When wearing my hair up or back, I like to have some hair down around my face, I like the neat but messy style sometimes.  These are a couple of ways that I like to pull my hair back when I don't have time to fuss. I don't necessarily know that they are new to any of you, but maybe some of you?
So anyway...

1) Grab your hair into a low pony tail, but don't tie off yet, twist hair until it starts to twist around itself, and bring lower part of tail up and on top of the base of the tail.  Tie off using an elastic or scruchie, and leave the excess of hair spurt from the top.  Looks cute!

2)  Pull hair back and away from head, sliding your hand a couple of inches away from the back of your head, this will create some slack.  Now, where your hand is holding your hair, bring that part close to your head so that it is touching where you would like to secure it.  Using a large enough clip to hold the thickness of your hair (I use one of those long barrettes from scunci, the ones that usually come in black, silver or gold) slide the barrette in horizontally getting underneath the hair almost to the scalp and on top of the folded section (but only the underside of the folded hair, you need to leave the rest to hang over the barrette) and secure.  This leaves the hair flowing over the barrette so that you can't see it, it just looks like hair cascading down from your head.  This might be confusing, I really need to post some pics, but I have no one to take them!

3)  Grab the hair low and twist a few times, I just do it loosely because I don't like it too tight - but do what works for you.  Then, as if you were about to start circling it into a bun, bring the hair down, and back up again, I stop at this point with my BSL hair, but if your hair is longer you can go around a few more times, the idea is to leave a few inches of the end of your hair free.  I will then clip that section to the mid-back of my head, leaving some hair down around my face, and also leaving the remainder of the hair to stick out.  Sometimes I will leave that part longer so it flows, or make it shorter and spikey-er for a funkier look. 

So, they are a few of my attempts at wearing my hair up, hope the instructions are not *too* confusing!    Maybe you guys can add some "spice" to my ideas  8)

Hey I like that style too. There's one that I always do.
Put your hair in a low ponytail loosely, then get the end of the ponytail and bring it up, tuck it into where the ponytail joins to the head. Get it?
Cheers.