hair

AT-HOME BANG TRIM (IF YOU MUST!)

Obviously your first option for a bang trim should be to see your stylist and let him/her do it. However… sometimes life gets in the way– you’re busy, they’re busy, you’re in a rush or it’s too expensive. A lot of hairstylist offer complimentary bang trims, but if yours doesn’t or you simply can’t make it into the salon every couple weeks to clean up your fringe, here’s what I suggest (in serious detail).

Kitchen scissors, nail scissors and office scissors aren’t good for trimming bangs. Before you consider trimming your own bangs at home, search for a pair of cutting shears and pair of thinning shears. They don’t need to be crazy expensive or fancy. Just read reviews and find something in your price range. Go to a beauty supply if there’s one near you and ask what they recommend. There are so many kinds out there!

 

  1. DRY HAIR ONLY. Don’t do bang trims on wet or damp bangs. They’ll spring up once they’re dry and you’ll be in trouble. Start by sectioning off. Follow the outline your hairstylist made– don’t create your own! Easiest way to do that is to hold your hair in a loose high pony and shake your head while leaning foreword. Your bangs should all come right out and fall in front of your face. Clean up the section using a comb as you see in photo 1.
  2. Put the rest of your hair up in a bun so you don’t accidentally cut it.
  3. Smooth out your bangs or style them the way you normally would on a day-to-day basis.
  4. Check out how deep your bangs are so you can split them evenly into two sections, horizonally. You only want to work on the bottom half first. That way if you mess up the line a little, you have some room to make up for it.
  5. In photo 5 you can see how we split the bangs in half horizontally.
  6. Take a napkin or small piece of tissue and wrap it around the section before you clip it to avoid getting any dents or creases.
  7. It should look like this! Use a strong clip so pieces don’t fall out.
  8. You can see the guide drawn on the photo above #8. Stay just below the brow to be safe. Start “chipping” or point cutting into your bangs using your regular shears. Point cutting diffuses the line and gives you a little room for error. Blunt cutting (just chopping straight across) isn’t exactly the best idea when doing your own bangs at home.
  9. I like to take a quick break while I’m cutting to comb the bangs side to side. That will help you see them in a more natural state. Sometimes the repetitive combing downward while cutting can flatten them too much.
  10. Once they’re to a shorter/desired length, you can drop down the top section.
  11. Comb lightly so you can see the bottom section through the top section and use that as your guide.
  12. Now we’ll use the thinning shears. Pick up small pieces from the top section and gradually make them shorter using the thinning shears. Side note- using thinning shears is different than regular shears. They have small teeth so you have to make more cuts. Their main purpose is to blend. Some people will want to cut the top layer with scissors and then blend with the thinning shears after, which you can do but it takes a little more skill. If you’re not good at DIY bang trims just yet, go slow and use the thinning shears on the top section.
  13. You can see how it’s done in photos 12 + 13. Gradually the top section starts to blend into the bottom section without appearing overly blunt like a 1st grader. (No offense 1st graders!) Also, I typically suggest you leave the sides a little longer. Think of a half moon shape. Some people want straight across, which is fine, but gradually longer sides look good on the majority of people. Longer sides also help you play it safe so you don’t accidentally end up with wacky bangs.

Optionally, you can pull up the entire top section and chip into it a little if you feel like you need a little more blending. Do that with the thinning shears so you don’t mess up the overall shape. xo

photos/post/design: Kristin Ess

 

hair

DIY: LAST MINUTE VALENTINE’S HAIR IDEA


photos/post/design: Kristin Ess

Whether you’ve got a hot date tonight or just hanging with your lady friends, show your Valentine’s Day spirit with some sweet hair flowers made from inexpensive spray roses. This is one of my favorite (and cheapest) tricks for romantic updos. Also, Spring is fast approaching, so you can really utilize this method for weddings and other events. Okay, here’s how I make these little gems…

  1. Run to your local grocery store and grab some spray roses. Right now they’re everywhere because of Valentine’s Day but I see them almost every time I hit the grocery store. I’ve seen them at every Ralphs, Vons, Trader Joes, Whole Foods…etc. They should be quite easy to find. Spray roses are much smaller than regular roses and they typically come potted. The cool thing is, if you keep caring for this $5-10 plant, you’ll have hair roses for days!
  2. Cut off a few rosebuds from the plant.
  3. Flip the flower over and trim the stem as short as you can without cutting the base that holds the flower together.
  4. Grab hair pins– also known as U-pins. They’re different from bobbypins. They don’t squeeze together so they won’t break or smash the spray rose.
  5. Lightly squeeze the hair pin and pierce it through the middle of the spray rose.
  6. The bottom should look like this!
  7. Fold the hair pin back on both sides (as seen in photo 7). That will keep the flowers from slipping out of your hair.

Enjoy your evening, ladies!

hair

HAIR TALK: INVERTED TRIANGLE FACE SHAPE

post: Kristin Ess graphic design: Eunice Chun

Last but clearly not least in our hair talk on face shapes we have the inverted triangle.(Hooray!!) Inverted is just a fancy way of saying “upside down” or “flipped”. Knowing that you can clearly see (thanks to Polish beauty Anja Rubik) that an inverted triangle face shape is wider at the forehead than it is at the jaw. Most of my clients with an inverted triangle face shape ask me to make their forehead appear less wide. That’s pretty easy to do, but you also want to avoid making the face look longer and more narrow when doing so. Here are some helpful hints from me to you:

  • Half ups: I love half updos for girls with inverted triangle face shapes. A half updo can narrow the forehead + widen the look of your cheekbones + jawline. Gotta love a good illusion! I think the key with Anja’s look on the bottom left is that the hair is wavy and that she has a center part. I like that the “baby hairs” just above her temples are not pulled back into the braids– they’re down and it’s just enough to help diffuse the width of her forehead.
  • Bangs: Almost every single girl I know with an inverted triangle face shape loooooves having bangs and will never give them up. Obviously if you want to embrace the forehead you’ve got and not have bangs– do it, girl! On the other hand, if you want the option to show a wider forehead sometimes and narrow the appearance of your forehead other times, you’ll need some sort of bang. Avoid a heavy straight-across bang only because it could potentially make your face even more triangular. I would recommend something similar to Alexa’s long bangs, Brigitte’s “curtain bangs” which are essentially short and long bangs combined, or this heavy side swoop bang. I would even say you could get away with a half-moon bang  in this post as long as it’s got some soft roundness to it and it’s not just a blunt, straight across, heavy bang.
  • Center parting: The key to center parting on an inverted triangle face shape is not letting it lengthen you. You don’t want your bangs or layers to be styled “down”, you want them to be styled “out” once they pass your eyes/eyebrows. You want that hair from the center part to then lead into some sort of layers near your cheekbones. I always tell my clients “style your bangs in the direction of your ears.”
  • Wavy bob + bangs: This is one of my favorite haircuts for the inverted triangle face shape. Also one of the most flattering, softening, balancing cuts for this face shape. The reason is, you can typically get great texture and layers in a bob or long bob. The side bang leads into layers which do exactly what is mentioned above– widens the cheekbone/jawline and diffuses the width of the forehead. Everything just looks in perfect proportion. LOVE.
  • Diagonal side part: This is a great trick. See how Anja’s hair is parted diagonally in the bottom right photo? If all that hair was pulled to one side it would likely make the forehead appear wider. Use a tailcomb or a pencil if you don’t have a tailcomb, and start slightly off center, working your way over to a deep side part. That way there’s hair on both sides but it still appears that you’re wearing a heavy side part.
  • Super straight hair with minimal layers: That would be the one style I would suggest girls with inverted triangle face shapes should avoid. All that’s going to do is make your face appear longer and more narrow. You want layers, especially around the face.
  • Updos + Chignons: You can do almost any updo, chignon or pony when you have an inverted triangle face shape. Also, leaving out a few soft pieces around the face will help balance out your triangle. I find that a center or off-center part is most flattering but not mandatory. I mean, clearly the updo in the top photo from the Louis Vuitton show is GORGE– a messy french twist with lots of texture and a thin headband! Obsessed.

Do you have an inverted triangle face shape? If so we would love you to share your thoughts, tips and your own tricks below! Thank you for being so patient in waiting for each of your face shapes! Hope this series has helped you guys understand more about how to wear your hair and what to talk to your hair stylist about. xo

 

hair

HAIR TALK: DIAMOND FACE SHAPE

post: Kristin Ess graphic design: Eunice Chun

On to the next one– the gorgeous diamond face shape! If you’re a diamond, your hairline is more narrow. Also, starting below the ear your jawline comes to a point at your chin. (If  your jawline narrows but your hairline is wide, then stay tuned for the inverted triangle face shape which coming will be next!) Here are some tips + tricks for styling hair around a diamond face shape:

  • Stay back: The diamond face shape can get very narrow when there’s a lot of hair surrounding the face. I love how Ashley pushes it all back in the top photo. Typically diamonds have a great jawline so let that it show, girl! If it’s hard for you to get your hair to stay back, try applying a light holding mousse at the root before you blowdry and then tuck behind the ear.
  • The One + Only: I love when diamond face shaped girls push one side back. Like I said before– a too much hair can crowd and make a diamond face appear too narrow so it’s good to open one side up and show off that great jawline. Any kind of texture works well here– smooth waves, messy textured waves, pin straight, or crazy curls. It says “Look at my pretty hair” but it doesn’t hide your pretty face.
  • Deep side part: I loooove the way a deep side part looks on a diamond face shape but it can often be a challenge because of how the hairline narrows. If you find it challenging, use some mousse at the root before you blow-dry. This will help the hair stay in place instead of falling forward as it naturally wants to. Also, try parting on the diagonal– using a tail comb, start deep to one side and come come back to the center as you go back. That will help balance out the weight and not make the heavy side too heavy.
  • Bangs: I like to avoid heavy, straigh bangs on my clients with diamond face shapes. The reason is- the hairs in front of a narrow hairline usually grow upward or out to the sides so it can be a bit of a challenge to control straight heavy bangs. I do, however, love “curtain” Bardot bangs for this face shape. A center or slightly off-center parted curtain-y bang will help maintain the silhouette of the diamond face shape and is typically much easier to control because you’re not trying to fight their natural direction so much.
  • Haircuts: Layers, layers, layers. No one is a better candidate for lots of layers than a girl with a diamond face shape. Lots of layers keep a diamond face shape “open”. Less layers will fall in front of the widest points of a diamond face shape and narrow you out. See how Ashley looks more narrow in the bottom right hand photo? Still gorgeous but her face definitely appears more narrow than the other images. Luckily it looks great sleek and straight because she’s got layers. The hair still moves and doesn’t just hang. It’s important to have layers in order to wear super straight hair on a diamond face.
  • Ponytails + Updos: What can I say? Honestly, updos + ponytails are always great on diamond face shapes. High, low, center, whatever! Pulling the hair back off of a diamond face shape is a good thing. I can’t say there is a specific guidline for diamonds to follow here. You lucky girls!

Are you a sparkling diamond? If so, please feel free to share your experiences with your face shape below. Tell us your best tips and tricks! xo

hair

HAIR TALK: HEART SHAPED FACE

post: Kristin Ess graphic design: Eunice Chun

Did you know a true heart-shaped face has a widow’s peak? True story. The cheek area is slightly wider than the hairline and then drops into a pointed chin. There are no wide-set/squared off corners along the jawline. I think Kourtney Kardashian is a pretty great example of a heart-shaped face (and some super-cute hair dos!) If you have a normal or wide forehead with no widow’s peak which narrows down and goes into a pointed chin, it’s likely that you’re actually an “Inverted Triangle”, which is coming up in the next Hair Talk. Okay, here are the best tips and tricks for you heart shaped beauties…

  • PARTING WITH A WIDOW’S PEAK: You never really want to force a middle part when working with a widow’s peak. If it goes there, naturally then great. Otherwise, try going slighly (even just the tiniest bit) to one side or the other. When you split the hair right down the center with a widow’s peak, it tends to look thinner on each side. Better to thicken it up by going slightly off center. Look at Kourtney in the bottom center photo– it’s allllllmost center but she just pushes the widow’s peak piece over to one side. When you try to go straight down the center, one side typically behaves and the other refuses. Make mornings easier on yourself!
  • DEEP SIDE PART WITH CURLS: I love this looks on a heart shaped face for two reasons. One, it does away with any parting issues caused by a widow’s peak. Two, it opens up the face and features the gorgeous jawline of a heart shaped face. Tuck the less heavy side and let the heavy side fall in front of your shoulders if your hair is long enough.
  • HAIRCUTS: I would say the sky’s the limit for haircuts on a heart-shaped face. Almost anything looks great except heavy bangs or an jaw-length short bob. Short bangs can be really hard to control if you have a widow’s peak and if you have cowlicks on top of that, you definitely want to skip shorter bangs.
  • BRAID AWAY: There’s not much more to this one than the fact that I think this is a super-cute look heart-shaped face girls. It’s a sweet, soft, feminine look that opens up your face.
  • LOTSA LOOSE LAYERS: A piece-y blowout on hair with lots of layers is flattering on a heart-shaped face because it frames the face and makes the face appear a little more oval. Look at Kourtney in the bottom right hand photo, the slight off center parting creates a more oval shape and diffuses the appearance of a widow’s peak almost entirely.
  • UPDOS: Try a voluminous bun or pony. That will balance out the over-all silhouette of a heart-shaped face. Also, don’t go “too full” with your updos. When they’re wider than the hairline, they can actually make the chin look longer/more pointed.

If you have a tip or trick you want to share with other girls who have a heart-shaped face, please feel free to share it below! xo