A woman with shoulder-length hair showed me this trick.  Using a big scrunchie, make a pony tail fairly high on your head, and don't pull the tail all the way thru the last loop, leaving a loop of hair hanging.  Lift the loop of hair up and lay it against your head in a ten or two o'clock position.  Insert a hair stick thru the eye of the hair loop and under the scrunchie.   Voila!  Instant and very easy fancy bun.  I have dark hair and use a black jersey scrunchie.

I have fine hair and it compacts really tightly, and it is longer than shoulder length.  When I lift the hair loop up, I twist it 2 or 3 times, insert the hairstick thru the eye of loop and under the scrunchie just until the tip of hairstick is visible on the opposite side.  Then I take one of those $5 elastic rings of curls (you get them at the drugstore or WalMart) place it over the upper part of the hairstick (imagine a pencil sticking thru the hole of a donut), stretch it down and around the bun and scrunchie, then push the hairstick into position, with the far end coming over the elastic band.  You now have a twisted bun surrounded by curls.  I have gotten many compliments on this style.

It takes about 2 minutes to do, stays secure all day, and isn't at all harmful to your hair.