Simple buns for hip length hair with layers???

[indigonight]

I'm useless with complicated up-dos and so far only can do:

-braid
-french braid
-cinnabun
-messy stick secured bun
-infinity bun
-victorian bun
-french twist- although I've been known to even mess this up

Can anybody recommend some styles to me that would be manageable and also give minimal hair damage, bearing in mind that I have layers.... styles that would look elegant?
I have looked through the articles and unless they feature vids I'm mostly tooo useless to understand the instructions!

Most days I twist my hair around and shove a hair stick in it as I struggle with most up-dos. I feel saddened as I dont have the patience and dexterity to do beautiful things but I am sure I can learn something more than the rubbishy dos I do and such a shame to have such long hair and not do anything decent with it... boohooo!!

I have long hair but am not so good with complicated dos and when I try I just end up damaging and pulling out my hair in frustration!!

Many many thanks....I really need some new ideas!

[kittensoupnrice]

At hip length, I had great success with the lazy wrap and the nautilus style buns.

Nautilus style buns would include the nautilus, artemis, hypno, and pencil buns.

You might also have decent luck with a log roll.

ETA
Just thought of a few more:
Spidermom's bun, if you can manage it with your iii at hip, would also probably be good.
Folded braids aren't really buns, but they also do well with layers as you can hide the tail.
I also remembered that I did really well with the braided cinnabun w/ 2 hairscroos + amish hair pin technique, too.

There's also, always, the sock bun.
I find that since my layers still make my braid taper look weird with the sock bun & one braid, that I do best w/ making two or even four braids out of the left over sock bun hair and then wrapping those around. Just tuck the braid ends in, and it looks more symmetrical.