After a long hiatus, I've returned! Of course, in my absence the eye for fashion never closes, so I have months of thoughts and ideas swirling around in the maelstrom I like to call 'my brain'.

I have seen quite a lot of these hair pieces that are meant to make you look like you spent hours doing your hair, or perhaps that you have more of it than you do. In many cases this can be a fantastic thing. If you have short hair, for example, and suddenly feel like an updo, the right extensions and pieces can make a great look. However, like so many things, mistakes are often made and you end up looking ridiculous, but we won't let that happen.

Firstly, know what you are buying. Realize that a good hair piece is not going to be cheap. If you buy it from an accessory store in the mall or - I shudder to think of it - a kiosk, chances are your fake hair will not only be obvious, but also difficult to care for. If you're going to do it, spend the money and get a nice looking piece. When you do buy it, make sure it matches your actual hair color, at least reasonably closely. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it should be able to blend. This is probably not going to be easy if your buying your products off the internet, but if that's your choice, try to do a physical match on a piece you like in a store, then try to buy it online. You can also often buy samples of their hair colors to find the one that best matches your hair before you buy from an online retailer.

Once you have what you were looking for, try to make it seem as if it's actually part of your hair, and not just something you clipped on. My biggest pet peeve in this department is the headband that looks like a braid. You pop it on and, if this is your thing, you look like there's a braid woven into your hair around your head. That's fine, but it's not as simple as all that. I saw a woman wearing this the other day with the part still in her hair. It just looked like she was wearing a headband made out of hair, and that gave me the willies. Brush the part out of your hair and arrange the headband in your hair so it looks natural. If you opt for an updo or something of that nature, style the rest of your hair so that you can neither see the attaching apparatus nor the area where your hair ends and the piece takes over. This is a lesson learned from witnessing men with bad toupees. It doesn't have to happen.

This is great if you're going to have a night out and want stunning hair without having to spend hours at it. Pull your hair back into a bun and attach a piece around the bun, and suddenly you have a glamorous updo that required much less work (and product) on your part. Also, you can use this for an everyday situation, like work. You wake up in the morning and have neither the time nor tolerance for a lengthy hair process. Put on a piece and you look like a rockstar. People will wonder how you did it.

And if you're looking for a place to start, Wigs.com has a huge variety of things to choose from.

Pictures thanks to Alternative Hair