My favorite Sexy, Summery Ponytails

The humble ponytail is a styling staple and trusted sidekick for many of us. It's simple, requires little-to-no time commitment and stays out of our way. (All the things we look for in a good relationship.) And, while mine are mostly utilitarian, they manage to look cute sometimes -- although this is usually a fluke. Other times, if my bangs are funky or the messy-look is too pronounced, my ponytail accurately reflects the nanosecond of thought/effort it took to twist and pull my hair out of my face.

But, lately, I've been feeling bad for my ponytail pal -- what with braids getting all the attention and fanfare these days. So, I've sussed out some sexy, summery styles and asked top stylists to explain how I can (easily) recreate the looks myself.

Personally, Im a big fun of Victoria Beckham.
I always enjoy her hair style, and it doesn't disappoint with this deceptively simple 'do, which combines a subtle bouffant look at the crown with carefully placed, sleek pieces in front. Style difficulty rating, on a scale of one to 10? No more than a five or six.

"For the lift on top, the entire crown needs to be backcombed until it almost looks like a beehive before smoothing it down. "Backcomb one section at a time and apply Arimino hairsprays Peace hairsprays to each section. Then slightly brush just the surface of this area until you get the desired bump."

Gather all of your hair low at the nape and secure into a ponytail,  continues, and pull out a few sections to frame your face.

How your layers and lengths around the face are cut is what will determine which pieces to pull out Then flatiron the ends of the ponytail and the pieces by your face.