They Make It Look Easy

Hi munchkins!

I'm so, so, so sorry for being such a bad blogger and not posting more often. My excuses are that a) I've had a lot on my mind, and b) I've been a bit lacking on inspiration lately, and I like my articles to be fueled with passion instead of obligation. You understand, right?

Well, even if you don't, it's my blog and I can do what I want to! If I were more childish, I would stick my fingers in my ears and wag my tongue. Too bad I'm a mature young lady of nineteen who would never even think to do such a thing. Ahem.

All kidding aside, let's take a moment to fill ourselves with cool hair envy.

Yes, I am still obsessed with that partially shaved look. However, I have decided these ladies make it look misleadingly easy to pull off. The right attitude is definitely a must, and they have plenty of that, not to mention they are all gorgeous. But damn, if you're braver than me, you should definitely go for it! Life is too short to wear your hair long - that's what I always say!

Okay, not always. In fact, it is possible that I am a long-haired  hypocrite who just made the saying up this very minute. But it sounds like something I might always say, and that's what matters.

Photos of cool partially-shaved hair made possible by: Karla, Arvida, some model from egfashion.co.uk, and Wasson.

This Is How It Goes Down

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

Okay, children, here's the deal. A bunch of us will agree to shave our heads like the brave and gorgeous people above. We will all do it. You know the whole "strength in numbers" thing? Well maybe a large number of fellow partial-head-shavers will give me the strength to actually go through with it. 'Cause damn that's a cool look.

Okay, probably not happening. Never say never, though. Wow, I'm on a roll with the overused proverbs tonight.

In other news, I checked out Alexander McQueen for Target today.

Most of my dressing room pictures sucked (bad lighting and all), but here you can see the studded shorts, black cropped blazer, and one-shouldered swimsuit. Alas, the swimsuit didn't accommodate my overly long torso, the blazer was not something I'd get a lot of use out of, and the shorts were a bit pricey for a tiny scrap of denim. Oh well. I also quite liked the cropped black trousers and printed gray dress. If I buy one piece from this collection, I'm betting it will be that sweet studded denim jacket, but I didn't see it in the store. Oh, and the harness bikini. I'll check back, though. The quality and cut of all the clothing actually seemed pretty high.

Alright, I've got a stack of magazines to flip through (including the new Teen Vogue and a copy of Indie, which I've never read before), so I'll catch you cool cats later.

Deep Red

Lately I've been noticing girls with hair dyed a deep, unnatural red popping up on street style blogs.

Photo sources: Dropsnap.jp, The Fashionist, Style Sightings, Dropsnap.jp

I have to say, I think it looks really good. It's definitely a statement since the color is clearly straight from a dye bottle, but it's a lot more subtle than, say, neon tresses.

I love how the top two girls styled it in a way that's classic yet modern. A bit of ladylike demeanor, some hints at vintage luxury, and a quirky sense of humor are great companions to the deep red bob. Of course, if you know me at all, then you can be sure that the bottom two girls share my style sensibilities to a greater extent. Whether rocking extremely long (left) or extremely short (right) locks, these girls were sure to don all black to add a nice contrast between hair and clothing. Killer shoes, sleek tight-clad legs, and a pinch of punky attitude finish off the look nicely.

Yeah, I'll probably be taking periodic breaks from my bio-studying to peer at myself in the mirror and contemplate whether it's a good idea to give my dark brown waves a bit of a reddish tint. Something darker than the girls in the photos, mind you, because my vampire-pale skin actually has an olive undertone, but I can't help but wonder whether I should give it a try. Just for fun. Then all I need is those studded boots and the leopard-print coat. . .

Pixies: In Which the Readers Write

Photos (L->R from top): The gorgeous Angela, Garance Dore, the Streetwalker, Garance Dore, Altamira NYC

Right now I'm full of ideas and reaping the benefits of a few successful shopping trips, so hopefully I'll have a bunch of articles to post up over the next few days. But for now. . .

As always, my most popular article is Getting the Perfect Pixie, which I wrote in July of '07. I still get regular comments on that one, actually, even though it is over a year old. I often get "Thanks so much; your article has inspired me to get a pixie cut" comments, which both delights and floors me because it feels crazy that people actually listen to what I say to that extent. I hope my advice paid off for these girls/women! The other kind of comment I tend to get a lot of is one with advice. I love these, because I think it's fantastic that people genuinely want to help each other out, and I'm glad my blog has given them a place to do so. These comments are sweet, insightful, and definitely worth reading - here are a few of my favorites:

♥ I think hair type was far from adequately covered in my original article, because I honestly wasn't sure what would happen were a curly-haired girl to chop it all off. But a commenter tells us:

"I have ringlet curls and last year I sported a pixie cut, and it actually worked really well. Curly hair just gives it a bit of a wilder, less plastered look."

So now you know.

♥ Now here's something that didn't even occur to me until I read this comment:

"Without having hair to hide behind, I've found that it helps a LOT to have well manicured brows. You don't need to get a really thin brow - just clean them up a little and define the arch you have. It, along with the new, shorter hair, will make your eyes really stand out."

Hm, I wish I'd realized this when my hair was really short. But then again, I am a bit lazy when it comes to grooming the brows; in fact, my favorite part of having bangs was that they covered my eyebrows so I didn't have to deal with them.

♥ Now here's a bit of a confidence-booster for those who are nervous about drastically changing hairstyles:

"If you do something weird, like dye hair hair crazy or shave it or something, people will always say 'Wow, I could never pull that off, your so lucky that you can! Your face shape is perfect' or whatever bla bla bla. The point is, just do it, and show confidence in your new hairstyle and people will think you look good. With all the experiments I have done, I have heard 'wow you are the only one that could pull that off' way to many times. And I know that it is not true. All you need to pull something off is confidence in it."

Fantastic advice, no? I love this.

♥ And finally, pilfered from the comment section of my follow-up post The Pixie Cut: Growing Out, is a comment meant to spare readers the painful post-pixie growing out process that I suffered through:

"I got a pixie cut last August and I kept cutting it shorter and shorter until November of last year. Growing it out actually wasn't so bad, but every once and a while I'd get into a mood where I felt hideous and I had to get a trim. Mostly, I just kept getting the back by my neck cut so that the sides of my hair would catch up. Also, I dyed my hair bright red because I felt that it would make me feel less bored and more feminine as I entered the awkward stages. I used product to make my hair look messier when it was growing out so that it was harder to notice when it got mullet-ish. Also, when my hair was at its strangest stage in May, parts were chin length, some parts much shorter, I curled my hair in a 50's, Marilyn Monroe-esque way. The good part about going through this experience was that I got to try tons of different short hair cuts because I would get my hair cut reshaped into a different style every few months."

Um, wow. Wish I'd done that.

That's it for now, but I'd like to say again HOW MUCH I ADORE MY READERS! You guys are too great, seriously. Keep the thoughts, personal experiences, opinions, etc. coming, and not just on my pixie cut articles. I'm no expert when it comes to fashion, and I don't claim to be. Sometimes the best material on this blog comes from the likes of you. Group hug?

Finishing Touches

Sooooooo. . . New York Fashion Week. . .

So far, no particular collection has completely caught my eye (I'm waiting for Anna Sui, my usual favorite), but the makeup at Diesel Black Gold and the headdresses at Diane Von Furstenberg were beyond stunning.

At Diesel Black Gold, makeup artist Val Garland explained the look. "It's very young. It's all about the eyebrow. There's a nod to Alice Cooper. It's all about magenta and peacock blue eyebrows."

I've always loved that scary circus clown pointed-line-through-the-eye thing, but the colored eyebrows take it above and beyond. I've never seen that before, and I think it looks fabulous. Very cool, very playful, very party-all-night. Love.

On a very different end of the spectrum, Diane von Furstenberg's models sported the most gorgeous fairytale headdresses.

I love that these are floral without being at all "flower girl." The addition of the leaves, the feathers, and the strands of ribbons look like they should belong in A Midsummer Night's Dream, or perhaps in Neverland. Very unexpected, I think, from the woman who brought us bright wrap dresses in a myriad of graphic prints. I wonder if this new softness is just another short exploration into a part of Diane's large range, or perhaps a facet of her personality she has finally seen fit to share with us. Either way, I'm blown away.

Photos courtesy of Style.com and Fashionweekdaily.com, as well as the good cobrasnake man.

Gone Experimentin'

I would like to start this post off with a moment of silence for my laptop, which has been infected with a virus. Feel better, laptop - I miss you!

Now that that's taken care of, I'll move onto the more exciting stuff - the clothes! I've acquired some lovely new things over the last couple of weeks, and I finally got my act together to take pictures last night! I came up with some pretty sweet outfits (if I do say so myself) incorporating many of the new goods. Check it out:

Let's talk about the hairstyle, shall we? As promised in my last post, I did some hair experimenting. I kind of like the style I tried out here, but my family finds it ridiculous. What think you, dolls?

The bag and sandals were both purchased a few weeks ago on Senior Skip Day, although the sandals broke after a few wears and I was forced to exchange them yesterday. The bag was super-cheap ($18) at a cute new boutique. I love how unique it is, and apparently the salesgirls did too, since they mournfully confessed they had been hoping no one would buy it so they could snap it up at the end of the day. Sorry, salesgirls! The sandals are super-comfy, reasonably priced ($38), and have padding on the bottom that I find most sandals to be lacking. They also have studs, which I of course adore. And the zebra-striped shorts? Well, they ended up costing $5, so I'm a happy girl!

Okay, done bragging about this outfit. Next!

Here we have summer clothing at it's comfiest. I layered a new dip-dyed tank from the Urban Outfitters bargain basement over an old black romper, since the tank is cut too low in front and under the arms to be worn solo. I added new U.O. sneakers with cut-outs on the sides, which seemed like a practical summer item when I bought them. Since they're basically a parody of sneakers anyway, I played this up by tying them at the ankles a la ballet shoes. Last but not least, the bag was a graduation gift from my amazing Aunt and Uncle. It's by Baggelini, which I had never hear of before, but my Aunt assured me it was in the height of fashion. I adore it because it has so many compartments and expands so that I can use it as a day bag or as luggage. Just what I needed - thanks guys!

I know this seems sort of like a "look-what-I-bought!" bragging session, but apart from dressing up and showing off the new stuff, I was pleased to find how much this blog has been inspiring me to actually try the things I muse about. The hair is something I would never have tried if I hadn't discussed it here, and the dip-dyed tank would have never been mine if I hadn't discussed showing bras beneath shirts on this blog. I didn't end up showing off the bra here, but when I bought the shirt I was definitely thinking about whether I could get away with just a bra underneath instead of a cami, given the cut. I think it would work, but I need the right bra - something like this, maybe. For now, I've discovered that tops can be worn over rompers, instead of just under, which is nice to know!

Another interesting thing I've noticed is that reading other blogs gives me the courage to dress in more crazy/interesting/creative ways. No one here dresses like that, but I take courage and comfort from the fact that other people are brave enough to do their own things (stylwise) elsewhere!

Now about that hairstyle . . . be honest . . .what do you really think? I'm still not sure. . .

Gimme an Updo

I get bored with my hair really quickly, and usually I deal with this by cutting it. However, at the moment I'm liking my fairly easy haircut, even though the bangs aren't all that flattering. Still, I'm thirsting for a bit of a change. I've ruled out an unnatural hair color at the moment, and I've been planning to let my hair grow for a while, which rules out snipping it off.

So at the moment I've resigned myself to a hair rut. Until the notion of an updo popped into my head. You see, I'm not good at putting my hair up in fancy styles. My braids are disastrous, my attempts at buns frightful. Even my ponytails, which are my go-to 'do, are a mess of bumps and stray hairs. But I think maybe it's time to play around and see if I might be able to form the coif into something that looks remotely like one of these non-pretentious-yet-sweetly-glamorous updos:

Oui, the sources are here: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

That should feed the need for a bit of hair change! At the very least, I can ooh and aah over stylish updos meant for dressy occasions:

& more sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

I am constantly disgusted by the stiff, curly buns I see on a disturbing amount of salon-goers on special occasions. I'm talking about the dreaded "prom hair," I suppose. But these styles manage to look soft, not stiff, and I love the retro vibes. There is not a chance I could create one of these masterpieces on my own, but maybe some day (perhaps on that far-off wedding?) I can show one of these photos to a master hair stylist and let them work their magic.

I did some shopping today, the fruits of which I plan to model for y'all tomorrow, but for now I think I'm going to arm myself with brush, mirror, and hairspray for some serious hair playtime. If I end up with anything that looks close to decent, I'll provide photographic evidence. Wish me luck, dawgs.

The Pixie Cut: Growing Out

I'm pretty sure my most popular article of all time is "Getting the Perfect Pixie." I wish "How to Accept Your Body and Move On," one of my personal favorites, was so popular, but alas I am not in control of what people read. Shocking, I know.

Anyway, I have enough trouble keeping up with comments on recent posts and that kind of thing, so while I read the many comments that appear on the pixie cut post, I don't tend to reply. I appreciate that people took the time to read and respond, but I'm just too busy to write my own response. However, a freshly-written comment on the not-so-fresh pixie article caught my attention.

Renee said: "This post originally inspired me to get my hair cut pixie-short. That was around two months ago; I've had it cut again once, and I'm already disenchanted. My hair has always grown fast, but within two or three weeks of it getting cut I had to gel the hell out of it in order for it to not look like a white-girl fro. It was starting to become a mullet before I cut it again, and now it's just not behaving.I can do a faux hawk with it but even that requires a lot of patience and manicuring, and it doesn't weather well with my habit of petting my hair. I loved the pixie, it looked good on me for a little bit, but now I'm faced with the desire to grow it out and having no idea how. It's almost summer so I can hide the awkward phases with scarves and the like (it's not allowed around my gang-infested school), but for those who are considering cutting it all off, heed my warnings.Right, I'm done. Sorry about the length of that. Just trying to spare some possible-pixie-chicks some frustration and money."

I feel your pain, Renee, and I'm here to help! This is something that you can overcome, not something that will overcome you. Let's talk about a few issues that come with pixie cuts, and how they can be dealt with.

♥ Pixie Maintenance. So your pixie cut looked dazzling for a month or so, but now its becoming a bit shaggy and mullet-y. This problem is not a huge deal. I was traveling in Israel when I noticed my pixie was too long in the back (beware of impending mullet!), not to mention the little bits of hair in front of my ears were threatening to become those ear locks (peyas) worn by Hasidic Jews.

Allow me to clarify.

But all is not lost, dear readers! My story did not end badly! As I sat in a Haifa dorm room, twirling my faux peyas and contemplating breaking my mirror, a friend came to the rescue. We didn't have scissors with us, but we did find tiny nail scissors. My friend removed the ear locks in a few snips, then hacked away at the longer hair that was growing past the base of my skull. I looked fine. The lesson here is that yes, your hair will grow out quickly, but you do not need to see a hairdresser every time. It's pretty hard to mess up when all you need to do is trim off an inch or so in the back and an itty bit in front. I'd like to point out that if my hair survived a cutting with nail scissors, yours will surely survive one with real scissors. Get a friend to do it and you'll be set until your next hair appointment!

♥ Growing it out for real. You've had enough of your short 'do, and you want longer hair, damnit! This time, when your hair reaches the shaggy, mullet-y stage, you don't trim it, and it looks awful. What to do?

Well, I'm an expert on what not to do at this stage. I let my hair grow, sans any sort of styling, until everything but my bangs was chin length. The bangs I then cut right above my eyebrows. I looked like a scarecrow.

I think the trick is that as the hair grows out, you need to sort of "prune" parts of it until you have finally reached an acceptable grown-out stage. Let's look to Miranda Hobbes of Sex & the City for some guidance:

1. Stage one: Miranda is rockin' a cute pixie.

2. Stage two: Miranda's hair has grown a bit, but she is not afraid. She battles bad hair by parting hers on the side and tucking any extra bits behind her ears. She has let the hair at the back of her head grow longer, but the way her top hair is parted and has grown longer than pixie length keeps her out of mullet territory.

3. Now that Miranda's locks have continued to grow, her front hair is long enough to allow her to wear stylish bangs at the front. She parts the rest of her hair in the middle, and lets it keep growing.

4. Notice that the back of Miranda's hair hasn't grown past her neck; she is clearly giving it a few trims to start getting rid of the short top/longer back proportion of the pixie. Her front hair is now too long to wear as bangs, so she has given herself a side part and stuck any extra hair behind her ears. She looks sleek and fabulous, I think!

5. Miranda's former bangs grow further, and she finally crops a bit of hair off the back so that all strands are the same length. Miranda keeps her hair this way for the rest of the final season, but you don't have to keep your hairline above your chin if you don't want to; let it keep growing!

See? It's not so bad! Pixie cut maintenance is fairly easy and mindless, once you get into the routine, but you'll want to find a good hairdresser and do some planning when it comes time to grow out the 'do.

I think this pixie cut subject is becoming a series. If you're interested in reading more, check out my initial post on getting the perfect pixie, as well as my second post with some examples of short hair cuts to try.

I hope this helps! I really wish I knew all this when I grew out my pixie; it was a painful process.

Hair Secrets

My hair, as you've probably noticed, is brown. It's always been brown. It's not black, as so many deluded people seem to believe, and it's made up of a single shade (no natural highlights.) In fact, the closest I've ever come to dying it was the unfortunate year or so when my nine-year-old self found excitement in dragging several goopy hair mascara wands over my poor locks. (Remember that stuff? Ughh!)

Anyway, I've been harboring a semi-secret. You see, I've always had a bit of a desire to dye my hair some unnatural color. I'm terrified of bleaching it, which is probably why I've never done it. I know that my hair wouldn't stay bleached, since I would dye it afterward, but the idea of being blond for even a moment freaks me out. Not to mention it's supposed to be pretty damaging to your hair. So yes, I'm a hair-dying wimp. I have no problem letting a hair stylist hack off all my hair into a pixie, but the instant the bleach bottle comes out, I'm shaking in my boots. Call me crazy.

The result of this irrational fear is a resolution to dye my hair "some day." When I announced my intention to a classmate recently, I believe the response was something along the lines of, "You want to dye your hair? Like a punk?" accompanied by a grimace.

Which made me think about how lately I've been noticing unnatural hair colors becoming more mainstream.

Photo credits (starting at top from left to right): Numero via R.O.F.Y., Style Scout, ElleGirl's The New It Girls, Anna Sui Spring 2008, source no longer available, Samantha from Sex & the City (okay, it's a wig, not dye...but doesn't she look amazing?), Miss Gala, Teen Vogue's Love Song, Anna Sui Spring 2008, Facehunter, The Sartorialist

I don't mean that I expect it to be showing up everywhere sometime soon, but I do mean that it seems to be a bit more popular with the fashion crowd. It's no longer just for "punks" - as my classmate put it - but for the kind of people who appear in teen fashion glossies and get snapped by the Sartorialist. And let's face it- that's a pretty elite crowd. The Sart definitely has a taste for impeccable, well-tailored, why-yes-I-am-a-fashion-editor styles.

So will I be dying my hair anytime soon? Probably not. But it's something to think about.

Oh, and you wanna hear another hair secret? I absolutely adore dreadlocks. . .

Short Hair Help

I recently received an email from a reader that said, "I wanted to ask if you had any websites that were really good for looking up chic haircuts, I want to go really short but I'm not really sure exactly what I want, and I can't seem to find any decent websites online."

I figured I'd post my answer here, because other people might find it useful. Short hair is so easy and comfortable, and it can look damn hot! Embrace it!

I know for a fact that finding a picture of the exact cut you want can border on impossible. I remember that when I decided I wanted a pixie cut, I was sure finding a picture to show my hair stylist would be a snap.

It wasn't.

In the end, I threw up my hands, went to the stylist, and explained what I wanted. It came out beautifully, but I got lucky. Unless you know exactly what you want your cut to look like, you need to find a picture. This will a) ensure that you figure out what you want your cut to look like, and b) give the stylist an extremely clear idea of what you want.

What I'm trying to say, dear readers, is that this was a smart question, and I'm happy to answer it.

Now on to the good stuff.

A while ago, I wrote a post on getting the perfect pixie (which actually might be of some use to you.) I noticed that I was getting a lot of hits on that post from a hair forum, which led me to check out the website that hosted the forum. Hair Boutique seems amazingly useful to me, and there is a feature where you can search for pictures of hairstyles based on hair length, face shape, hair color, etc. Some of the pictures aren't great, but there are a bunch of good ones if you're patient enough to sift through them.

Above: Pictures found via Hair Boutique

Also, The Fashion Spot has a thread discussing short haircuts that's filled with fabulous photos of stylish short hair. These photos are some of my favorites among all the ones I found while researching for this post, so check it out!

Above: Pictures found via TFS

Finally, flickr has a few great groups bursting with photos of short-haired women. Take a peek at Beautiful Short Hair and Cut It Short to see some gorgeous ladies rocking amazing 'dos.

Above: Pictures found via the two flickr groups

Best of luck, darling! I'd love to see a picture of your new haircut!

Hair Show

Last night I went to an. . . interesting event.

My friend Bea was modeling in a hair show, and she invited my friend Juli and me to come along. We didn't know what to expect. At all.

When we got there, after a bit of mingling (the rest of the audience seemed to be hairdressers), we sat down and waited for the show to begin.

Here we are, waiting.

Then, after a short presentation about the J Beverly Hills line from John Dellaria, the show began. An apparently famous hairdresser (Miyake, I think? Supposedly he cuts Julia Roberts' hair. . .) took to the runway, demonstrating his flawless hair-cutting style on a model.

Miyake power!

Unfortunately, as he moved on to a second model, I felt my interest slipping. I just couldn't bring myself to care about the movement of the hair, or the way the scissors were held, or different cutting techniques for very long.

So I was kind of glad when his presentation was over.

Until another hairdresser came out to showcase her hair-cutting skills. And another. And another. It lasted for about three hours, and I was bored out of my mind.

It was cool to see my friend Bea on the runway, however. She's so beautiful!

This is Bea, looking lovely with her chic new bob.

When the hair-cutting demonstrations were over, the stylists moved on to updos.

My favorite updo

I hated the updo in the picture at first, but it grew on me. I could see it looking very retro-chic with cherry-red lips on someone without orangey fake-tanned skin. It's not for me, though. I prefer a more natural look.

That was basically it for the hair show. The models all walked the runway one last time to show off their new 'dos in the finale, and then applauded the hairdressers.

I congratulated Bea and raced to the car, brain screaming with relief that the four hour festival of boredom was finally over. I turned to Juli, and as we locked eyes, we collapsed onto the back seat, shaking with laughter. Between giggles, she managed to gasp, "That was so boring!" I nodded, wiping streaming eyes, and continued to laugh.

I mean no offense to any of the amazing hairdressers in the show. They were talented, really, and I'm sure some people found it interesting. The rest of the audience seemed riveted, actually. But as much as I like having a cute haircut, I can't handle talking about it for hours. Just cut it and get it over with, please. That's what I pay people for.

So, have you ever been to a hair show before?

Bangs/Fringe

I've been keeping something from you.

I have recently joined the ranks of Girls with Bangs.

I realize that my profile picture makes it look like I have bangs, but that was actually just a shot of my overgrown pixie flopping onto my face when I sorely needed a haircut. In reality, I haven't had bangs since I was 9. Until now. I cut them myself when I was feeling bored/sick of my hair, holding the scissors vertically like the mags always tell you to, and I have to say that I'm pleased. I can style my 'do sleek or messy, and it's totally easy. Yay bangs! (Or fringe, as you Brits like to say). Now I can wait for the rest of my hair to grow out with some sort of contentment.

Ignore le brastrap. I was not going for fashionable today. I let my hair do the talking.

Getting the Perfect Pixie

It seems that pixie cuts have been named the new "it" haircut. Well, at least according to several magazines, including Teen Vogue. This year, we've seen an increase in the celebrities with chopped-off hair (see Natalie Portman above center), and models like Agnes Deyn (above right) have also increased in popularity. For as long as I can remember, I've admired pixie cuts. There's something so chic about them. There's always the worry that a "boy haircut" will make you look like...well...a boy, but I think in most cases a pixie cut makes its wearer look ultra-feminine by highlighting the girlish curves and features of their face. I was actually a little ahead of the loop on this trend (which makes me feel infinitely cool), because I chopped off my hair last year. I recently gave into my short hair attention span and started to grow it out, but this is what it looked like a year ago (excuse the odd, gloomy expression):

I really loved the cut. In fact, it was probably my favorite haircut I've ever had. And because of my short hair attention span, I've been changing my hairstlye about twice a year since I was 10, so I have a lot of haircuts to pick from. First of all, it was so easy. I went from being a girl who was attatched at the hip to a blowdryer to a girl who didn't touch one. In fact, I didn't even need a hairbrush. All I had to do was wet my hair (or wash it), decide whether or not I wanted to mess up my hair with gel, and go. Also, it added interest to my appearance. I didn't have to worry so much about whether my clothing looked to much like everyone else's on a lazy day, because my hair didn't look like anyone else's. And I think it looked good on me, which is always a plus.

A lot of people worry about getting such a short haircut, because it's so radically different from any style they've had before. What if it looks bad? What if it makes them look butch? What if their hair decides to curl wildly after being cut so short? Here are some tips for getting the perfect pixie.

1) People always give all these criteria for different haircuts, like only people with heart-shaped faces can get one cut, and people with oval faces should get another. I say, screw those criteria! I've never been able to figure out my face shape, and I don't think you can really fit a whole population into three or four different face shapes. People are too unique. If you want to know whether your face is suited to a pixie cut, then check to see if you're a Ponytail Girl. What is a Ponytail Girl? Well, I am, for starters. So are a lot of girls. A Ponytail Girl is a girl who looks best, or even just good, with her hair up. All you have to do to see if you are pixie cut material is to pull your hair up off your face in a ponytail (or a bun, if you wanna mix it up), and decide whether that looks good. Keep in mind that a pixie cut will not be as flat to your head as a ponytail, but your face will look basically the same in a pixie cut as it will in a ponytail.

2) Unfortunately, hair type must be taken into account. A lot of curly-haired girls look great with short hair, but if you have curly hair, you shouldn't expect your hair to look sleek in the way that most people picture pixie cuts. If your hair is straight, however, or mildly wavy, you're all set. Hair is funny, and it does different things for everyone. My hair is pretty wavy, but after I cut it short, it turned straight. Odd, right? I had expected it to turn curly, if anything. Part of this is luck. You have to hope that your hair will turn out the way you want it after being cut, and just take a risk. But if you're worried, there's a safer route. I'd suggest getting your hair cut semi-short, like maybe chin length, at first. If it is curlier at that length, then it will definitely be curly as a pixie. You can stop there if you don't want to go on. But if you do, try an even shorter (but not quite pixie length) haircut before you move on, or just go for the pixie.

3) Go to a good hairdresser! I can't stress the importance of this enough. If you usually go to a place like Super Cuts (I admit it, I usually do), then try to get a reccomendation from a friend, or even ask an employee at your haircutting place.

4) Be as specific as possible about what you want. If you just walk in and ask for a pixie cut, the hairdresser won't know what to do. There are many variations on the pixie cut. Try to find a picture of the haircut you want, and bring it in with you when you go. If you are still nervous about getting the cut, you can ask your expert hairdresser if they think a pixie will look good on you, but I find that hairdressers tend to shy away from giving their opinions because they worry you migth get mad at them if you don't like your haircut.

5) Go home and admire! Once your hair is all lovely and pixie-ish, it may take a few days to get used to. Play around with gels and things, mess it up, tease it, put in some hair clips, try on different outfits with it - have fun with your new look. I didn't like my cut right after I got it, but it turned out that I just hated the way my hairdresser styled it. It looked much better after I showered and hand-combed it. Also, remember that hair grows. If you've played around with your hair, and you still don't like it, don't panic. In about a month, if you let it grow, you'll be sporting a chic 20's-style bob. And the nice thing about short hair is that it can be easilly covered. If you hate it, although I doubt you will, hats and scarves will easily hide the evidence of your loathsome cut. Don't expect to hate it, though. Pixie cuts are great, and if you follow my tips, I think your cut will be a thing of beauty.

Happy hair-cutting!

Capture the Rainbow (in Your Hair)

Well, is this not the most awesome hairstyle you have ever seen? Isn't it? I love it!!! It's the closest you can get to representing a rainbow without dying your hair a whole bunch of unnatural colors. I found this image in the Little Miss Sunshine editorial in Teen Vogue and let out shrieks of delight that made my brother jump. I now strongly regret the 2 inch length of my pixie cut that will keep me from rocking this. You, however, may be more lucky. Make pigtails with multiple colored hairbands, pin the ends to the back of your head, and whooosh...instant rainbow-osity! Sweet, man.

Oh, and I strongly suggest checking out the rest of the pictures from the editorial. They are so fantastically colorful that I almost want to eat them.