Neither Hair Nor There

My last haircut was a mildly traumatizing experience, and I am still dealing with the frustrating results several weeks later.  Previously, my hair was styled in an angled bob, longer in front and slightly stacked in back.  All I wanted was a trim that followed the lines of the last haircut.  I should have re-scheduled the appointment when the salon called to say that my stylist would be out of town for a family emergency and that a different stylist would be assisting me, but my hair was annoying me, so I went against my instinct and okayed the change.

I knew it would not end well when I asked for 1/2 an inch to be taken off and then, after my chair had been whirled away from the mirror, I felt my hair suddenly brushing against my cheek, well above my chin and at least 3 inches shorter than before.  I took deep breaths and managed to not burst into tears when finally I was spun around to face the mirror.  Though I was entirely unhappy with the non-angled, non-stacked, too-short cut, I said nothing.  At that point it could not be fixed and I wished to preserve whatever length I had remaining.  I should have mentioned how much I hated the cut and demanded that I not be charged, but I did not.  I was in shock and instead I paid and even tipped.  

My hair is finally starting to grow out and put on some of the length that was taken from me the last go-round and I am contemplating how best to proceed.  If I take it short to give it an actual style, I might opt for the look that Nicole Richie was sporting in the January 2007 issue of Allure magazine. 

That would keep my hair approximately the same length it is now, but give it style and some layers that I could work with.  Alternately, I could continue to grow it and just get trims to keep it even until it reaches a length like Nicole's haircut below (from People.com): 

I am leaning towards the shorter haircut.  After playing with my hair and trying to make the best of the situation, I also noticed the the right side is shorter than the left, except the very front part, which seems to be longer than the left.  These inconsistencies are driving me crazy and I really want my regular stylist to work her magic and give me back a head of hair that I can work with so I can feel confident when I leave my place.  

Resolve

I used to be a terrific pack-rat.  Bits and pieces of things would collect on my shelves and I could not bring myself to part with even a random button or rock that had particular sentimental value.  That tendency has faded as I have grown and I now prefer a much more sparsely decorated living space than my previous cluttered existence.  However, I still manage to collect stacks and stacks of magazines, a habit that drives my husband crazy.  I excuse this particular behavior because I honestly do re-read many of the articles and will go back to browse photographs.  

I resolve in the new year to de-clutter that area of my life as well.  My plan involves a 3-hole punch, a 3-ring binder and a full day of free time in which to rip out pages that I want to keep for future reference.  Non-noteworthy pages shall be tossed to the recycling bin, thus making my place look miraculously more clean.  

Also helping the purge is the fact that several subscriptions recently expired, so I will have less piling up each month.  Allure, Vogue and Glamour - a magazine to which I had not previously subscribed but will apparently be receiving as a gift from my younger sisters - are all that will haunt my mailbox on a monthly basis.  These 3 magazines cover the beauty and fashion/style basics, so I should not feel too deprived.  If another magazine happens to have a favorite actress or interesting article I will certainly grab it, but those purchases will be evaluated monthly and will have to be fairly compelling.

I have many other resolutions, not all of them relating to fashion or beauty.  One relevant resolution is to keep my closet tightly edited to pieces that I really truly love and wear.  I recently moved, which gave me the opportunity to expunge all outdated and unwearable pieces from my wardrobe.  Looking at my closet is much more manageable now, but there are items that could disappear without causing me to grieve.  In the upcoming year I really want to be particular about what ends up in my closet and be less impulsive when I shop.  

I could go on, but that is enough resolutions for the time being.  Ciao. 

Champagne and Magazines

My perfect way to relax during an evening typically involves good reading material and a glass of wine, though recently I have rediscovered the joy of cheap champagne.  Lucky for me, both of the magazines for which I have a subscription, Allure and Vogue, arrived in my mailbox at the same time.  Furthermore, I just happened to pick up a couple of bottles of cheap bubbly on my way home, setting myself up for a cozy night at home.  

Perusing Vogue, I noticed the article "Seeing Red," which documents the transition of model Coco Rocha from her natural brunette head of hair to a fiery red.  

I am not entirely sold on the hair color for her.  The shade itself looks beautiful and more natural than most red dye jobs I have seen.  However, her skin tone does not seem to mesh with the hair.  The makeup in that photo might not do her hair justice...If she had more colorful lips and cheeks it might not wash her out nearly as much.  I think these ladies do a bit better with balancing fair skin and red hair with the appropriate makeup:

Okay, so Nic0le's hair is not exactly red in that photo.  But these fair-faced ladies use makeup to their advantage and warm up their complexions enough so that the red hair doesn't overwhelm their pretty alabaster skin. 

Thoughts?  How does Coco compare to these ladies?  Can she pull-off the red hair?

Bienvenue

Fashion choices are made each day the across globe by people heading to work, to a social event or simply out the door to fetch groceries.  What they put on is informed by culture, weather, what's appropriate for the setting and personal style.  I love searching for inspiration in images of people in other cities or countries and figuring out which pieces of an outfit will translate best to my life.  

As for me, my style depends on my mood and whether I am being a pre-lawyer (aka a second-year law student) or existing in the world outside of school.  I am still figuring out how I can make those worlds collide once I graduate, both on a stylistic and professional level, as they are my two passions and I hope that they will not forever be mutually exclusive.  

On a final note, a technology whiz I am not, therefore, I hope to eventually get better at incorporating images and other effects.