An Unexpectedly Fun-Looking Up ‘Do to Try Courtesy of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge

Mon, 14 May 2012 5:53PM

Although she’s beyond-beautiful and has some of the shiniest-looking hair we’ve ever seen, when it comes to serious style inspiration, Kate Middleton, or Catherine Duchess of Cambridge as she’s also known around the traps, isn’t necessarily our first go-to-girl. We get that her role as potential future queen of England kind of dictates that her hair, makeup and wardrobe choices stay on the safe side, but in true PRIMPED form, we like to give credit where credit is due and it’s for this very reason that we’ve dedicated this fine post to celebrating what is quite possibly the sweetest, most flattering up ‘do we’ve seen in a long time.

Take it away, Kate… 

The thing with an up ‘do is that there’s a fine line between looking sweet, stale and over done. On one hand, you don’t want anything too slick or flat, but on the flip-side, opt for a style that’s too big on volume, and you can wind up looking like a lady that lunches… or in Kate’s case, Will’s dear aunt, Princess Margaret.

So, if you’ve got a wedding, ball, party, 21st, 30th, or just somwhere fancy you need to be sometime soon and you’re looking for a foolproof style that’ll see you through the night, and then some, I strongly suggest you give this ‘do a whirl.

The Three Ingredients To A Fool-Proof Up ‘Do

1. The Imperfect part. Go for something super sleeked back and tight  and chances are you’ll end up with a splitting headache before the main meal is served. The trick to creating the perfect imperfect part is to ditch the tail comb and let your hair fall naturally before raking your fingers through the roots. Too easy.

2. The More Volume When Prepping, The Merrier. Just like a blow-dry, the volume also drops in an up do so it pays to prep the roots, as well as the ends with a volumising mousse beforehand. The thing to remember with a body-building product is that you can always tone down the volume before pinning back the hair using a thick-bristle brush. Another thing to remember is that up styles always work best on dry, day old hair, but if you’re stuck, dry shampoo also does a stellar job at giving freshly-washed hair just the right amount of grittiness.

3. Always add a distraction. Think a hair ornament, like a pin or clip, or it could be a simple as a plait, or in Kate’s case, a soft braid that weaves its way through the style. A braid not only adds a little laid-back texture to the style, but it’s also a genius way to deal with naturally thick hair, without weighing down the bun at the back.

Hands up if you’re a fan?

Are you a whiz at braiding?

How do you feel about Kate’s style? 

Posted by: Eliza Ashe

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Tags: featured, hair, kate middleton, kate middleton hair, soft up 'dos