A French pin is the fastest updo there is, and this one puts a ribbon bow on the end of it. Gather your hair into a twist, hold it, and slide the two prongs down through the strands. That is the whole technique, it takes about three seconds, and the style holds because of how the pin sits rather than because anything is gripping your scalp.

The bow is cast in solid zinc alloy, which is the reason it keeps its shape and its gold color instead of bending out of true or wearing dull the way a thin plated pin does. The mini size is the useful one: it works on half up styles, on shorter hair and on finer hair where a full size pin has nothing to bite into, and the smooth metal glides through without snagging. Drop it in your bag and you can put your hair up anywhere.