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Insta-Makeover

While you can do any kind of part, Williams says this look is best with a deep side-part.

Theory Tommie C Sweater

Grab a small section of hair a few inches away from the hairline and begin creating a tiny, three-strand braid. Williams says you want the braid away from the hairline so that you can see some movement at the front of the hair — it makes the braid act more like an accessory. Use a small elastic to secure at the end.

Theory Tommie C Sweater

Gather all of your hair to the side of your head opposite of your part.

Theory Tommie C Sweater

Pin hair in place to create a loose, messy chignon. Since Taylor's hair is short, she simply twisted it into the shape she wanted and used tons of pins to keep it in place. For girls with longer hair, Williams says you will have to pull it up in a ponytail first, then twist it in order to secure. Spray some hairspray on the back to keep everything where you want it and use pins to tuck any pieces that fall out.

Theory Tommie C Sweater

Hands down the easiest way to fake a wide-awake look is to curl your lashes because, as Lake says, it visually opens up your eye.

Theory Tommie C Sweater

Once your eyes are properly perked up, apply an eye primer (to prevent creasing), then take a creamy liner (Lake likes Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes) and line your eyes right along the lash line. For this look, we used a deep purple, but navy, mink brown, charcoal, and emerald would all work as well. Just stay away from black, as it can look too heavy and is very unforgiving if you make a mistake. Use your pinkie or ring finger to gently smudge the color for a soft and hazy effect.

Theory Tommie C Sweater

To finish off this look, apply one coat of a volumizing mascara, like Korres Volcanic Minerals Volumizing Mascara, to top lashes only. This will enhance that open and bright-eyed effect.

Theory Tommie C Sweater

Seduction in seconds — this sultry look only took a few minutes, but it gives the impression that you spent a lot more time on it. A word to the wise: Updos, as long as they are moderately polished (that means no half-assed top knots ladies), almost always make you look presentable, and they pull double-duty by hiding greasy "I overslept and didn't have time to shower" hair.

Theory Tommie C Sweater, Joie Katrice Pants, DANNIJO Garrett Bracelet

Monochromatic makeup and a teased ponytail make for a romantically retro look, all with minimal time and effort.

Suno Sweater

To start, section off the top of your hair and lightly tease with a comb.

Suno Sweater

Pull your hair up into a ponytail and secure with an elastic.

Suno Sweater

Use your fingers to gently mess up the front, teased section. Rake your fingers back through it to give it volume and texture and to keep it from looking like a full-on pompadour. Tuck and pin any flyaways, then spray your whole head with a workable hairspray, like Bumble and bumble Spray de Mode.

Suno Sweater

An all-over color stick is like the Swiss Army knife of makeup — it can literally do everything. Use it to add color to your lids and lips, and to sculpt and define the contours of your face. Since you will be applying this all over your face, Lake says to avoid really bright, garish colors or you will literally look like a clown. Stick to rosy pinks, bronzes, or warm peaches. She (like every other makeup artist, ever) swears by NARS The Multiple in Orgasm.

Dab a smudge of color on your fingertips and, starting at your temple, move in a C-formation from the temple to the top of your cheekbone, stopping in the center just before you hit the apples of your cheeks. Repeat on the other side.

Suno Sweater

Using your ring finger, apply the color on your lid, making sure to stop when you get to your crease. You don't want to extend the color above your crease or it will wind up looking overdone and odd.

Suno Sweater

To finish up, dab a bit on your lips to add a fresh flush of color. You can keep it creamy, or add a bit of gloss on top to give it a sheen.

Suno Sweater

Ladylike and refined, no one will ever guess that you whipped this up while you were running way late to work. Not sure your boss will appreciate it quite as much as we do, though.

Suno Sweater and Skirt

Photographed by Sunny Shokrae; Makeup by Claudia Lake; Hair by Britney Williams for Bumble and bumble; Model Taylor Vasi at S Models, Shot on location at The Standard East Village

Start with dry hair. Prep your strands with product — girls with straight hair should choose a gel like Shu Uemura Art of Hair Fiber Lift Gel, while girls with natural curl should use a mousse like Kérastase Mousse Substantive.

According to Finneran, the trick to getting a perfect curl is layering. Apply a small amount of product to strands, blow out hair, then apply another dollop of product and blow hair out again. If your hair doesn't hold a curl, you may need to add two to three layers of product. "Hair is stubborn and adding product is the best way to get it to do what you want. By drying the hair between layers, you ensure the product dries and is absorbed into the hair shaft." The exception to this rule is super-curly haired girls — Finneran says you should just apply a shine serum and blow dry hair once to smooth your strands and lock out frizz.

Once your hair is prepped, create a deep side-part.

Take a one-inch section of hair and wrap it around a medium-barrel curling iron. You're going to start curling on the side opposite your part and direct the curl inward, toward your face.

As you move around the head, keep curling your hair in the same direction that you started with. This means that by the time you get to the opposite side of your head, you will be directing the curl away from the face, instead of toward it. This is what guarantees that consistency that separates the beachy wave from the sleek wave.

Take a flat bristle brush and run it through your hair, brushing out the curl so it becomes softer and less defined.

Pull back the hair on the side of your head where the part is focused and twist it loosely, then use a pin to secure the hair down behind your ear.

You can leave the waves as they are for a glossy, retro feel, or tease the bottom of your hair to add texture and make it a bit more modern. Be sure to avoid the roots — Finneran says you want those to remain sleek in order to create a visual juxtaposition with your poufy ends. Use your fingers to comb through the hair and tone down the volume once you're done teasing. Spray with hairspray for hold.

So gorgeous and feminine, yet still strong and sophisticated. Pair this style with a berry stain, long lashes, and a bold brow for a fierce fall look that will really turn heads.

ShopNear.Me founder Yuan Zhang's chevron nails are covet-worthy! Plus, they match her purse, how perfect is that?

Photographed by Klassy Goldberg

Web producer Rachel Agana's galaxy stunners are out of this world.

Photo: Courtesy of Rachel Agana

Stylist and closet consultant Alexis Badiyi has shimmery digits — and we love 'em!

Photo: Courtesy of Alexis Badiyi

Parris Hodges of Pams & Kin applied Pams & Kin's colors to achieve this kaleidoscopic look. Sure, this mani takes a bit of time, but patience pays off!

Photo: Courtesy of Pams & Kin

Me-ow! Refinery29 S.F. editor Angela Tafoya has one wild mani, thanks to her Sally Hansen nail stickers.

Photographed by Angela Tafoya

Mira Mira shop owner Mira Pickett sports one of our fave spring trends on her phalanges — pastel paired with a nude hue!

Photo: Courtesy of Mira Pickett

As if one neon-hued accessory wasn't enough, pretty PR gal and former Refinery29 S.F. intern Eunice Tanos shows off her tropical-to-go nails.

Photographed by Klassy Goldberg

You saw it here first, folks! Kiri Jones of Pams & Kin gives us a pinstripey preview of a new soon-to-be-released color, Dirty Pop.

Photo: Courtesy of Pams & Kin

We love that Acrimony and ACRE/SF owner Jenny Chung paired her pretty mani with an edgy accessory.

Photo: Courtesy of Jenny Chung

Indigo Goodson's many styles make it hard to pick a fave. However, we're really digging the rhinestones on the middle fingers.

Photo: Courtesy of Indigo Goodson

We spotted our very own senior editor Katie Hintz-Zambrano with a retro-inspired, polka-dot mani.

Photographed by Katie Hintz-Zambrano

We're loving Sally Hansen's orange decals on student and Aussie import Emily Benjamin. And it doesn't hurt that girlfriend matched her digits to her bling.

Photographed by Klassy Goldberg

The Swooping Bun

Modeled after the pearl-bedecked manes seen at Chanel's spring '12 show, this ladylike coiff effortlessly marries sophistication with cutting-edge style.

Add some gel to your hair and create a slightly off center-part using a wide-tooth comb. Since this 'do is all about sculpting, Brill recommends using a stronger hold gel. She likes to use a drugstore brand — Krystal Eco Styler Alcohol-Free Styling Gel — because "cheap gel is always the best kind of gel for styles like this, where you want a more defined look. It stays wet-looking and helps hair maintain texture, so you don't show up to work with your hair looking one way, then have in-between frizz by lunchtime."

Comb back the sides around the ears; hold it parallel to the part, then comb down to the temple and sweep toward the back of the hair around the ear to sculpt the hair into an artistic shape.

Gather hair into a ponytail at the nape of the neck and secure with an elastic.

Run your fingers through the top of your hair — where the comb lines are from earlier — and wiggle them to help define those lines even more.

Loosely twist the hair.

Hook your fingers near the top of the twisted tail and wrap the hair upward.

Continue twisting the hair into a loose figure-eight. It should be a bit droopy and hanging down. Pin in place.

By keeping the comb lines very defined, it ages down the look and roughs it up, keeping it from looking too prissy or matronly, according to Brill. The sculpting combined with the styling gel helps create a defined, dressed-up 'do that's practically a work of art.

The Edgy Pony

We don't normally think of a ponytail as avant-garde, but lo and behold, it can be done. This textured tail is a riff on that chic coiff that adds a dash of daring to your 'do. The extreme pieciness is modeled after the look at Alexander Wang's spring '12 show.

Start by spritzing the surface of your hair with spray gel. Scrunch hair all-over to create pieciness, then let hair air dry for five minutes in order to lock in texture and add a touch of volume to the roots — as hair dries, it will expand and plump up.

Create a center part, then lean your head back and gently pull hair back at the nape of the neck to create a low ponytail. According to Brill, leaning your hair back to gather the hair helps to create volume behind the ears and above the ponytail. While hair is gathered back, shake your head to allow some front pieces to naturally fall out. Secure hair with an elastic.

Spray hair again with spray gel, and scrunch loose front pieces to refresh the texture if it has fallen. The gel will also help keep frizziness at bay when hair starts to dry.

If you want more volume, Brill suggests lightly tugging the hair at the crown in a pinching, upward motion. "This style is pretty edgy because of the texture — the wetness and the messiness," says Brill. "It's a really nice texturized version of a classic style that's reflective of what's happening on the runways. It's a way to wear a trend while getting out the door faster."

The Bun Ladder

This style is a unique, funky twist on the basic bun. It can be left up or let down once it dries to create wavy, surfer-girl texture. The trick is to keep the style a bit loose, so that hair actually dries.

Spritz some spray gel (Brill likes Kérastase Texture Expert Lotion Densitive GL) from root to tip to give hair pieciness as it dries. Using a wide-tooth comb, spread the gel throughout the hair as you comb it backward, away from the face. Brill says it's important to use a gel that doesn't flake, because when it dries and you take it down, you're going to be shaking around the roots and you don't want to look like you've got dandruff.

Place your pointer fingers at your temples and section off the hair by pulling it straight back toward the crown. Where the fingers meet at the back of your head, this will create your first section.

Twist the sectioned-off hair tightly, until it starts to fold in on itself, creating a bun.

Use a small pin (or two, if you hair is really thick) to secure the bun.

Place your pointer fingers just above your ears and draw them toward the back of your head to create your second section. Repeat the prior steps to create another bun.

Take the remaining hair and create your final bun, directly below the first two.

Spray your hair again with the spray gel to reactivate the tackiness and texture, then use your fingers to scrape through the hair, all around the head. Finish with hairspray to hold.

Thanks to the stacked effect of the buns and the texture and volume through the front of the hair, this look elevates a traditional style into something a bit more daring and fashion-forward.

While it looks good as is, if you don't want to leave your hair up all day, you can take this down once it dries. To style, Brill says to take the buns down, but not brush through the hair. Instead, shake out with your fingertips, moving slowly around the face. This surfy texture is beautiful on its own, but Brill also likes the idea of pulling it back into a thick, wavy ponytail. Just be sure not to over-touch your hair or it will lose the pieciness.

Start off by dividing your hair into two even sections on either side of your head.

Use a hair elastic to secure each section into a ponytail.

The ponytails should be at the back of your head, not on the sides.

Begin braiding your ponytail into a traditional three-strand braid. Secure with a hair elastic, then repeat with the remaining section.

Using your fingers, gently pull apart the braid to fatten it up and add a bit of texture.

Grab your two braids and cross one across the other, at the back of your head.

Pull the two strands tight, creating a knot with your hair.

Tuck the remaining hair from the right side over the knot, and the hair from the left underneath. Both strands should be integrated into the initial knot. Then, use the Spin Pin to secure. Continue adding in pins until hair is held firmly in place.

Grab some strong hold hairspray and spritz your new 'do for extra security.

Looks complicated, but so easy, right?

With 15 unique colors, and 4 different patterns (snake, diagonal, starburst,and curve), LCN brings some variety to the usual offerings. The only downside: You have to purchase the magnets separately.

LCN Magnet Effect Polish; $9.90; magnets, $15.90; both available at LCN.

The drugstore overachiever debuts 8 trendy colors (we're digging Kinetic Copper) and come with a built in magnet, so these bad boys won't set you back a ton of dinero.

Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Color, $8.99, available at Target.

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