#hairoftheweek: Belle's Provincial Ponytail

So often I save hairstyles for a rainy day and then when a rainy day comes, I feel like it isn't the absolute rainiest it could be, so I suffer through it and never end up using my savings. This time I recognized that I needed a quick fix and it was the perfect time to dip into my reserves. Ironically, this all happened on the sunniest day we've had in months. Go figure.

The Process:

As you can tell from the name of this hairstyle, this ponytail was inspired by Belle, specifically from the new live action film starring my style (and many other things) idol Emma Watson. It should not come as a surprise to anybody that I would jump at the opportunity to recreate a hairstyle from the Beauty and the Beast (especially since it feels like so long since I've done a character inspired hairstyle), and the Provincial Ponytail was the best fit for the job. I'll save the iconic Ballroom Half Up for another day. I'd been wanting to do this for a while, but my Instagram was full of Beauty and the Beast related stuff so I wanted to space it out a little. That being said, I didn't want it to be so much later that it was no longer relevant.

The Tutorial:

I was surprised by how few steps it took to achieve this look, but I have to direct you to Kayley Melissa, who has included four of the movie's hairstyles in one video. I hope to try them all at some point but for now we'll just stick to this classic.
(1) Brush all your hair and part it in the middle.
(2) Section off all the hair from the ears forward on both sides. Make sure you have a clean line.
(3) Clip or tie these sections off so they don't mix with your loose hairs in the back.
(4) At the crown of your braid, pick up chunks and backcomb them. Do your best not to rub the comb through your hair because that is much harder (and far more painful) to brush out than going in one direction.
(5) Pick up another layer and tease that as well. I did three layers.
(6) Flip all your teased hair to the back and smooth it out. You'll be left with a bump much smaller, but still have some volume.
(7) Loosely tie the teased hair together in a "half up" manner. I suggest loosely tying it because you may have to move that elastic up or down later on in the hairstyle.
(8) Back to the front, release one of the sections and begin twisting all the hair in along the part. Start with a small section right at the part between the twist and the bump and gradually add in hair with every twist.
(9) Once you've added in all your hair, finish the twist and use a bobby pin to pin it in the approximate angle you want it. This is a placeholder.
(10) Twist the other side of your hair.
(11) When you've finished the second twist, carefully remove the bobby pin, keeping both twists twisted, and tie them together with a small elastic. Try to be as centered as possible.
(12) Flip the twist once and tug on it (both the front and the back) and loosen as you like to get that full, voluminous effect.
(13) Adjust the elastic keeping the bump together so that it hides behind the twist.
(14) You could leave the hairstyle here if you want, but to continue on, brush the remaining hair to make this next part as smooth as possible.
(15) Tie the hair in a low ponytail with a large elastic.
(16) Make a hole using the center of your twist as a guide, and flip the ponytail in.
(17) Tighten or loosen this as you please. I had to redo this part a couple times because the two sides would turn out uneven.
(18) The final step would be to tie a blue ribbon around that elastic, but I do not come from a family of ribbon people, so the dress will have to suffice.

The Result:

4.21.17 provincial ponytail (x)

What a puzzle to the rest of us, that Belle. Don't forget to give it a like on Instagram if you haven't already!

The Verdict:

In hindsight, a blue hair elastic would have done the trick. To be fair, however, my foresight tells me I do not own one of those either. No need to bother searching for one. After wearing this for a while, I realized how much I loved this technique. You really could just leave it as a half updo because not only is it beautiful, it also was very comfortable and does a stellar job at keeping hair out of your face. Plus backcombing is fun and I don't give myself an excuse to do it enough.

What do you think of this hairstyle? Is it similar enough to the movie? Let me know in the comments below! I can't wait to wear the half up version of this hairstyle in life in general. As always, don't forget to follow me on Instagram to stay up-to-date on #hairoftheweek and remember that the person with the most first likes at the end of the season gets an extra vote for Fan Favorite!


Talk to you soon!

xo, Yvette