Abby's Half Up, Half Down Braided 'do

Well hello again, LMP readers! I'm back for the next installment of Beauty with Brittany Lo. Remember when I talked about how Natasha and I glammed up Abby & Seri of for the Mommy Shorts book launch party a few weeks ago? Well, I'm back to discuss the details of Abby's epic hairdo, by Natasha!

LMP was styling the event, so Abby wanted a hairdo that would stay out of her face while they were setting up, but also looked good in pictures and wouldn't go crazy if she ended up sweating a lot.  She and Natasha decided on this braided half up, half down look. Here is how to achieve this look on your own!

1) Wrap your hair around the curling iron barrel and hold onto the ends. Abby wanted waves rather than a traditional curl so by keeping the ends straighter it helps give the wave effect.

2) Create a underhand french braid to make the braid "pop"! Braid the strands underneath each other in the same manner as a traditional french braid. For Abby we did two rows of braids but one bigger braid on each side would look just as great! Secure the end of the braid with a small hair tie.

3) Fluff the braid by gently pulling the pieces to loosen up the look.

4) Connect the braids on each side with a fun knot or bun. Use a few bobby pins to secure where the two braids intersect. The best part of this step is that you can be creative and connect these braids however you'd like!

Ultimately, this half up, half down hairdo accomplished exactly what Abby wanted - it didn't get in the way, and her hair looked awesome in the pictures from that night!

Above photo by Dave Robbins Photograhy

Stay tuned for my next beauty post for LMP, where I will be chatting all about the hair + makeup that Beautini did for the author herself, Ilana of Mommy Shorts.  Until next time!

xo, Brittany Lo @brittany.lo