black or a dark colour you prefer. Make sure you wipe away any excess powder that's underneath your eyes.



Step 9: Mascara, Mascara and Mascara...layers of it. You can use a lash curler to curl your lashes upwards first, for that Va va voom appeal. 



Step 10: With a brow brush, comb your brows neatly into place. You can even colour them in with black or dark brown shadow. Set with brow gel.



Remember to keep lips natural. When applying strong makeup, keep the focus on either lips or eyes - never both.





Here are some celebrity smokey eye looks to inspire you. As you can see, this style of eye makeup suits any hair colour, eye colour and skin tone.

From the Top: 

Keira Knightly lined her bottom lash line with pencil and used a dark brown eye shadow. 

Dianna Argon bats her eyelids under smokey eye shadow. 

Jennifer Lopez used a charcoal and steel eye shadow blend, which works superbly with her dark lined eyes. 

Camilla Belle used a soft brown shadow underneath her bottom lashes. 

Mila Kunis wears a sultry smokey eye better than most, darkly rimmed with black eye pencil.

Taylor Swift uses dramatic black liner and silver highlighter to bring out her blue eyes. 

Kim Kardashian amps up the volume with curly fake lashes. 

Notice how all these smokey stars kept the rest of their makeup simple with pale rosy blusher and nude glossy lips.

Try out these 10 easy-to-follow steps to crease your own irresistible smokey eye. Good Luck!

The Savvy Girl's Guide To Cutting A Fringe

Late one evening this week, I realized that my fringe had grown too long and was annoyingly getting in my eyes all the time. I needed a trim. Any sane person would have waited for the next morning to call their hairstylist and make an appointment for this. Not me. I couldn't wait that long. The 'bee in a bonnet' in me wanted it cut right then. So, I wet my hair, and stared apprehensively into a badly lit mirror with a pair of scissors; which I am sure was not appropriate for cutting hair. I hesitated for a few minutes, thinking, "Should I, shouldn't I?" My impulsive nature got the better of me and...Snip! Uh oh - I really shouldn't have.

After the first cut, I found out that the scissors was so blunt, it couldn't even cut paper. But by then I had already chopped off the right half my once-wonderful hair. I had no choice but to finish off the dreadful mess I so stupidly started. When I was done trimming my entire fringe, I didn't have to dry it to see that it was far too short. Like sticking-out-in-the-middle-of-my-forehead-like-a-cockatoo short. And crooked. As I said before 'Any sane person would've went to a hairdresser....'

So for next time, if there is a next time, I asked an expert about the 'proper' method of cutting your own fringe. Ideally, it should be done by a professional, but if you are courageous (or crazy) enough to undertake such a mission, here are a few simple steps to guide you.

How to cut your own fringe

You will need:

A sharp scissors made especially for cutting hair

A styling comb

A brightly lit mirror

A steady hand

Some nerve

Step One: Always start with dry, straightened hair. It's easy to overestimate the length of wet hair as it stretches when it's weighed down.

Step Two: Use the comb to separate the rest of your hair from the section you want to trim. Pick a point on top of your head where you would like your fringe to start. The further back you go, the heavier the fringe. Section off a wedge shape of hair, using the ends of your eyebrows as a guide. 

Step Three: It is still not too late to back out.

Step Four: Pull your hair down and hold it taut with your middle and index fingers. Hold your scissors with the ends pointing up, perpendicular to the line of your fringe.

Step Five: Cut! Slowly and only a small bit at a time, from one side to the other. You can always go back and trim more off later if necessary.

Step Six: Flaunt your new fringe!

With this guide, you will now be able to cut your own fringe. Either successfully or not. If not, just remember that your hair will grow back. Until then, arm yourself with lots of hair clips, alice bands and industrial strength hair gel to keep the short spikes at bay. Unfortunately, you cant stick your hair back, as you might end up looking like that scary girl from The Grudge.

Note to Self: I will not cut my own fringe again. Or at least until this disaster grows out.