HAIR LIFT

Shave 10 years off your age—literally. Allure offers up 10 hairstyles that will make you look 10 years younger without a nip-n-tuck. Call it a snip-and-cut instead. Says the beauty mag, “Sure, night creams and face-lifts can take years off your appearance, but so can wearing the right hairstyle.” And, we don’t mean pulling out grade-school braids and barrettes. Take for instance, Cameron Diaz’s age-defying makeover of side-swept bangs and soft, rounded ends that are sweet and girly—or Emily Blunt changing a tightly wound bun for a face-framing low chignon that’s polished, but less uptight.

10 Hairstyles That Make You Look 10 Years Younger

ON THE FRINGE

In British English, “bang on” means “exactly correct or appropriate.” In this spirit of fashionable exactitude, the Times’ Style section offered up a glossary of terms relating to bangs—one of the hottest summer cuts. This newly minted lexicon lets you convey to your hairstylist—with accuracy—exactly how you want your fringe to look, whether it’s “blunt” bangs that lie straight across the forehead or glamorous “sideswept” ones. There are also “brow-skimming,” “choppy,” and “bumper” looks, or dramatic, “pinup” V-shaped ones and arty “shaved” styles, among others. In other words, bangs are on!

Bangs in all different styles

“LAZY FAIR” HAIR

In the wake of the MTV Movie Awards, Allure.com was “all about Kristen Stewart and Ciara’s loose and natural-looking waves—they’re rough and sexy, and not as disheveled as typical beachy waves.” Meaning it’s a loose style you can wear to the office without looking like a hot mess. They’re calling it “laissez-faire” waves—which sounds an awful like “lazy fair” to us—but isn’t that what summer’s all about? Carefree days and a more relaxed attitude? The key is finding the right balance of tousle and texture. Check out the easy 1-2-3!

Allure’s Summer Hair Ideas for the “Laissez-Faire” look

MONDAY’S TO-DOS
It’s never “just another Monday” in New York City

• Start planning your Tribeca Film Festival movie marathon kicking off
April 18 for 11 days!

• Catch more bees with The Honey Brothers (a.ka. Adrian Grenier’s
ukele-driven indie folk band—swoon!).

• Try acclaimed Portland chef Andy Ricker’s eagerly awaited Pok Pok NY
opening tonight.

• Rethink your blonde ambition’s a la Dakota Fanning’s ombre hair
running from dark roots to honey tips with platinum in between.

• Wax poetic with the National Poetry Slam! at the legendary Apollo Theater.

FLATTERING HAIRSTYLES

People have been requesting celebrity hairstyles since the days of
Farah Fawcett fringe and Bo Derek braids. And now, in the pre-Oscar
lead-up, Allure.com offers up a city-by-city poll on the most
requested tribute ’dos. In Philly, Jennifer Aniston, who once
trailblazed “The Rachel,” still gets love for her shoulder-grazing
shag, while Adriana Lima, who turned heads in Donna Karan’s recent
campaign, also has Chicagoans trying to achieve her sexy waves. Here
in New York though, according to Oscar Biandi, “Clients tend to bring
in pictures of Nicole Richie when they want to go short and chic, but
not overly trendy.” Well, as they say, imitation is the highest form
of flattery.
The most requested celebrity hairstyles

SAMURAI HAIRSTYLE

Upswept hairdos on the runways were a big trend for fall lines like
Donna Karan’s last year, and now it seems the topknot is finding a
second act as the man bun. The Thursday Styles observed, “In certain
arty neighborhoods, some men are twisting their long hair into a form
more famously worn by librarians, schoolmarms and Katharine Hepburn.
But don’t call the male version an up-do or a chignon. Call it a man
bun.” Guys from tennis pros to hipster bartenders and even “Top Chef”
contests are blurring the line “between utilitarian convenience and
fashion statement” by getting their hair off their shoulders and out
of their faces. For novices, there’s even a YouTube video for
perfecting the man bun.
Spare a hair band? A man bun to go via NYtimes

YOU CAN DO THE TWIST
“Move over braids, there’s a new hot hairstyle in town: The twist!”
announces Refinery29.com. “Celebrities and models alike are forgoing
plaits in a mass movement toward twisted tresses.” Refinery29 extols
the new look for being easier than braids, but what we like best is
it’s the hairstyle that keeps on giving—as in, if done with the right
products when your hair is still damp, it has the potential to create
relaxed, 30s-style fingers waves and beachy tresses when undone. Think
of it as au naturel rollers—or even a curling iron without the burn.
The experts at Beautylish also offer up an inspiration board of
everything “from retro rolls to romantically knotted updos.” Time to
do the twist: You’ll like it like this.
Get the ‘do

Photo Credit: Beautylish.com

SHAKIRA SHAKES IT UP, MAYBE YOU SHOULD TOO

New Year, new look: More than a few of us are probably mulling over
the idea of unveiling a drastic new hairstyle on NYE—and it seems like
Shakira was too: “Just in time for the holidays, Shakira debuted a new
’do on Twitter,” reported People’s StyleWatch earlier this week. “The
Colombian singer, on holiday in Barcelona, popped into a salon and
chopped several inches off of her hair.” She’s not the only celeb to
go short recently: her “sharp bob and fringe-y bangs [are] similar to
Katy Perry’s new cut.” These head-turning fresh and flattering looks
could also be the new you.
Shakira’s New Do

Photo via Sunphoto.ro

GO LONG

The chilly winter-like weather probably has you thinking about adding some extra layers—as in growing out your hair. “No matter what your face shape and hair texture,” Glamour.com encourages, “Get ready to let your hair down.” A slideshow breakdown of celebrity hair models lets you decide which of the six most requested long looks is right for you: Go classic with long, flowing straight locks a la Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, which are essentially one length with big curls at the end. Try long blunt layer like Sofia Vergara’s for round or heart-shaped faces, or go long and choppy like Minka Kelly for thick hair. Stay minimal for curly girls like Beyonce or take a different “angle” like Emma Roberts to get “body and movement without looking straggly” against an oval face. Finally, there’s always adding bangs, which is a good way to help soften or shorten square, oval, elongated faces like Olivia Wilde. Now all you have to do is wait for your hair to grow.

The hottest long lock inspiration for your next date with your stylist

GONE FISHTAILING

We have to agree with BellaSugar that “Fishtail braids are hotter than ever.” It’s a super-easy solution for turning a bad hair day into an especially good one. It’s a look that can’t fail: A tousled one off to the side looks relaxed without looking sloppy, and a neat one looks polished without seeming uptight. But here’s the best part, you can make these fetching twists even prettier—and more interesting. Add some personality with a few clip-on hair extensions that you can weave through the braid for a subtle burst of color. It’s a great fall trick for making an outfit pop—or with homecoming right around the corner a cute way to show some school pride. Pick up some streaks in your alma mater’s colors and then you’ll be sure to the catch the eye of your old high-school crush. (It gives “streaking” at homecoming a whole new twist—pun intended.)
Learn how to do your own colorful fishtail braid here