Unfortunately I must admit, I cannot take credit at all for this fabulously gorgegous hairstyle. A reader actually sent in this suggeted style some time ago and we only received this one pic meaning…. no back shots! !

I know, I know- disappointing right?  Well, this just means we can use our imagination for what the back of this style actually looked like!  I collected some other back shots of other awesome hairstyles that I believe will allow those of you attemping such a look, to acheive a very similar style to the girl in the original picture.

What do you think of these options?

Getting Started

Step 1: To get started on creating this look for yourself, you will begin with adding lots of luscious curls to your hair to create the romantic, fairytale-like look.  You can either use a thick barrel curling iron for larger curls (will ultimately give you a fuller look) or a smaller barrel curling iron for tighter curls.  Leave-in curlers can also work to help lock in the heat to the hair, keeping them tighter for a lot longer.

Step 2: Next, if you have short bangs, comb them to one side over your forehead (your preference) to create the dramatic swoop.  If you have slightly longer bangs, tuck any loose bangs behind your ear and holding the hair in place by crossing two bobby pins over one another.  

Step 3: To create the small “bump” at the crown of the head, take the small section of hair (just passed where you parted your bangs) and push slightly forward to create volume. Holding the bump in place, use two to four bobby pins cross over the hair to lock it into place.  

Step 4: Creating the remaining half up half down hairstyle take the front two sides of our hair and secure them together at the back of your head in a ponytail or securing the hair in place with a clip.  Using the hair from the ponytail or clip, begin twisting small sections of hair and pin them to your head using circular or “loop” shapes. You can continue to pin as much hair as you want in place until you’ve created your own stunning hairstyle!

Step 5: You can finish off the look with your favorite hair accessory, such as a hair clip, headband, hair jewels or fresh flower which Etsy (my favorite hand-made everything online community) has plenty to choose from!

I highly recommend that any prom-goer or bride-to-be to practice, practice, and practice if you plan on doing this hairstyle at home. If you prefer to leave your wedding day hairstyle to a professional and are heading to the salon, remember to take a picture of your favorite hairstyle with you the day of your trial session or the actual day-of so they can see your vision. Remember your stylist is a professional and has probably worked with many brides on their wedding day and can work with you too to create this memorable hairstyle for you!

Again, I hope I didn’t disappoint too many of you ladies with not having shots of the back, but hope you are able to create your own stunning hairstyles for your upcoming events using some the basic “how-to” instructions and pictures. Share your pictures with us to be featured!!

“Picture Call” for all Women’s Hairstyles Readers!!!

We would absolutely love for our readers to send in their own personal wedding or prom pictures to be featured right here on Women’s Hairstyles! 

Share your own hairstyle inspiration for others to see and we’ll enter you into our on-going giveaways.  My Salon Tools prizes range from $50-100 worth of professional hairstyling products including some of the hottest brands in hair straighteners like GHD and Babyliss and blow dryers from brands like Salono and Karmin.  Email your pictures of your favorite hairstyles to mel@mysalontools.com.

Right now our Womens Hairstyles readers can use coupon code myhairstyle13 for $15 off the purchase of $90 or more at My Salon Tools!

Here are a few quick tips to liven up the simple ponytail in less than five minutes.

Eliminate the “flip it up and tie it back” method: You want to think about whether you are going to be somewhere that you need to look maintained and orderly (like the office), or if you feel like being a bit more adventurous(say, for dinner with the girls). Decide what kind of look you are going for, and with a tiny alteration to the ponytail, you can turn heads in any setting.

Give your bangs a little flare: Going to work in the morning is something most contemporary women have to deal with. And if you’ve got kids, then you spend most of your morning making sure they are ready for the day. So when it comes time to look in the mirror before rushing to the office,you hardly have time to try something new. At work you want to look sophisticated and well kept, without a dowdy or old fashioned look. You don’t want a lot of loose strands on your face, because it tends to look unprofessional. If you have bangs, you want those to be cut neatly, above the eyes, or pinned back away from the face.

You could try a side part: With a small bit of styling lotion to tame fly-aways, part your hair diagonally from the center of the crown to one corner of your hairline. Pull hair down and back and gather hair at the nape. This ponytail looks elegant, and still only takes a few seconds. For a variation, take a small section (thick enough to cover the elastic band used to secure hair) from the underside of your ponytail, near your neck, and wrap tightly around the base of the ponytail, then secure with a pin. This gives the hair a more uniformed look, and it hides the elastic band, which always helps me. Been doing this trick since high school! You also may want to try adding an elastic headband, or short scarf, about an inch back from your hairline, secure this with a couple of pins just above the ears.

Add hair accessories: More casual alternatives would be simply adding a decorative pin opposite your part, above the temple at the corner of your hairline, or pulling the ponytail slightly higher, to the back center of your head. In this case you could leave a layer of hair loose at the nape of your neck, under the ponytail, about a centimeter thick. When you have secured the ponytail, twist the loose hair and wrap it tightly around this base of the ponytail. By using a thicker section of hair to hide the hair band, you create the illusion that the length of your ponytail is pulled through a bun. This makes the hair look more full, and everyone will think it took much longer than 5 minutes.

Add wave or curl to the ponytail: Instead of a side part, if you’ve had your stylist take her hair shears to your bangs recently,gather about a two inch section at the hairline, above your face, twist and pull back. Pin this down at the crown. Leave a few thin whisps loose at the temple, you may want to curl or add a little wave to these, and then pull the rest of your long locks into a high ponytail, just behind where you’ve pinned the front section back.

Whatever the occasion, the idea is to take what you are comfortable with and add your own style. Have fun with it, and don’t be afraid to try something new. Remember to express yourself, even in the smallest way.

Last night’s short cut challenge on Shear Genius was to give all the curly hair models a dry graduated bob. There finished style was to be presented straight at the end of the challenge. They were given the instructions to turn in all their haircutting tools before washing, blow drying and straightening their model’s hair. You could hear the excitement in the stylists voices as they described this style as a boring, old-school, “PTA mom” style. Hmmm…that “passion” certainly didn’t help to make this challenge fun or easy for them I guess.

April & Brig were unable to impress the judges by decision time. Matthew & Janine were once again in the top two with Janine ultimately winning the challenge.

Models for the elimination challenge was a group of military wives who were asking to be transformed into classic 1940’s pin up girls. They would later record a video for their husband soldiers who were overseas. Each of their styles were to include traditional finger waves or pin curls video. Celebrity judge Robert Vedica joined for this elimination round.

As usual there were few stylists were able to successfully execute 1940’s style and shine while others were unable to deliver. Brig & Matthew came in at the top two creating perfect styles with Brig winning the overall competition!

April, Janine, and Amy (as usual) came in at the bottom three. After failing to meet judges expectations, it was Amy who was sent packing her bags!

Decided to post another one for the men (or the ladies in their lives)!Some guys are getting creative in ways to save money these days.  A growing trend I’ve noticed among my circle of male friends is they are learning to cut their own hair to save money and some even being so brave to recruit their women at home to help them (me being one of them!) Although it takes a lot of patience and trust from your new “home stylist”, it can save you a good amount of money each month if you typically spending $20 plus a week or every other week in a barber shop or salon. Can we say gas money? You must of course learn how to work your clippers (with a guard) first to get the length of the cut right. Of course make sure to practice with a steady hand so you can master blending and “finishing” techniques when working around the edges of your ears and neck base line. I sometimes have to repeat “steady, steady” when cutting my fiancé’s hair so that I get the “fade” just right! Although I do get nervous, it feels good knowing he trusts me enough to know I won’t give him a bad hair cut! I do admit a home cut certainly does not replace the professional skills and technique you get with a professional stylist (and again the patience of one), but in the interim if your trying to save a little bit of cash- give it a try.  The holidays might be over, but you can still ask for a new set of clippers for your birthday boys!

So we might be half way into January already, but what hair trends can we look forward to for the rest of 2010?  If you’re still looking for that new hair cut for a new year, you might want to go for one that grazes the shoulder, medium length adding a slightly choppy look. A medium length cut will help cover the neck during the winter months, but if you still prefer a longer style for now, spring is right around the corner. The short bob and pixie cuts are making their way out of style since they’ve been on the scene for quite a while now and women will start adding a little length to their ’do. These medium length choppy cuts achieved by using a razor flatter most face types which will make them popular among all ages!

Wow- so I know it’s been a week or so since pictures of Kate Gosselin’s long new locks started circulating through the media, but I still can’t help but put in my two-cents about what I think of this new TV reality mom’s new hair (yes, we all know those are extentions.) Personally I think she is a pretty hot mama now! I never realized how much people really disliked her former “bob with swooping bangs” cut until she came out with the new look. She’s still receiving mixed reviews throughout Celebville. Her new cut also awarded her with two thumbs up from Hailey Glassman, ex-girlfriend of her ex-husband, Jon. I’m so sure that made Kate feel all warm and fuzzy inside to know she had approval from 22 year old Hailey. I thought her old cut gave her younger “cutting-edge” look, but I guess eventually it got played out since she kept it for so long. I am excited she chose to start 2010 off with a new look and hopefully new attitude!

With the cooler months now upon us, women are seeking out the hot hairstyling trends this 2009 season. 2008 brought us the short bobs and pixie cuts, but 2009 spring and summer brought the long and wavy hair trends.  This will more than likely stick around into the fall.  Most will even skip out on cutting bangs and go for the long layered look. Bring out the curling iron and keep the curls and wavy look to add more volume.

Don’t want curls? Long pin straight hair will also make a come back from last year. This sleek look is simple and sexy and can be achieved using your favorite hair straightener!

Of course as we transition from the highlights and softer, brighter colors brought out for summer, more will begin bringing out the darker hair! Black, dark browns, dark honey blond, and mahagany will be seen by many.

**An update to this post can be found here**

So you are getting married to Mr. Right and want the perfect hairdo for your wedding day! Your man adores your long locks, but should they be pinned up under the veil in a sophisticated fashion, or is it best to leave out a little sexy strand here or there?

You can keep the anticipation of the wedding night sizzling during the ceremony and reception as your man watches those select few curly long locks of hair kissing your forehead and cheeks as you say “I Do”, dance your first dance as a married couple, and greet your guests.

You may decide to add touches of baby breath or other delicate flowers that will enhance the sparkles in your eyes and add a bit of nature to your tresses.

Definitely do not use stiff mousse or hairspray that will make it impossible for your man to run his fingers through your gorgeous locks at the right moment later.

The week before your wedding day, make sure you trim off any split ends and give yourself a deep moisture treatment. You have had months to find the shampoo and conditioner that makes your hair behave at its best for your nuptials, so make sure you have it at the peak condition for the ceremony, and long enough to last at least until midnight and into the early morning hours.

In preparation for your most important day, make sure you drink plenty of water, eat healthy food, and take sufficient vitamins that will help you during the stressful preparation time for your wedding. You definitely cannot afford to have your hair falling out due to lack of nutrition.

Be aware of how your hair reacts to different weather conditions. If your hair is frizzy in humidity, find good hair products and tools that can tame your frizzies. If your hair lacks body, experiment ahead of time to find what gives that little extra sexy curl that will hold its shape for more than 15 minutes.

How you wear your long hair is one of the most important concerns on your wedding day since you will be taking plenty of pictures.  You will share these with your husband and children for many years to come.  Nothing could worse than explaining why you had a bad-hair day on the day of your wedding, unless you accidentally got pushed into the pond.

Not only will your man notice, but also the bridesmaids will be envious of your precious tresses if you have taken extra special care in planning your hairstyle for your wedding day. Make sure you have tried your do together with the veil that you will be wearing. If you need a special comb to hold on your wedding veil, make sure it complements the flowers or pins that you choose to use in your hair. Be careful not to use too many embellishments in your mane.

Spend as much time preparing your hair for your wedding day as you do in choosing your dress and veil so that your image will express the love that you feel.

For many of those with chin length hair (give or take an inch or two), finding ways to keep the sides of the face, as well as the back  of the neck, cool during summer can be a real challenge. However, there is an easy solution that is both cute and stylish: braids. Before you start thinking that braids are only for elementary school girls or Princess Leia – think again! Stars like Nicole Richie are showing them off at evening galas and women lounging on the beaches in California are pulling up their loose strands in braids to get that even tan. How about you?

Trying to grow out a short cut, I’ve been researching ways to keep my hair out of my face during work and when I exercise. Unfortunately pins and clips just don’t hold all the hair back in place, and having a head full of bobby pins is not ideal on a hot summer day. That’s when I decided to french braid the left and right sides of my hair separately and clip the two braids at the bottom of my hairline at my neck; resulting in an elegant, easy and refreshing hairdo for summer.

This hairstyle allows you to not only have a very cute and alluring do, but allows  you to capture all the stragglers as you braid along one side of your head. To start, part your hair down the middle, so that each side has an even amount of hair and choose an area a little higher than your temple to begin braiding. As you braid continuously add hair as you go along, keeping the thickness of the braid as even as possible. Do the same for the other side of the head. When you begin to reach the end of the hairline towards the back of the neck you can do one of three things: tie the braid of one side with the braid of the other side of the head with a simple hairband, or tuck the end of the braid into the hair at the back of the head near the center do the same with the other braid, or finally, tie each braid at the end separately with a band.

This style can take on many variations and can be spruced up with hair accessories. Even if you end up having a few of  those too short/too long straggling hair strands to deal with, don’t fret.  A few loose strands here and there add a natural finishing touch and prevent your do from looking too princess-like. Those of you with summer highlights will really like this style as it allows the swirls of colors to come up in a new fashionable way.

As we head into fall I believe this hairstyle will still be as popular since scarves are making a comeback and we all know that if we want the full flow of our foulard to be appreciated, the hair has got to be out of the way. So my advice: learn to braid if you don’t know already, and dazzle your everyday do with a few twists before you head out the door in the morning.