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How To Create An Easy Gwen Stefani Inspired Updo!

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Gwen Stefani has been one of my favorite style icons for the past 15 years or so. She has sported some of the most incredible hairstyles that I’ve seen, and while some of them are pretty technically complicated, I’ve created a little step-by-step tutorial on how to create this quick, easy Gwen-inspired updo! I did this style on the lovely miss Tory a few weeks back for a hair show and it’s definitely something that could be recreated at home!



1) Pre-style prep. I asked Tory not to wash her hair the night before because hair that isn’t freshly clean is a lot easier to work with! On dry hair, I sprayed Paul Mitchell Lemon Sage Thickening Spray liberally throughout for extra styling grip and to plump up Tory’s fine strands. I then blow dried it with a large round brush to give it some volume, and flat ironed only the mid-shaft and ends of her hair in large sections to smooth it out a little. I use Hot Off The Press by Paul Mitchell for a heat protective spray, it’s awesome! Since Tory’s hair is fine, and fine hair tends to get a little weighed down by oil, I sprayed Dirty Little Secret Dry Shampoo by TIGI Rockaholic on her roots. So to recap, prepare by volumizing and smoothing (without flattening!) Now you’re ready to rock!

2. I parted off a large, triangle-shaped section on top of Tory’s head, starting roughly at the arch of her eyebrows on either side, and taking it back to the high point on the crown where it begins to curve. You’ll want to clip this up into a bun so it’s out of the way for now.

3. With everything that is left, smooth it back into a ponytail at the back of the head, just below the point of the triangle-shaped section. I used my back-combing brush for this because it’s small and the bristles are very compact, but you can use any brush where the bristles are very close together. Make sure the ponytail is secure and then put another ponytail elastic around it, twist the elastic once and pull the pony back through, half way. This should create a loop of hair with the ends sticking out. Pull the loop horizontally and vertically on the sides to fan it out some, and then start pulling lightly at random pieces of it to give it a more messy, undone look. I sprayed with Paul Mitchell Hold Me Tight hairspray as I went along for flexible hold and bobby-pinned any bits that were looking a little too floppy. You’re not trying to make this look perfect. Having some disorder is key to making it work.

4. Next I backcombed the top section using a back-combing brush/teasing brush and Hold Me Tight hairspray. I prefer using a brush because it gives a fluffier, airier mass than a comb does. Now smooth the left side of the section and direct the whole section to the left. Roll it over on itself toward the right. Again, this doesn’t have to be precise, it looks best if there are some ends and odd bits poking out. Secure with bobby pins on the inside of the roll. Make sure it all feels secure. Once you are done playing with it, and it’s sufficiently messy-on-purpose looking, give it a good spray with Paul Mitchell Extra-Body Firm Finishing Spray.

As I mentioned, Tory’s hair is fine, and it’s several inches past her shoulders, but this style can be done on any hair that is long enough to get into a decent ponytail. Tory also has blunt-cut bangs which are just below her eyebrow. I just hairsprayed them up into the style using the Extra-Body Firm Finishing spray.

If you decide to re-create this style, please send me the pictures, I’d love to see the results!


Click this image to see it bigger and get a better look at the front of her hair!

The post How To Create An Easy Gwen Stefani Inspired Updo! appeared first on Brighter Sides.


Video: My Daily Makeup Routine

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I have gotten a few questions about what makeup I use and how I apply it. I like to play with makeup as you might have seen in some of my photos, but on a daily basis at work, I have a pretty simple look. I decided to go ahead and make a video so I can show you exactly what I use and how I use it. This is my first video so don’t be too harsh! Haha. Under the video you can see a list of the products that I used in the video, as well as where you can buy them. Please leave me comments if you have any questions, or to let me know how I did!

Too Faced Primed & Poreless – Sephora, Ulta
MAC Select Moisturecover in NW20 – MAC stores, MAC counter at Nordstrom
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Light – MAC stores, MAC counter at Nordsrtom
Tarina Tarantino Dollskin Cheek in Carved Rose – Sephora
bareMinerals Brow Color in Brunette – Sephora, Ulta
Sephora eye shadow in Aspen Summit – Sephora
Urban Decay eye shadow in Gash or Woodstock – Sephora or Ulta
Maybelline Ultra Liner Waterproof Liquid Liner in Black – drug stores
Rimmel Lash Accelerator or Glam’Eyes mascara in Black – drug stores

This is my first video, but there will be more to come! If you are a YouTuber, it would be awesome if you could “like” my video, comment, subscribe to my channel etc!

Please make sure to “like” Kelsi Does Hair on Facebook and follow me on Twitter for updates!

The post Video: My Daily Makeup Routine appeared first on Brighter Sides.

Video: Easy Grecian Inspired Updo Tutorial

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I’ve been getting requests via twitter and facebook for some hair styling tutorials, and since I got such positive response from my makeup video, I thought I’d go ahead and make a video hair tutorial!

In this tutorial, I’ll teach you how to do the super quick (when I’m not explaining how to do it, I can do it in about 30 seconds!) Grecian-inspired updo pictured above. I’ve been wearing my hair like this nearly every day for the past couple of weeks and I keep having people say that they like my hair. Pretty good payoff for a 30 second investment!

So what did you think? Even if you don’t have a hair styling bone in your body, it’s totally do-able, right? If you try this out, be sure to send me your pics, I’d love to see your take on it!

Did you like this post? I am a professional hairstylist, so this is the sort of stuff I get paid to do “in real life”. While I offer this for free on my blog, please consider making a small donation if you found this post helpful. All these years later, and I am still paying off my student loans :)






(Fast and secure via PayPal!)

The post Video: Easy Grecian Inspired Updo Tutorial appeared first on Brighter Sides.

How To Clean And Maintain Your Blow Dryer

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This post contains some affiliate links, which help support Brighter Sides! See footer for full disclosure.Did you know that your blow dryer needs regular maintenance? Read this article for a quick and easy step-by-step on how to keep your blowdryer from overheating and make it work its best! When was the last time you cleaned the air vent on your blow dryer? Did you know that it’s absolutely essential to keep your dryer working properly?

Filters in the air vent catch dust, and debris to keep the motor clean, thus extending the life of your blow dryer. If the filter gets too clogged, the motor can overheat, which is not only bad for your blow dryer, it’s dangerous! The idea is the same as cleaning out the lint filter in your dryer after doing a load of laundry.

I clean my blow dryer once a week in the salon, but at home, you may only need to do it once every month or two, depending on how often you use it. I’m demonstrating to you here on my blow dryer at home, which is the same as the one I use in the salon, but needs to be cleaned much less often. Text instructions can be found below the image.

Click through for a step-by-step tutorial on how to keep your blow dryer in tip-top condition, and prevent it from overheating!

  1. Most blow dryers have a vent in back though some have vents on the sides instead. As you can see, mine has a vent in the back. I use and recommend the Express Ion Dry by Paul Mitchell (available here).
  2. Make sure your blow dryer is unplugged. Turn the vent in the direction indicated to open it and gently pull it off. You shouldn’t need to force it at all.
  3. Eww! Product, dust and hair get trapped in the vent; if you let it keep building up it will get covered entirely and your poor blow dryer is going to have no airflow!
  4. Use a towel, washcloth or unused toothbrush to remove debris. If there is a lot of buildup, dampen the towel to help remove dried product. You don’t want the towel sopping wet, just damp. Some vents have a little spongy mesh filter in here too. If you have one (mine doesn’t), take it out, remove the debris, and then wash it and let it air dry completely before putting it back in. If there seems to be product built up on the body of your blow dryer, this is also a good time to wipe it down with a damp cloth.
  5. Put the outside vent on and twist it back in place so it locks. You’re done!

I realize some of you may have never cleaned out your blow dryer before, hopefully you’ll notice a big difference once you do. Remember to do it regularly to keep your motor from overheating. Once it burns itself up (which can also be a fire risk), you have to get a whole new blow dryer.

As a professional hairstylist, I use and recommend Paul Mitchell products in and outside of the salon. You can purchase PM products online at Loxa Beauty. Loxa Beauty is the only website approved by Paul Mitchell to sell their products online.

P.S. You might also like these posts:
Easy Braided Hair Tutorial For A Bight Night Out
How To Trim Your Own Bangs
7 Ways To Have Healthier Hair

The post How To Clean And Maintain Your Blow Dryer appeared first on Brighter Sides.

Guest Post: Betsey Johnson Inspired Nail Art Tutorial by Valerie

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I have a special treat for you today! Valerie, the talented gal behind www.valerievanity.com has written a nail art tutorial for us! Read on to find out how to do this pretty, Betsey Johnson inspired spring manicure!

betsey johnson rose manicure

Hey guys! I don’t know about you, but Betsey Johnson kind of makes me drool. Always. So today I’m going to show you how to do a cool Betsey Johnson manicure inspired by these lust worthy shoes. This practically screams spring time and makes me wish for more sunshine!

betsey johnson shoe

This manicure is good for nail art noobs and experts alike. I show you to accomplish this rose print using nail art tools and also some things you probably have laying around the house. So let’s get this design started!

betsey johnson rose manicure

First, the tools.
– Base Coat (Seche Base)
– Top Coat (Seche Vite)
– Teal/Turquoise Blue (L.A. Girl Matte in Turquoise)
– Pastel/Baby Pink (China Glaze’s Dance Baby)
– Darker Fuchsia/Pink (OPI’s Pink Flamenco)
– A leafy looking grean (Wet N Wild Craze in Bali)
– A very small dotting tool OR a couple of toothpicks
– Paper towel or piece of paper
– Acetone (nail polish remover works too, acetone just does the job quicker)

To start off, paint all your nails with a base coat. Once dry paint two layers or your teal shade.

betsey johnson rose manicure

betsey johnson rose manicure

Once dry, take your darker pink and partially wipe off the brush. You might have to experiment with this part to get the hang of how much polish you want on the brush. I made these roses larger than on the rest of the manicure so you can better check out how I do this. You’re going to begin by making a small dot, just using the nail polish brush. Gradually move the brush around to make the dot irregular (see below). Repeat until you have a nice amount of roses, but remember to leave room for some leaves! Also, don’t worry about making them all perfect copies of each other, it looks better that way!

betsey johnson rose manicure

Now using a dotting tool or a toothpick, add the leaves. If you are using a dotting tool, the hardest part will be getting enough polish on the tool to make adequate leaves. If you’re having no issues, you rock. If you are using a toothpick, it gets a little tricky. Because the tip is SUPER narrow, you may have to lay the toothpick a little flat in order to get your leaf shape.

betsey johnson rose manicure

(Dotting tool)

betsey johnson rose manicure

(Dotting tool)

betsey johnson rose manicure

(Toothpick)

Now, using either your dotting tool or your toothpick, pick up some of the baby pink polish. You’re going to make small swirls inside the rose, think of making a really vague, soft check mark shape. You can probably fit two per rose, although if you make them smaller, the second shape can just be an irregular shaped dot.

betsey johnson rose manicure

betsey johnson rose manicure

betsey johnson rose manicure

If you need to do any clean up around your cuticles, just sweep a little acetone on a Q Tip around the edges of the nail. Finish the design off with a top coat, and your done! I got a ton of compliments on this manicure when I wore it, and it was very fun. Like anything, you can trade out the colors and do something really funky!
I hope you guys liked this and found it helpful. If you’d like to see more of my tutorials and product reviews, check out my blog, valerievanity.com.
Have an awesome day!

betsey johnson rose manicure

Big thanks to Valerie for making this tutorial for us, it’s the very first nail art post featured on Kelsi Does Hair! Be sure to check out her blog, and if you try out this manicure, please email me your results at hairbykelsi at gmail.com or tweet me @KelsiDoesHair with your photos!

The post Guest Post: Betsey Johnson Inspired Nail Art Tutorial by Valerie appeared first on Brighter Sides.

5 Hair Styling Tutorials For Long Hair

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Click through for five beautiful step-by-step tutorials for styling long and medium length hair!

Last week I shared this post with five tutorials for styling shoulder length hair. Not to leave you long-haired ladies out, this week I’ve compiled five of my favorite hair styling tutorials for long hair. I’m growing my hair out now (I think… we’ll see how that goes before I get sick of the awkward stages and chop it again.) so hopefully someday I’ll be able to try some of these out. In the meantime, enjoy!

Related: 5 Hair Styling Tutorials For Short Hair

1. VINTAGE INSPIRED LONG HAIR UPDO

 Vintage inspired hair styling tutorial for long hair. Click through for more long updo tutorials.Adorable, quick and easy updo. This little vintage-inspired number totally has an Audrey Hepburn “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” vibe! Marlenka gives lots of step by step pics with text, as well as different ideas for dressing it up.
Read how to do it here: Everyday Hairstyle Tutorial @ The Girl Never Gets Older

2. EASY BRAIDED UPDO FOR A BIG NIGHT OUT

Easy braided updo hair tutorial for medium or long hair
This tutorial has great pointers for smoothing out unruly hair, plus step-by-step instructions to complete this voluminous wrap around braided hairstyle.
Read how to do it here: Easy Braided Updo For A Big Night Out @ Brighter Sides

3. ROMANTIC WAVY HALF-UPDO

Click through to find out how to do this gorgeous hairstyle, plus other easy updo ideas for long and medium length hair!
This beautifully chic wavy half-updo has a romantic, vintage feel. Oh, how I wish I had the hair to do this!
Read how to do it here: The Piece-y Pony @ The Beauty Department

Related: Suicide Roll Hair Tutorial For Growing Out Bangs

4. BRAIDED BUN HAIRSTYLE

Super easy updo for long hair. Click through for more hairstyle tutorials that you can do with long or medium length hair!
This super cute braided bun would look adorable with or without bangs and looks effortless. I also love how it’s accented with a bow in this photo! Manuela also has several other tutorials on her blog as well.
Read how to do it here: Braided Bun @ Join The Mood

5. MAIDEN BRAID TUTORIAL

Click to find out how to do this easy and pretty updo, plus more ideas for long and medium length hair.
These “maiden braids” are similar to milkmaid braids, and can be worn up, or half down. It works on shoulder length or longer hair, and is a quick and fun style to add to your hairstyle wardrobe.
Read how to do it here: How To Style Maiden Braids @ A Beautiful Mess

P.S. You might also like these posts:
Easy Braided Hair Tutorial For A Big Night Out
How To Trim Your Own Bangs
How To Make Pastel Hair Color

The post 5 Hair Styling Tutorials For Long Hair appeared first on Brighter Sides.

How To Make Pastel Hair Color

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This post contains some partner links, which help support Brighter Sides! See footer for more info. Photo: Flickr/Giulia BartraHow to make pastel hair color - easier than you think and it saves money! Click through to see the DIY tutorial, by a professional hairstylist.

This post has been a long time coming! I have had so many people ask me how to achieve pastel colored hair. There are a few pastel colors available for purchase now, but this is my preferred method of creating a custom DIY pastel hair color. (Note this only works with semi-permanent hair colors like Special Effects, Manic Panic, RAW, etc. This will NOT work with any hair color that requires mixing it with a developer to process.)

Update: Paul Mitchell, the company I most highly recommend as a professional hairstylist, recently started selling their products at Loxa Beauty – it’s the only place approved to sell authentic PM products online.

BEFORE COLORING

Before coloring, you’ll want to make sure that your hair is lightened to very pale yellow, as close to white as possible. If you’d like to tone it with a platinum/purple toner so that you are working on a white “canvas”, you can. As always, I recommend that you leave the bleaching to a professional. If you have a previous color in your hair, you’ll want to fade it out as much as possible, which I’ve covered how to do that in this post on how to fade your hair color! Now that you’re hair is gloriously light and ready to receive color, we’ll mix up a nice pastel.

Related: How To Fade Your Hair Color (And Why You Might Want To Do That)

SUPPLIES

A color bowl and applicator brush
Your starting color of choice (I’m using Paul Mitchell Inkworks in Hot Pink, but the color and brand are up to you! I’ve had great experiences with both Special Effects and Manic Panic colors.)
A white conditioner (I use Paul Mitchell Super Strong Conditioner, which is my favorite to use for this because you’re adding protein back into your hair along with the color!
Latex or Nitrile gloves
And optionally a whisk for mixing and a towel or some paper towels.

MIXING THE COLOR

I’m starting off with just a tiny amount of hot pink color in my bowl. Depending on how light you want the color to be and how much of your hair you are coloring, this will probably end up being enough to color your whole head! This is what it looks like straight out of the bottle.

How To Make Pastel Hair Color - click through for a step by step tutorial on how to make DIY pastel hair dye. It's easier than you think!

Now add a blob of white conditioner to the bowl and mix it up with the hair color. It may help you visually to spread a small amount of the color on a towel, paper towel, or piece of foil as I am doing here.

How To Make Pastel Hair Color - easy step by step tutorial by a professional hairstylist. Click through to see the rest of the steps and make your own pastel hair color!How To Make Pastel Hair Color - click through to find out how you can make pastel hair dye. It's easy!

Keep adding conditioner until you’re satisfied with the shade. See how that tiny amount of color ended up being an entire bowl full? And it’s not even pastel yet. So you can see, if there are pastel colors available for sale, this method is MUCH more economical – a bottle of color will last for TONS of applications if you’re diluting it with conditioner. Plus, letting the mix with the conditioner in it sit on your hair for 20 mins will leave your hair feeling much better than it did before.

How To Make Pastel Hair Color - easy DIY tutorial by a professional hairstylist. Click through to see how to make DIY pastel hair dye!
How To Make Pastel Hair Color - easy DIY for pastel hair. Read this tutorial and find out how to make your own customized pastel hair dye!

APPLY AND RINSE

Once you’ve got the color you want, apply evenly and make sure hair is well saturated. Let it process for 20 minutes or whatever the hair color manufacturer recommends. As I mentioned before, I like using the Paul Mitchell Super Strong Conditioner because it’s adding protein goodness back into your hair for the whole time that it sits there with the color. This always leaves hair feeling softer and smoother. After it’s done processing, rinse well with COOL water, and don’t shampoo.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

If you truly want a light, pastel shade, you may want to do the opposite of what I did and start with a bowl full of conditioner, slowly adding a drop or two of color instead. But as you can see, you don’t have to mix it down all the way to a pastel, you can stop anywhere along the way. When I had bright pink hair, I used to use either Paul Mitchell Hot Pink or Special Effects Atomic Pink with a decent amount of conditioner added to it, as I found it to be too dark and magenta looking when it came straight out of the bottle.The lighter the color is, the faster it’s going to fade, and mixing it with conditioner does inhibit the color’s ability to stick to the hair (that’s kind of the point), so it’s important to take good care of it to make it last as long as possible. Want some pastel hair inspiration before you start? Check out this collection of pastel hair images, and follow my hair color inspiration board on Pinterest (below)!

Follow Kelsi | Brighter Sides Lifestyle Blog’s board HAIR – Color on Pinterest.

As a profesional hairstylist, I use and recommend Paul Mitchell products. You can purchase them online at Loxa Beauty.

P.S. You might also like these posts:
How To Trim Your Own Bangs
Suicide Roll Hair Tutorial For Growing Out Bangs
The Color Wheel And How It Applies To Hair Color

Pin the image below!
How to make your own DIY pastel hair dye and save money! This article has step-by-step instructions and tips from a professional hairstylist.

The post How To Make Pastel Hair Color appeared first on Brighter Sides.

The Color Wheel and How It Applies To Hair Color

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Read this article to find out how to pair colors that look best together, what colors to avoid, and how to neutralize unwanted colors. Illustrated and easy to understand breakdown!
I recently asked my artistically inclined, smarty-pants best friend Aurora to write a guest post for me. I had been planning on writing this post about mixing pastel hair color and thought that a post about the color wheel and how it applies to hair would go hand in hand with that. She did a really amazing job on this post and went above and beyond what I was expecting with beautiful hand-drawn illustrations! Here’s Rora!

Related: How To Make Pastel Hair Color

If you’ve ever learned about color in a science class, you know that all the colors of the visible light spectrum combined make white light. A prism with white light shown through will break up into a rainbow. Shine that rainbow back into a second prism and you’ll get white light again. BUT, if you’ve ever tried mixing every color of crayon or paint, you’ll know that the result is about as far from white as possible.

As much as I would love to razzle-dazzle you with the physics behind color, it’s just not useful here. Really, what I’m trying to convey here is: mixing color as pigment– used in art, make-up, hair dye, etc.- is different. It’s not an exact science, but don’t despair, a helpful device called a color wheel can take some of the guesswork out of getting a desired color.

Here is a simple color wheel- red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, yellow, and so on and so forth. Hopefully you learned in kindergarten that mixing blue and yellow makes green, red and blue make purple and red and yellow make orange, so we’ll skip over that part.

Easy to understand post about choosing the right hair color.

Probably one of the most famous and practical uses of the color wheel is in determining a complementary color.

Complimentary colors - click through to find out how to choose colors that look good together, and how to neutralize unwanted colors.

On the color wheel, the compliment to a given color is the color opposite (across) on the wheel. Example: red and green are complementary colors.

Complementary colors have some properties that make them different than just any two random colors; when mixed, complementary colors should produce a neutral hue, and when shown side by side, they should make each other pop or appear brighter. Because of this neutral-making property, complementary colors are often used to “cancel out” an undesired color in the beauty world.

You may have noticed (or even used) green concealer advertised to cover red marks. In hair, toner is often used to produce this cancelling-out effect. A lavender or purple toner can make blonde hair appear less yellow. If you are a platinum blonde, you may have been advised to get a special blonde shampoo, which contains very small amounts of purple colorant to keep you fresh between appointments. Now, don’t get any big ideas. If your hair isn’t light enough, purple toner isn’t going to do anything but make your hair look sickly (been there!), but a very pale yellow (cornsilk?) plus a purple, should get you somewhere near white.

My favorite part of the color wheel is… the color wheel. Something about putting colors in an order that completes itself and starts over and where each color is partially present in the preceding and succeeding colors is downright pleasurable to me. Using a color scheme of analogous colors is a way to enjoy the orderliness of the color wheel without using the whole rainbow.

Click through to learn how to pair hair colors and create the perfect ombre.

You can work with a palette of analogous colors by taking a continuous selection of colors out of the color wheel. This lends itself well to an ombré-esque effect on hair.

A little practical advice: the best way to choose the placement of the colors is to consider how runny the color is (particularly if it’s a semi-permanent color) and how you will be washing the color out of your hair. If you’re going to go from yellow to blue (stopping on the way at yellow-green, green, and blue-green), realize that yellow is the easiest color to mess up, so keeping it at the top, where rinsing water will cause color to run downward toward the darker colors, might be a little less risky for a novice than putting yellow at the bottom.

An analogous palette does not need to run from one primary to another; you can start on blue-violet and end at orange for all I care, I’m not your boss! While analogous colors may not be the most adventurous color combination choices, any combo is pretty much guaranteed to please the eye.

The Color Wheel And How It Applies To Hair Color - via Brighter Sides

Hopefully you found this useful to some degree. There’s certainly more to it than this, on both the scientific end and the color theory end. Numerous books and college courses exist on both subjects, if you’re interested.

P.S. You might also like these posts:
Suicide Roll Hair Tutorial For Growing Out Bangs
How To Pack A Period Kit For Comfort While Traveling
How To Quickly Break In Shoes Without The Pain

The post The Color Wheel and How It Applies To Hair Color appeared first on Brighter Sides.


Tutorial: How To Make Glitter In Photoshop

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Brilliant! Super fast and easy way to make a glitter effect using Photoshop. Awesome way to add some sparkle to your digital designs, especially during the holidays!

I’ve played around a lot in Photoshop, trying to create the perfect glitter effect and I think I’ve finally got the perfect method! At first I used different things like noise filters, which produced decent results, but they were still sort of digital looking and not as glittery as I had hoped. Finally, after a lot of tinkering around, I have an awesome and FAST way to create a glitter effect in Photoshop. It takes less than 20 seconds once you know how to do it and you can start adding all sorts of sparkly touches to your digital designs today!

HOW TO CREATE A GLITTER EFFECT IN PHOTOSHOP

  • Make a new document. Mine is 600×600 at 72ppi.
  • Make a new layer and go to Edit > Fill and choose Color from the dropdown menu. Fill it with any color you’d like; I’m using this bright fuchsia, which makes great color for glitter.

Fast, easy way to create a glitter effect in Photoshop. Click through for the step-by-step tutorial!

  • Create a new layer. Go to Edit > Fill and select Pattern from the dropdown. In the Pattern dialogue box, choose Towel. This should be pre-loaded in your patterns, but if it’s not, hit the little arrow to the right, and load Texture Fill 2.
  • Change the layer blend mode to Overlay.

Super fast way to make glitter in Photoshop. Click through to read the full tutorial and see the end result!

  • Duplicate the pattern layer by hitting Command+J or Layer > Duplicate Layer.
  • Depending on the color you chose, you may want to change the blend mode of your newest layer to Soft Light. I left mine as Overlay. You can also feel free to change the opacity, but I left mine at 100%

Quick, easy way to make a fun glitter effect in photoshop! click to read the tutorial.

That’s it! You can now merge the layers and use your glitter any way you’d like!
Did you find this useful? Let me know in the comments! If you use this method for a graphic somewhere, I’d love to see it in action!

Learn how to make a glitter effect like this in Photoshop. It's so easy!

P.S. You might also like these posts:
5 Best Resources For Free Stock Photos
Free Printable “Hustle” Wall Art
15 Must-Have Tools For Bloggers

Pin this image!
Super fast and easy way to make a realistic glitter effect using Photoshop. Awesome way to add some sparkle to your digital designs, especially during the holidays!

The post Tutorial: How To Make Glitter In Photoshop appeared first on Brighter Sides.

Easy Braided Hair Tutorial For A Big Night Out

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This post contains some affiliate links, which help support Brighter Sides. I only endorse products I love! Disclosure.
Easy braided updo hair tutorial for medium or long hair

Recently, Paul Mitchell sent over their gorgeous, rose gold limited edition Express Ion Smooth+ flat iron, Sculpting Brush, and a matching compact mirror/brush, and asked if I would be interested in using them to create a style for their Big Night Out (#PMBigNightOut) collection. Um, yes! My face lit up when I opened my box of goodies and I couldn’t wait to dig in.

Easy Braided Hair Tutorial #PMBigNightOut

Having been a hairstylist for 10 years and using Paul Mitchell products in the salon and at home, I stand behind their products 100%.Not only is the iron the perfect color (Dang, they’re all sold out of the rose gold now, but they have lots of other pretty ones!), but it heats up to 410 degrees in just 60 seconds, and has a digital readout of the temperature. The default temperature is 360 degrees (what I use), but if you have fine/damaged hair, or very coarse hair, you can adjust it to your liking! The edges are beveled, so you will never get a line in your hair while straightening and it’s conducive to creating flips and waves!

Even though I’m a hairstylist, and I originally started this blog (in 2010) to educate people about their hair, this is actually my first step-by-step styling tutorial! I hope you’ll follow along with me at home and try it out.

Easy Braided Hair Tutorial #PMBigNightOutSupplies:
Paul Mitchell Hot Off The Press
Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum
Paul Mitchell Sculpting Brush
Paul Mitchell Express Ion Smooth+
Heat resistant styling comb
Hair pins
Hair bands

Easy Braided Hair Tutorial #PMBigNightOutThis is what my hair looks like after I let it air dry and wear it up for a couple of days. I always recommend starting with “second day hair” when you’re doing an updo. If it’s too clean, it will be slippery and won’t want to stay put. You can also spray your hair with dry shampoo for a little extra grip. First, tame the beast! I brushed it out with my Sculpting Brush… I didn’t take a photo of that, but just imagine my hair 2.5 times bigger than pictured above.

Easy Braided Hair Tutorial #PMBigNightOutFlat iron your hair starting underneath and pinning the rest up. Let down a 1-2 inch section of hair, and spray it with Hot Off The Press thermal protection hairspray before passing the flat iron over it. This will protect your hair from the heat of the iron, as well as keep the frizz down and keep your hair straighter.

You can see in this photo that I lead every section with a fine-tooth comb, followed by the flat iron. It takes a little practice, but it really helps get your hair its smoothest. My clients have remarked that this tip changed their flat iron game forever. I finished with Super Skinny Serum on the mid-shaft and ends to add some shine and make it feel smoother.

Easy Braided Hair Tutorial #PMBigNightOutMake a deep side part, and then french braid the sections of hair in front of your ears and secure with a hair band. They don’t need to be very tight! Pull gently at the pieces of your braids to fluff them up and make them look fuller.

Easy Braided Hair Tutorial #PMBigNightOutNext, backcomb the crown of your hair. You can do a little or a lot, depending on how much poof you want. I didn’t do a ton, I just wanted a little lift. But feel free to tease it to the moon if you’d like. I won’t judge, I used to be the queen of scene hair. I’m using a regular comb here, but really, a backcombing brush is the way to go. Paul Mitchell makes a great one, and it gives your hair a lot more fluff with a lot less effort.

Easy Braided Hair Tutorial #PMBigNightOutGently smooth your backcombing and pin the ends of your braids underneath so that they’re hidden. I like using hair pins, as opposed to bobby pins. The prongs are wider set and they’re better for holding large chunks of hair.

Easy Braided Hair Tutorial #PMBigNightOutPull all of your hair around to the side and secure it behind your ear with a hairband. Be sure not to pull down too hard on the crown, you don’t want to smush your backcombing job!

Easy Braided Hair Tutorial #PMBigNightOutLoosely braid the ponytail you’ve just created and secure with a hairband.

Easy Braided Hair Tutorial #PMBigNightOutNow pull the sections of your braid to make it look fuller, starting near the hairband and working your way up, and then back down. Generally, the more you pull, the fuller it will get, but after a certain point, it will just start to look loopy. So you may need to experiment a little to find the sweet spot.

Easy Braided Hair Tutorial #PMBigNightOut

Easy Braided Hair Tutorial #PMBigNightOutVoila! You’re ready for any occasion with a style that’s chic but not fussy. Alternatively, You could pin up the part that is hanging down and go with a slightly more formal braided bun.

P.S. You might also like these posts:
How To Clean and Maintain Your Blow Dryer
How To Trim Your Own Bangs
Suicide Roll Hair Tutorial For Growing Out Bangs

Easy braided hair tutorial for a big night out. Click through for step by step instructions!

The post Easy Braided Hair Tutorial For A Big Night Out appeared first on Brighter Sides.

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