Bangs can completely change the proportion of your face. A perfectly planned fringe has the power to take you from blah to beautiful.  Bangs A.K.A. Fringe can completely change the look of a hair cut. Sick of the same ol’ style?  Longing for a change but don’t want to lose your length?  Go to your professional stylist for a “cutting consultation” and find what type of fringe will get you the most bang for your buck.

 1. Dramatic Blunt Bangs are perfect for longer face shapes as they help balance the proportion.  As an added bonus, they also are a great way to accentuate your eyes because the solid line draws attention directly to them!  Just look how these blunt bangs draw your attention directly toward Taylor’s dramatic eyes.

 2. Asymmetrical Fringe can soften a square shaped face.  This is a second example of the transforming power of bangs. To see this for yourself, draw a square on a piece of paper. Next, draw a diagonal line across the center of it to form two triangles… this is exactly what an asymmetrical fringe will do for a square face cutting it in half and softening the shape.  Diana Argon looks soft and sexy with her soft fringe.

On a side note, once you get your bangs, most stylists will trim up fringe complimentary between haircuts to keep them in perfect position. Just give a call in advance to confirm availability.

Get Taylor Swifts sexy waves courtesy of celebrity hairstylist Natasha Sunshine of Byu-Ti Hair Salon LA.  Start with clean dry hair.  A great prep shampoo and conditioner for blondes is Pureology’s Perfect4Platinum prior to drying.  Spray dry hair with Pureology’s Radiance Amplifier evenly throughout mid-shafts to ends of hair.

Using a 1 inch barrel curling iron, take 2×2″ sections and wrap hair in a spiral fashion around the wand starting in the nape area and moving up.  Once you hit the cheek bone, begin starting the spiral half way down the hair shaft so the roots stay flatter and straighter.

Continue with this technique until you complete the entire head.  Give an all over mist of Radiance Amplifier and run fingers through your waves to break it up for a more natural, sexy finish.

Sofia Vergara at the premiere of the movie “New Year’s Eve” held at the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, California

How To Get The Look………Courtesy of Andi Scarbrough of Byu-Ti Salon/LA

-On towel dried hair, apply a medium hold styling gel like Nourishing Nectar, from Pureology’s Colour Stylist collection, focus on root and mid-shafts. On the ends of your hair, apply a thermal protective serum (I love Pureology’s SuperSmooth Elixir).

Carrie Underwood wins big at the ACA last night and you, too can be big winner at your holiday party with this fantastic low chignon. Celebrity stylist, Sherri Jessee shares tips and tricks on how even women with shorter hair can acheive this look.

1. Distribute an egg sized amount of a bodifying mousse through out and blow dry your hair. To create volume, roll your hair on large electric rollers.

2. When they cool, take the rollers out and brush. For extra height  tease the top lightly. Smooth back loosely into a low pony and tie off with a covered elastic band.

3. Here’s the trick to make the perfect bun fast and easy: use a “bun donut.” These can be purchased at your local beauty supply for around $2! Insert your ponytail through the center of the foam donut. Lock donut in place with hair pins. Tuck sections of the the pony around the donut and secure underneath with a few more pins.

4. Allow a few soft tendrils to drop out and gently sweep your fringe to one side and spray with Rusk Deepshine Oil Firm Holding Hairspray for maximum shine and control.

Courtesy of Celebrity hair and makeup artist SHERRI JESSEE of Sherri Jessee SALON

The girls in the BSW Beauty Dept.

I wish I could be so bold as to change my hair style once in a while like Katy Perry! What do you think of her newly shorn locks, blonde with a slight strawberry colored swirl in there? Her make up is way softer than usual and she looks younger than when she had her black hair.

Katy Perry's new hai style

Her neutral eye makeup is beautiful and for a similar look, try ***Too Faced’s Natural Eye Palette. How-to cards come with the palette which gives step by step directions on how to apply the colors. I always refer to those little cards to get the best possible outcome of my eye makeup application.

I think shorter hair is definitely going to be a trend for the spring. Will you cut your hair shorter? Do you like the sleek style, or do you prefer Katy’s hair longer? I think I might have to cut a few inches off my hair and get some bangs during my next trip to the salon. Its good to shake things up once in a while!

Cindy Bokma

Thanks to the Kerapure treatment I had done in September, my hair has been nice and smooth but with this dry winter weather moving in, my hair has taken a beating. Near daily heat styling causes my hair to become dry, flyaway and a bit brittle so I was very anxious to try this line from Redken called All Soft.

The products include a shampoo and conditioner, heavy cream for extra conditioning, and a great argan oil that can be used on damp or dry hair. One use of the shampoo and conditioner restores my hair to its former smoothness. When I’m finished blowing my hair dry, I use a tiny bit of the argan oil on the very ends of my hair. They are very nourishing and add hydration without weighing hair down- very important when you have thin hair like mine!

Give these products a whirl! Find out more here.

Check out more of the fabulous Cindy Bokma at Hellodollface.com.

You know that raised eyebrow look guys give when they’re really thinking…“I guess that’s in right now?”   Well, that look is not only related to fashion styles women wear but sometimes to our hairstyles as well!  On those days where we get that raised brow look, we just don’t care cause it took every ounce of our being to get out the door!  Hair, who cares what my hair looks like…RIGHT?  Wrong!  The hair style we pick for the day really effects the male species.  Check out some of the responses these men had for the hair styles below…

Long sexy wavy hair

Ask a man what he likes and he’ll tell you…long wavy hair…!  My 23 year old nephew says, “girls with long hair just seem more carefree and easy going.  Plus it’s just sexy!”  Spoken like a true guy..

Knotted do

This knotted up do seems to be quite popular lately.  It’s easy and looks good with pretty much any style of clothes.  And…“depending on who wears it, sophisticated with a sexy edge,” says 34 year old Derek, an electric engineer in NYC.  But then you have Eric a 50 year old male who thinks this style looks like something his mother would wear cleaning the house!

Knitted Hair Bands

Ahhhh, the long hair with the knitted head band.  I showed this to my friend Paul who is a 28 year old single healthy stud.  His response was one word…“Heidi.”  After he drooled on the picture he continued to say, “this is the kind of girl I want to take to the mountains.  Sporty, flirty and active.”  Okay, Paul…we get the picture!

hair styles that are way too long

Although most of the men I spoke to said they prefer long hair on girls, they did say that hair too long tends to get in the way of …well, use your imagination….

Short cuts on women

For some women, they prefer short hair.  Low maintenance…especially for women who really are bad with styling their hair or frankly, just don’t care.  More then 90% of the men we asked did not like this look on women.  Marcus, a 43 year old father of two said, “My wife cut her hair short once and I know it’s shallow, but I just was not attracted her.” WOW!  That’s a little harsh…don’t ya think?

So, there you have it.  The likes and dislikes of men when it comes to women’s hair styles…Something to ponder…

the bsw beauty dept.

OMG!!! I LOVE MY HAIR!!!!  Thanks to Sauve Professionals New Keratin Infusion 30 Day Smoothing Kit, that is…I have fine dark curly hair and it tends to be somewhat dry and brittle.  No matter how I style it or load it down with straightening product, it never is perfectly smooth or shiny looking!  HATE THAT…As you can see in the photo below, my hair has a lot of wave and frizz up top.  I pretty much gave up on ever having shiny smooth hair…:(

Te-see before suave professionals 30 day smoothing kit challenge

When I was approached by Suave to try a new product from their professional line, guaranteed to make my hair look smoother, shinier and healthier using no formaldehyde, it was very hard to believe.  However, being the beauty editor that I am, I accepted the Suave Professionals challenge.   What did I have to lose…

New Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion 30 Day Smoothing Kit

I carefully followed the 3 step process as directed by the instructions inside the box which also included:  smoothing cream, cuticle seal cream, heat defense leave-in conditioner, a comb, and gloves.  Total time spent using the Suave Professionals 30 day Keratin Infusion Kit was about an hour (which included the hair drying portion).  I made sure to take my time since I really wanted it to work!

Te-see a few days after using the smoothing kit

I absolutely love my hair!!!  It’s so shiny and smooth looking…YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Who knew?!  (And the best part is it retails for around $12.99:)

*Suave Professionals® brand provided me with the promotional product. 

te-see

Myself and fellow Aveeno ambassadors got to ask celeb hair stylist Patrick Melville our most pressing hair questions! Keep reading to learn tips directly from the hair master himself!

What cut will create the most volume for fine, long hair? What should we ask for at the salon? “The cut that is best for fine long hair is a cut that has long layers … some softer shorter pieces around the face. Also add a sweeping fringe that sweeps to the side and will create a lot of versatility and give hair maximum volume. Products are key such as lightweight volumizing spray at the root because as you know, volume comes from the root. Be careful and make sure to tell your stylist to keep the layers long as layers can also thin the hair if too short.”

I have long black hair that used to be shiny and silky, now it has lost some of its luster. How can I get it back? “The best way to get back luster is to use the Aveeno Nourish+ Shine Shampoo and Conditioner along with the Aveeno Living Color Shine Glaze which can be used on all hair types. This will give you maximum shine and close the cuticle and boost the life back into your hair.”

I’d love to hear Patrick Melville’s specifics on haircare for extensions and haircare for mixed hair (like hair for half black / half hispanic, hispanic hair care problems) “The best way to treat extensions is to make sure they do not stay in too long or grow out too much as this will put stress on your own hair when using styling tools. Best way to take care of them is to be sure to condition the every time you shampoo and to use the Aveeno Nourish+ Leave in conditioner before styling. This will make the extensions more manageable and will lock in moisture. This also applies to African American hair or Hispanic hair as it tends to be drier by nature and more coarse. Like your skin, when its dry you need to apply more moisture. The leave in conditioner locks in moisture and helps elasticity to lessen breakage.”

I’d love to get the scoop from Patrick about how to make thin hair look thicker. Mine just gets super stringy as it growns longer. It’s awful! “Make sure you trim your hair on a regular basis and do not use any type of oil or silicone based products. You want to use a volumzing spray and apply a lightweight styling glaze to damp hair before blowdrying. Do not overblowdry and when you are finished use the Aveeno Nourish+ Style Fortifying Hairspray to create fullness and body, making hair swell and look thicker.”

Does Patrick have any hairstyle tips to get women over 40 out of the hair “frump”? Maybe some tips on how to update a look. Most images and tips I get are for young women, so I’d love some for “older” women. “As you may know, women over 40 do not have to cut off their hair to look less frumpy. I suggest cutting the hair to the collarbone with some longer layers. This will give the hair some energy and still allow you to be very versatile with styling options. For example this cut allows you to put your hair back into a low chignon or a French twist. This will still give you that soft sexy look without having to cut off your locks while still being youthful and feminine.”

Cindy Bokma -Hello Dollface

Get Scarlett’s glamorous Hollywood style with step by step from celebrity hairstylist Natasha Sunshine-Antonioni of Byu-Ti Salon/LA

Start with clean hair and set in curlers the night before.