Here's an Easy Formula for Nailing Your High Ponytail Every Time

published 15 February 2016

Rachel Antonoff rang in her Spring 2016 collection a liiiittle differently this season. Instead of a standard presentation, she put on a mini-musical cheekily entitled "A Secretary Is Not a Toy." You hear that Don Draper?

The hairstyles for the '50s-inspired show were expectedly perky and included a half-up bow, soft bun with a pencil, and a high ponytail. When I got the rundown for the latter, I became privy to a game-changing trick or formula for getting it at just the right angle to flatter your face.

Box, Costume, Handbag, One-piece garment,

Lead hairstylist for Cutler/Redken Salon's Linh Nguyen cites Mr. Mona Lisa himself, Leonardo da Vinci, and his passion for the rule of thirds as the inspiration. The "mathematics" entail setting the foundation of the pony in line in with the cheekbones and the top of the ear. Because we all have different face shapes and proportions, this will yield different angles for different women. But there's a universal result in that it will make your cheekbones look higher/more defined.

What's more is that you can use the very same placement for your lazy-girl top knots, says Nguyen. And there you have it.

Ear, Hairstyle, Chin, Forehead, Eyebrow, Hair accessory, Headpiece, Style, Eyelash, Headgear,

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Lauren Valenti is Vogue’s former senior beauty editor. Her work has also appeared on ELLE.com, MarieClaire.com, and in In Style. She graduated with a liberal arts degree from Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts, with a concentration on Culture and Media Studies and a minor in Journalism.