Hairstyle Hacks: 5 Step Easy French Plait

I've been trying to nail the French plait for literally years and years and I finally think I've got to grips with the technique so I thought I'd do a post where I can explain it as simply as possible for anybody else who finds most online tutorials hard to follow...

>> Firstly you need to make sure your hair is well brushed so you can run your fingers through it without tangling. Then take a section at the top of the back of your head. This can be as thick as you like- the thicker it is the thicker your overall plait will turn out.

>> Next you just simply part this hair into three equal strands and bring the left piece over into the middle. Then bring the right side piece over into the middle- just as you would if you were beginning a normal plait.

>> Then take the piece on the left side and go to bring it to the middle again, but before you do this be sure to grab a section of hair from the front of your head on that same side (again, the thicker the section the thicker the braid will be). Merge the piece of hair from the front with your left strand and then bring it into the middle. Then repeat this exact same step with the piece of hair on the right side- merge it with a section of hair from the front and then bring it into the centre. 

>> Continue repeating step 3 over and over until all of your hair is woven into the plait. By the time you get near the end of the plait you may naturally end up going into a regular braid, this is completely fine and helps to tie up the plait neatly.

>> Finally, tie your hair at the end with an elastic and pull out any loose pieces at the front for a pretty, wispy look.

Hopefully these steps were easy to follow...the satisfaction of finally mastering a braid is always a great feeling!

MAC 'Mehr' Lipstick Review

After eyeing it up for several months, I finally decided to tick 'Mehr' off of the list of MAC lipsticks I want whilst in Brighton recently. As a big fan of the Revlon Matte Balm in 'Elusive' (which I reviewed here) I hoped Mehr would be a similar rosy pink wearable shade.

On comparing the two, Mehr is a little more reddy-brown toned but the classic matte formula from MAC makes the lips look really full whilst being impressively long wearing. It tends to fade to more of a subtle lip stain after you've eaten/drank. I also find MAC's matte formulas to be surprisingly non-drying...when your lips are feeling a little chapped, a matte lipstick usually sounds like a bad idea, but the MAC formula manages to have a creaminess to them which prevents the product from clinging to dry patches.

I've been wearing Mehr alongside a gold/bronze shimmery eye (usually made up of All That Glitters eyeshadow!) and I think it's so perfect for this Summer into Autumn transition because its bright enough to be noticed but still neutral enough to pair with virtually any eye look. You could also most likely get away with it for school if you didn't build it up too much- Mehr looks just as great when lightly dabbed on the lips.

This is my sixth MAC lipstick and I can definitely see it becoming one of my most worn!

Available from MAC here  and priced at £15.50!