How To: The Messy Fishtail Braid | #MAKEYOURMARK with Mark Hill

When styling my hair, using the right products is so important. I have naturally thick hair, so picking out the right shampoo and conditioning just changes everything! I usually don’t want my hair to appear too thick, as it gets easily frizzy and out of place, but I don’t want to flatten it out either. Finding the right balance can definitely be quite tricky, however when I was approached with the opportunity to test out Mark Hill’s never-seen-before hair care range for the #MakeYourMark campaign, I thought I would give it a go!

I always find it so fun to experiment with hair care and styling products, knowing that you can achieve a completely different look each time! The products I got gifted are the XL Volume Shampoo, a Styling Primer and a can of Freeze Hold Hairspray. Having never used a hair primer before, you could imagine how excited I was to try out these new products! I decided to test them out the night before, and I instantly fell in love.

Before using the XL Volume Amplifying Shampoo (which contains collagen to improve hair strength), I was a little worried that my hair would come out thicker than ever. I couldn’t have been proved more wrong, this shampoo is ideal for pretty much any hair type – it left mine looking full of body, and voluminous in a really good way! The exciting part was using the Styling Primer: I let my hair air dry for about ten minutes before applying the primer throughout, using my fingertips to make sure I spread it evenly and then combing my hair back. The lightweight formula of this product makes for the perfect foundation from which to style your hair, keeping your look in place and leaving no frizziness or fly-aways – an absolute dream for me!

After having tested out these hair care products and seeing how amazing they proved to be, I wanted to show you myself by doing something a little special for the #MakeYourMark campaign! In collaboration with the modern and high-tech London hotel M by Montcalm based in Shoreditch, it was the perfect location to shoot a classy, stylish and feminine hair tutorial. I had the amazing opportunity to shoot in one of their modern and sophisticated suites overlooking the active streets of restless Shoreditch, with each room designed for contemporary comfort and incorporating intelligent technology. The must-be place to stay in East London!

The hairstyle I wanted to go for using Mark Hill’s never-seen-before range is the Messy Fishtail Braid: a look that is very easy to recreate yourself, perfect for every-day and entirely versatile! To have this done I collaborated with amazing Hair & Makeup Artist Arathi (Beauty by Arathi), who styled my hair to perfection and gave me a matching makeup look. Having already washed my hair the day before and used the Primer, my hair was still able to hold firmly and the braid was ready to be made!

The steps are pretty simple: firstly we made a poof to add volume and give the look a wow-factor, spraying the top with the Freeze Hold Mark Hill hairspray to make sure it stayed in place all day. Making the braid is fairly easy itself:

1. Split your hair into two sections.
2. Take a strand from the right outer side of your hair and cross it over underneath the left side.
3. Repeat this process (left strand goes underneath the right, etc.)

The braid will start to form more and more as you go along, but it’s important to keep spraying your hair with the Freeze Hold hairspray to make sure it stays in place. This hairstyle is so chic and it is my absolute favorite to wear!

For makeup I wanted to achieve a bold but feminine and sun-kissed look, perfect for mid-summer in the busy city. We decided on a thick black cat-eye, golden shades of eyeshadow, rosy cheeks and a light burgundy lip. In this look I went for the sophisticated yet fashion-forward woman, wearing a suited dress from my new favorite label COMFESS (designed by blogger Amoureuse de Mode), with pointy flats and minimal gold jewelry. I feel like the hairstyle worked really well with both the outfit and location!

Overall I am super impressed with all three products from the Mark Hill never-seen-before range, and honestly my hair has never felt or looked so good! I hope you enjoyed seeing my #MakeYourMark campaign, and I would love to hear your thoughts on the products (have any of you tried a Styling Primer before?) and what you think of this hairstyle!

Xx Bibi

Photo credit: Ruta from Amoureuse de Mode
Makeup & Hair: Beauty by Arathi
Dress: Comfess
Location: The M by Montcalm Shoreditch hotel

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ALL HAIRCARE PRODUCTS BY MARK HILL.

View the full range HERE.