easier than it looks updo tutorial

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High Five for Friday : over-caffinated edition

I think one of the most important things in creating a beautiful updo is breaking the hair down into smaller sections. Oftentimes, due to lack of time or even lack of experience, I see women trying to gather all their hair and quickly throw it up into an updo, when instead it would actually be quicker to take it section by section.

For this style, I did just that. This is a great way to achieve a lot of volume at the crown–which is one of the tell tale signs between a professional updo and a “home” updo. If you can get volume at the crown, you’ll make any updo look fancy.

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

polka dot top (similar)

comments

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Osman Malik says · 01.21.13

I love it and was waiting for ur post 🙂

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NIcole Hazen says · 01.21.13

so pretty. love this.

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Liz @ Beyond Blonde Blog says · 01.21.13

Oooh, this is so pretty! I wish I could get as much volume as you do. My hair is just so fine and limp 🙁

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Laura Parjanne says · 01.21.13

Looks great! I need to try this at home.

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Jenn D says · 01.21.13

I love this look! Is it bad that I pinned this based on the first picture alone? I have faith that your video will be easy for me to follow later when I have all the supplies handy.. and I’m not at work =)
Jenn
With Luck

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Kate says · 01.21.13

haha, not bad at all!

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Hollind says · 01.21.13

Beautiful!

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daisypdx says · 01.21.13

Silly question but, what brand of clear elastics do you use? Love your tutorials.

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Kate says · 01.21.13

I like Conair Polybands!

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courtney says · 12.18.14

What size are the elastics? Thanks!

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Spicy says · 01.21.13

I so look forward to Tutorial Mondays!! Thanks for taking my hair out of Frumpyville! You’re the best!

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Lisa Kraker says · 01.21.13

Very cute! Love the earrings!

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Renata says · 07.10.14

I have only been a Paula customer for 6 mnohts. Before noticing that I could order a color swatch, I ordered many wigs in different colors and had to return alot. I NEVER had one problem with returns!!! Thank you Paula!!! Great service!!! Yes, like some of you, I would like to see changes in some areas, however I beleive like any business there are pro’s and con’s and when we share what we would like to see different and those ideas are implimented or takin into consideration to meet our needs it’s worth staying devoted to that business. I think Paula is one of those businesses that wants to meet our needs, so over-all I will continue shopping with Paula because I LOVE your wigs!!!!!

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Anderson says · 07.21.14

Hey, found my way here from Pinterest as well (what did we ever do without that site?) and thank you so much for this taiortul. I can’t wait to try it, it looks gorgeous. I also am super jealous of your hair color (beautiful), but I had a weird question. I love the plaid shirt you’re wearing in some of the photos can I ask where you found it? I love the colors. Thanks!

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lindseykay says · 01.21.13

so pretty!

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Alissa says · 01.21.13

I would have never guessed it was as easy as you make it sound!

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Kate says · 01.21.13

I’m sneaky like that. 🙂

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Alesha says · 01.21.13

That is amazing! I’m so excited to try this! My hair may be too long, but it’s worth a try! =) Thanks! Also, do you know any good hair blogs that do styles for really long hair? Like mid- low back length? That’s how long mine is, which I love, so I can’t always use your tutorials. =(
Alesha <3

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Corina Lupulescu says · 10.29.13

http://www.secretosdechicas.es/blogs/43207/videos-cabello?tag=Peinados%20y%20Recogidos%20F%C3%A1ciles
here you have some ideas for your long hair. I think you’ll love it. enjoy! I’m sorry, it’s in spanish but you’ll see that it is easy to understand.

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Katie says · 01.21.13

Cannot wait to try this out! LOVEEEE! Good thing I don’t have anything fancy for a couple months so I can give my hair a little time to grow. It’s RIGHT at my collar bone right now, so another 1/2-1″ more would make it easier for me to try (at least somewhat successfully!)

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Lorena says · 01.21.13

Nicely done 🙂

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Christina Watson says · 01.21.13

I love your tutorials each Monday! I know it’s a formal undo but I am trying it today then going shopping! I can’t wait for a formal occasion… 🙂

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Christina Watson says · 01.21.13

I meant “updo” (darn autocorrect).

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Tonya @ Love of Family And Home says · 01.21.13

This is so pretty! I love it!

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Abbie Paoletti says · 01.21.13

Beautiful!! Can’t wait to try it!

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LK says · 01.21.13

Wow, this is gorgeous. Our hair is very similar length and texture, so I can’t wait to give this a try!!

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Deborah Saaranen says · 01.21.13

Kate, would you have a suggestion for a dual voltage blow dryer? There are so many on the market, I would appreciate your advice if you do not mind. Thanks so much!

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Magda Pomichowski says · 01.21.13

What a great tutorial! Love the up do.

xoxo
Mags
http://magsmind22.blogspot.com/

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Lauren | My Polished Side Blog says · 01.21.13

Awesome tutorial Kate! Can’t wait to try it out. 🙂

Lauren
My Polished Side Blog

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{annie_loo} @ The Farrar Four says · 01.21.13

PERFECTION! YET AGAIN!!!!!!! You are amazing and make it look SO simple! Thank you!

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Casey says · 01.21.13

What color nail polish are you wearing in the video? Love the gray!

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Kate says · 01.22.13

It’s Master Plan by Essie

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LoveCaroline says · 01.21.13

Super cute! Love the hair style!

xo
Caroline

lovecarolineblog.blogspot.com

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Josephine says · 01.21.13

Cute – donut, I love it! I have a work party this week so I think I will try this then! What color is your polish – super cute!

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SH says · 01.21.13

Beautiful up-do!

Sheree
thehartungs.blogspot.ca

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Coffee Fueled Mama says · 01.21.13

Thank you so much for this! We have military balls and family weddings coming up, and with our second child just weeks away this is exactly the easy yet chic kind of look I need to have on hand!

On a side note my 2 year old son LOVES watching your tutorials.

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pretty little things says · 01.21.13

just gorgeous — you always have the best updos! xo

http://allthingsprettyandlittle.blogspot.com/

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bellagirl says · 01.21.13

I think I’m going to attempt this for an upcoming military ball! Do you think finer hair can hold this look?
Kara
http://lessonslearnedfromwifeofwounded.blogspot.com

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Emily says · 01.21.13

I can’t believe that those steps created that. When you got to the end I thought, “that can’t be it,” but then it was. Love it!

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Shan Walker says · 01.21.13

Cute & Different. I Likey!

The How to Guru

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Rubiiee says · 01.22.13

This is amazing! I would love to see more updo’s!

<3 Rubiiee

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Rachael says · 01.22.13

Wow! Absolutely love this!!! Thank you!

chicwallart.etsy.com

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Tegan LemonSugarCreative says · 01.22.13

I LOVE your tutorials! Thanks!

lemonsugarcreative.com

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Sarah says · 01.22.13

this is beautiful! you are beautiful. it’s all beautiful. thank you so, so much for sharing your talents with us!!!

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Mary Madeline says · 01.22.13

Love, Love, Love!!! Perfect for the formal Army functions I have to attend!! Love the nail polish too!! 🙂

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Anna says · 01.22.13

Very pretty, and more importantly, very simple to do!

I think donut IS the only word for it 🙂

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John says · 07.10.14

I have hair extension and I cruelntry sew clips onto the track for easy application. However, it’s a pain in the butt and they’re difficult to keep in.Has anyone here used the hair extension glue? How long do the extensions stay on with glue? And can the actual extensions be reused after glue has been applied? Will my hair become damaged from the glue?Thanks in advance!

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Jeisson says · 07.21.14

Oh my gosh! Just found your blog on Pinterest and I absolutely love it! This hairltyse was so easy and it made me so happy to find one that does justice to my hair! Can’t wait to check out the others! Thank you!!!

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Amy Ruffo says · 01.22.13

I need to go out and get some clear elastic bands…back to Target I go. Thank you for the great tutorials!

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Cameron W. says · 01.22.13

Amazing tutorial! You always make it look so easy. Silly question, but what kind of teasing comb do you use?

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ajl2870 says · 01.22.13

I absolutely love this hair style! Thank you so much for sharing. You always are so great at explaining difficult looking styles in an easy to comprehend way! I would love if you would do a post about how to tease your hair. I know that for some this is an easy concept, but I have the hardest time with it!

-Audrey
http://janeoftrades-ajl2870.blogspot.com/

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beautifuldisaster says · 01.22.13

that was a great tutorial!! i usually hate video tutorials because they drag on and don’t get to the point but you’ve done an amazing job and i love the updo!! it’s funny that you use clear elastics because i just had a wedding hair trial and that’s what she used too. it really makes your hair stay a lot better than just using pins.

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Pearlie says · 01.22.13

I love our tutorials and am growing my hair longer so I can try even more. Thank you for doing this blog. I do have one question though…. I have dark hair and I worry that using dry shampoo for more body and texture would not look right because it is like a white powder. Do you think it would work for me?

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inspirationlush.com says · 01.22.13

So cute! I’ll have to try it, thanks for sharing 🙂

http://www.inspirationlush.com

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Amy Lynn Wentz says · 01.23.13

This is exactly the wedding hair I am looking for!! Yay!

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ginny says · 01.23.13

I love your hair tutorials. I just wish I could do them and have them look good! My hair is really long and super thick. I always feel like bobby pins are pulling my hair when I’m finished. But I keep trying! Thanks so much for the tutorials!!

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Kelly says · 01.23.13

You always amaze me!

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Kelly says · 01.23.13

You always amaze me!

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amandaf116 says · 01.23.13

YOU ARE A HAIR MAGICIAN! I am running to try this right now!!!

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Ashley Klooster says · 01.25.13

Wow! I love this look! And, from the video it seems easy enough that I’ll hopefully be able to do it! I’m going to give it a try this morning!

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Caroline says · 01.25.13

You are so sweet and adorable. Love watching your videos and so nice of you to share how to to do these easy, pretty styles. Thank you!

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Wife says · 01.27.13

Just did this for my birthday party and it was so cute! Thanks for the awesome ideas, as always! 🙂

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goodintentions says · 01.28.13

Yay! Thank you! I need new ideas for my fine hair. I’ll be perusing your site for more…

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chapfan says · 02.04.13

Just FYI, this isn’t on your hairdo button yet. 🙂

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A.Michelle says · 02.15.13

This was such a great tutorial! I’m going to try this tomorrow for a Valentines formal I am going to. Thanks for sharing!

http://www.thepreppylittlepolkadot.blogspot.com

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Amy Butala says · 02.27.13

I’ve tried this, and I luuuuurrvveeeeee it! One thing… It seems to not be appearing on your main “Hair Tutorials” page. Am I blind?

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Alyssa says · 03.15.13

This best hair tutorial I’ve seen! I used it today for a wedding- it was absolutely fabulous!

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Kelly B. says · 06.22.13

This is amazing! I have super thick, stick-straight hair, and I used this tutorial for a wedding I attended a few weeks ago– everyone thought I had gone to the salon! I’m going to an evening fundraising event/dinner tonight, so I plan on doing it again.

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#phoebe says · 07.09.13

just saw this tutorial on youtube 🙂 looks so nice! i have realllllyyyy long hair, like down to my butt! and it’s always a pain to get a nice bun because i have so much hair going on. but i’m gonna try this for the summer to get all my hair off my back in the heat 🙂

just followed you on bloglovin’ 😉

hashtagphoebe.blogspot.com
Follow on Bloglovin’

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stylepensieve says · 07.16.13

I came across this tutorial on your Youtube channel and had to share it on my blog. I can’t wait to try it out!

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Mistress Chaos R.S. says · 08.30.13

Oh my gosh, this helps so much! I’ve got a masquerade ball to go to this weekend and was panicking because I didn’t know how to where my hair! And it’s a legitimate ball – tuxedos and ball gowns only, no suits or banquet dresses. So I was worried that I wouldn’t have my hair done and they would kick me out (which they did to my friend’s last year, but they should really have read the rules), but this is absolutely perfect! I just tried to put my hair up like this and it works so this weekend is going to be so amazing, thank you!

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Unknown says · 09.06.13

This comment has been removed by the author.

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Tactical Blonde says · 09.06.13

I can’t wait to try it….I ALWAYS have a problem since I’m 53 and my hair is getting thinner and thinner…I seem to have so much trouble making my messy bun and messy pony look full and full of body….but your video gives me renewed hope. I can’t wait to try it…nothing sexier than a messy bun or ponytail I think, and I have to wear my hair up at work since I’m in the field. WOO! Thanks so much!

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Melanie Pennington says · 09.28.13

I totally did this today! Mine didn’t look quite as together and clean as yours but it got plenty of compliments. “That must have taken a while” they all said…little did they know!

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seasidechica says · 12.10.13

I did this last night! My “doughnut” was more of a messy bun, but it still looked really good. Thanks so much for your tutorials, they help so much! 🙂

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Jodi-Lynn Moffatt says · 12.11.13

your tutorial is so well done that I just watched it on mute, and understood perfectly!

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Fire99 says · 12.29.13

Perfect for my Mother of the Bride hair. The best one I’ve seen…. thank you!

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af1247 says · 02.07.14

Thanks for this! Best tutorial I’ve seen so far. Using this weekend!

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Ann says · 06.06.14

Very happy I stumbled on to your fantastic 6 minute video. It turned out to be quite easy to do. I practiced on my daughter’s very long hair and it looked outstanding and then did my own hair for a wedding I attended this past weekend. I received lots of complements – thank you!

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Lisa says · 06.10.14

Love this up do! You make it look so simple and can’t wait to try it! Btw… What’s the brand name of the dry shampoo?

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Samir says · 07.10.14

heyy i put this in fashion bueacse nobody answered this when it was in the hair categoryHow much $ for Hair extensions?????Hair extensions??????my hair is not that long it is like to my neck it used to be longer until it got cut. but i want hair extensions that are at least 15 in. do you guys know how much it would cost for it to be professionally done and if i did myself how much would the hair be and my hair is dark brown what color highlights would go well with that color please no blonde and i want a streak of a color what color would look good. and wear can i get feather hair extensions??? please answer thanks please no rude comments!!

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Youssef says · 07.21.14

Amazing and so simple, I’ve just done it sitintg here and I only had one pin to hand. Love the look so chic. Found you randomly through Pinterest and will keep following now as you have some great ideas thanks for sharing them x

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Patti says · 06.22.14

Thank you for the fabulous tutorial! I brought the laptop into the bathroom and followed your easy steps and received tons of great comments from family and friends at an elegant wedding in Vermont last night! It is easier than the finished do looks. I watched the video, practiced once, and then revisited it again the next day and all made perfect sense. I can’t thank you enough!!!! Patti P

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John says · 07.10.14

It is not! I use a color that has been discontinued (though I still have some boxes left), but my next color I’m going to try is going to be Strawberry Blonde 7R #72 by Revlon.I’ve found the trick to hvnaig this type of hair color is to avoid colors that say “red” or “auburn” and to go with colors that say, “copper” or “blonde”. My old color was “strawberry blonde” and I’ve heard of people successfully using “copper penny”, and other such names! I get this question a lot so as soon as I have my new color I will share it!

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Pam Ferrell says · 07.14.14

Your tutorials are great ! My son was married Sat, July 12 and I did my on hair ! It was great. I had to modify just a little because of layers, but you explain it so well and make it easy. AND yes, people asked “Who done your hair?” 🙂

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Oleg says · 07.21.14

Pretty great post. I simply smbtuled upon your blog and wished to mention that I have really loved browsing your weblog posts. In any case I will be subscribing for your rss feed and I hope you write once more very soon!

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Monique Langenberg says · 07.25.14

Prachtig!! = Lovely!

Monique
from the Netherlands

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Ro says · 08.05.14

I love this hairstyle and the wunderfull tutorial.
Used it as my wedding hair style. However, as I usually don´t do such beautiful hair styles it didn´t look as good as yours, but still looked very nice and everyone liked it as I had the same flower in my hair as in my wedding bouquet.

Thanks so much.

Silly Question: I never find this tutorial on your hair page, only via a search engine. Did you change the name of it? Or am i just blind, which is the most probable answer.

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Cate says · 08.23.14

I feel like you should end each tutorial with “TA DA!” because when I actually pull one off I totally do! Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge with us!

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allison h says · 10.02.14

i love it! so simple and easy. thanks for the video!

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Nancy says · 11.26.14

Love the blog….

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Demi says · 03.07.15

I really like you videos! I Am a hairdresser for a long time, but is still learn new staff from you! Thank you for that, many you can watch my video’s and tell me what you think about it?

Already thanks you can find my on you tube under the name Demi van stalle

Bey from holland

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Erin says · 07.01.15

I LOVE IT!!
I have hair longer than yours and no fringe… am i still able to achieve this look?
Thank you 🙂

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Ann Etta Moore says · 07.16.15

I have baby fine hair collar length , dishwater blond color thinning hair at age 79. I have thought I had to have perms. I request your HELP PLEASE
Ann Etta Moore
9160 Salem Rd
Lakeland, TN 38002.
901-335-5552

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Gabrielle says · 10.20.16

I cannot get my hair to do the donut. Do you have any tips? My hair length is about mid-back. Is that a likely problem?

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Christina says · 05.13.17

I followed this for a wedding today and it was fabulous! Thanks!!

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Claire says · 07.12.18

I thought there was a video tutorial with this? I cant seem to find it 🙁

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Marty Harriss says · 06.07.19

Love, love, love this! I am getting married on a cruise in October. I don’t want to risk someone I don’t know doing something awful to my hair.
I am practicing this every day (I am a slow learner!!).
Thank you for a gorgeous hairstyle! I shall NOT give up!

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Georgie says · 04.21.23

Got a wedding coming up and would love a sophisticated style for my fine hair

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Kelly says · 12.27.23

This is just what I am looking for as the Mom of the bride.

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Susan says · 03.22.24

I’m looking for the ‘easier than you think’ updo video please

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