If you’ve ever thought about cutting off all your hair, now’s the time to do it. Nothing could be cooler or easier, and we mean cool in the sense of beating the heat as well as cool in the sense of trendy. Just imagine not having to do one thing with your hair after taking a shower or a swim!

Of course it takes lots o’ nerve to bare your face, but who better to do it than Janet Jackson?

Last spring the soft-spoken singer catapulted herself into the spotlight by going from super long hair to super short. The surprising change came just in time for Janet’s everything new—movies, world tour, greatest hits collection, book and beau, to name a few.

If you think short hair‘s not versatile, take another look!
A random pick of pix from the last year show that Janet Damita can change looks to fit the situation (or her mood). The conservative crop with bangs works for any event night or day. It can go natural or be pumped up with a round brush and blow-drier. The same short looks totally different when long bangs are combed to the side, tucked behind the ears and held in place with a dab of gel. Almost immediately after the buzz, Janet grew her hair longer on top. The most she has to do is roll and lift hair off the face while blow-drying or she can can go up and tousled over for a more carefree coif.

This small sampling only hints at how much you can do with so little. Come back to see more Janet’s hairstyle and keep a look-out on the streets for other ways to wear short hair … you won’t be disappointed!

Related articles

• Janet Jackson Is On A Roll (socialitelife.com)
• Janet Jackson Signs Books in L.A. (mzrocklanta.com)
• If You Like Janet Jackson… (perezhilton.com)

The complementary styles of hot Vocal Groups… 
Sometimes in duos and trios, someone gets lost while another steals the spotlight. That’s not the case with Lady Antebellum (right), the Band Perry (below) and Steel Magnolia. 

The individuals who make up each group seem born to be together. Like their vocals, the styles blend together beautifully. They are also winners in the real sense of the word. Lady Antebellum (Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley & Dave Haywood) nabbed three ACM awards this spring. The Band Perry (Kimberley Perry with brothers Neil & Reid) was chosen best New Artist of the Year. Steel Magnolia (Meghan Linsey & beau Joshua Scott Jones) soared into the music scene soon after winning the second season of CMT‘s Can You Duet contest for music awards. They’ve received a slew of award nominations … but more impressive is their big fan base which has grown exponentially since 2009.  

The hairstyles of the females are unique and individual. The Lady of Lady Antebellum, Hillary shows off her new do … opposite of the old one. Straight hair with bangs have replaced the full curls without bangs she wore before. Kimberly Perry plays up her curls that are normally calm, cool and collected. Scrunching while blow-drying without using a diffuser helps her pump up and break up her curls. Meghan seems to be wearing an upsweep, but it’s really her short hair done up to look that way (admirers know that Miss Magnolia often wears this faux updo).

Country music star Martina McBride is riding high this awards season. Most recently she joined singers like Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Nettles on CBS’ Girls’ Night Out: Superstar Women of Country. 

Earlier this spring, she walked the Red Carpet at the Academy of Music Awards show. Back in the day, Martina was one of the rare stars to chop off her hair. While it was darling as all-get-out, her long mane is gorgeous! Long brown layers are highlighted in auburn… there’s even a few grays showing through (as if Martina’s not afraid to show her age!). Actually those highlights might be blond, but look silver in a different light. Either way, it doesn’t matter. We’re more interested in the way she makes glamour look natural. This do would work any day or night worn in a variety of ways—blown dry with big curls on the end, straightened, messy, ringlets, waves or natural.

Source: Getty Images

Celebrity Apprentice is popular for lots of reasons: the fights, back stabbing, laughs, coalitions, deals, projects and suspense. Most importantly, are the hairstyle ideas (good, bad and ugly) you can get every Sunday. Future posts will get into the hairstyle specifics, but for now we’ll remind you who made up the starting cast for 2011. They are Oscar-winning actors Gary Busey and Marlee Matlin; singers Meat Loaf, La Toya Jackson, Mark McGrath, Dionne Warwick, rapper Lil Jon, country singer John Rich and one-time teen idol David Cassidy; the first Survivor winner Richard Hatch; retired Major Leaguer Jose Canseco; TV personality Star Jones; Real Housewives of Atlanta” star NeNe Leakes; soap actress Lisa Rinna; supermodel Niki Taylor, and Playboy Playmate Hope Dworaczyk.

Just to give you a preview of what’s to come, check out this youtubevideo from HollyscoopTV. Though the video’s supposed to be about the big blowup between C.A.’s Meatloaf and Gary Busey, the interviewer complimented Marlee and asked her for fashion tips. The answer might surprise you!
(Hint: it rhymes with “thanks.”)

Miranda Lambert and Taylor Swift are big winners of the Academy of Country Music Awards 2011. Miranda took home four awards—the most of the night—and Taylor got what she’d been coveting for years, Entertainer of the Year. As expected, the singers got all tressed up for the occasion. At first glance they looked very much alike when holding their prizes. But then you notice the differences: long and longer, blond and blonder, curled and curlier, bangs on and off the face. Mira’s do is easier to recreate: simply blow dry with a big round brush. For more curl do a quick roller set or use a curling iron with a big barrel. Tay’s glamour waves can take up to an hour to do at home. You almost have to use a three-barrel waving iron and work small sections at a time. For special occasions, you might want to get the look at a salon for time-savings and professional quality.   

Earlier in the evening, Miranda wore another do to walk the Red Carpet. She pulled her hair back and left long side bangs down to sweep to one side. Another view of the top Entertainer shows how the waves are just as pretty from the side. This is a good reminder for us to think about how our hair looks all the way around—from side to side including the back. In this lighting the haircolor variations of platinum and gold are more noticeable. Who knew long blond curls could look so different, yet be so alike?

In the end, these blondes had more fun showing off their trophies than worrying about their hair. What good is a pretty hairstyle without a happy face? Our moms used to say we were prettier when we smiled. Maybe they’re onto something!

Natalie Portman not only won the Oscar for best actress, she won top honors in our prettiest hairstyles of the night. She swept her mane to one side and let the loose curls spill over the shoulder. Another award-winning look was Scarlett Johansson’s new mid-length bob full of tousled waves and curls. Any other day, Scarlett would probably leave her hair straight to show off the blunt cut.

Amy Adams chose to go glam like Natalie, but her wavy curls were released all over, caressing the cheek on one side and going back on the other. Jennifer Lawrence looked nothing like her character from Winter’s Bone. Her hair and makeup draw the line between the real-life actress and the fictional mountain girl. Her hair is similar to Amy’s yet different. While the redhead has defined waves, the blonde’s are unstructured except for the curled ends.

Michelle Williams landed in our best-tressed competition, as she continues to revel in a daring pixie. Ever-changing haircolor keeps the short cut fresh. Recently, Michelle has gone blonder and blonder ending up in a platinum hue reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe.

This is just a short list of our Academy Award-winning hair fashions. For more, stay tuned!   

For a minute around New Year’s Eve, it looked like Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock were a couple. A few days later the truth came out —they’re just very good friends. While the rumors swirled, guys were wishing they were in Ryan’s place: going from Scarlett Johansson’s ex-hubby to Sandra Bullock’s sweetheart. Scarlett and Ryan split less than a month before he was photographed with Sandra on New Year’s Eve/Day. The Ryan-Sandra rumors were based on the theory that Ryan had consoled Sandra after she threw out Jesse James and that she was returning the favor for her friend and Proposal co-star.

Though the love story wasn’t true, there’s no doubt that Ryan has great taste. His two leading ladies are gorgeous, not to mention talented and smart. The mane difference is haircolor. When we think of Sandra, long straight hair comes to mind, but that doesn’t mean she always go smooth. Ms. B has been known to wear loose ringlets, tighter curls and loads of updos (like the sidesweep above) . The same goes for Scarlett, who changes her hair more often than not. Here, we see Ms. Jo in “windblown” curls (top) and in less stylized, scrunchy waves (below). Scarlett’s casual coif was perfect for the night of the “kiss”… at the MTV Movie Awards when Sandra instigated the intimate moment on stage, before the cameras!

You can tell a star’s popular when she inspires fans to participate in online polls. Based on current surveys, Demi Lovato has hit the big time! The questions range from the trivial to the major stuff  (hair). With the most recent changes, Miss Lovato is barely recognizable as Disney’s girl-next-door. The mane difference is her haircolor which has gone from dark to light. She’s one of the leading brondes (brunette/blonde) along with Jennifer Aniston, Gisele Bundchen, Natalie Portman, Jennifer Lopez, etc., etc.

Demi’s do-over is drawing lots of attention… hence the polls. The top question is: “Do you or don’t you like the new color? (Maybe you don’t care or think it’s her own business). As often happens, there’s a group of admirers who are begging the Camp Rocker to “please, please, please go back to the way it was!”

When a poll proves popular, there’s spin-offs. In this case the pollsters are asking, “Do you like Demi’s hair up or down?” We haven’t seen a survey about her in curly or straight hair, but there’s probably one out there or in the works.

If you’re like us, polls are pointless. We LIKE to see stars changing their hair. It’s only natural that a teen/adult would want to give up “girlish” for “sophisticated.” So we’re all for the rising star trading in her long black curls for a brighter, lightly layered cut.

The easiest way to copy the singer/actress’ look? Wear curly hair natural or scrunched while air-dying. It’s simple to turn casual curls into polished ringlets: simple set hair vertically with a curling iron. Alternate the direction of the curls, rolling one piece forward, the next back and so on. When time is of the essence, take it up! Brush out curls around the face and sweep hair to crown, back or into a French roll.

We’ve saved the hardest coif for last: curly locks styled straight. Demi has professionals to do what needs to be done: blow-drying hair small sections at a time over a large round or flat brush. But with a little practice you can become an expert.

If you still want to tell us what you think, feel free!

Fans of horror movies should already know Danielle Panabaker from Friday the 13th, The Crazies and The Ward. But don’t let that fool ya–Danielle does much more than scary. She’s one of the lucky (talented) stars who appeared in the premiere of Law & Order: Los Angeles. You might remember Danny Girl in the HBO miniseries Empire Falls. The young actress held her own in that project with Paul Newman, Ed Harris and Helen Hunt. We’ll get a chance to see a lot more of her in movies like The Renaissance Girl and Weakness, an indie that will be shown at the Austin Film Festival  (starting in 15 days!)

Her background seems unique in the world of child stars. At the age of 14, Danielle graduated as valedictorian of her high school class, and at 19 she earned a B.A. Through the years, her hairstyles have changed little, but they’ve always been long (like the popular dos of real-life teens and 20-somethings). A one-length, straight style reflects the youngest image (below). The mane is OK natural, but gets lots better when blown-dry with a big paddle brush. For a little more polish (above), Danielle has her hair angled around the face, so that curled ends roll over each other below the face. To copy the coif, blow-dry with a large brush using a little tension to smooth hair. Starting with sleek locks makes it easier to set with a large-barreled curling iron held vertically in front. Twirl hair forward on the sides, go backward on the next section or do whatever you want!

To appear much more sophisticated, the brunette goes from light-to-heavier layers (on top). Light texturizing works beautifully with large ringlets. More layering and bangs give Danielle a modern Shag without the shagginess. She makes it neater by replacing straight locks with loose spiral curls.

Don’t expect the rising star to keep her hair the same for much longer. We predict she’ll do something—go shorter, change colors, etc.—as she gets more roles and more time in the biz.

Recently we saw two of our favorite movie stars from the past–Leslie Caron and Audrey Hepburn–in Gigi and Love in the Afternoon. Gigi (along with American in Paris) just wouldn’t have been the same without Miss Caron. We haven’t seen an American in Paris lately, but it is fresh in our minds from childhood! The chemistry between Leslie and Gene Kelly makes perfect sense if you know that Gene discovered Leslie performing in a ballet. Two years later Kelly sought her out to play an unknown dancer in “Paris.” It didn’t take long for Leslie to become a triple-winning singer/dancer/actress. On top of a successful career, the French ballerina is still known for the gamine looks that worked so wonderfully in “Cinderella -type, rags-riches stories,” according to an IMDb mini biography.  It’s interesting to note that Leslie was cast in Gigi after Audrey turned down the role she had played on Broadway.

That brings us to the connection with Audrey Hepburn. Back in the golden age of motion pictures, these two resembled each other with their waif-like looks and pixie haircuts that are influencing young stars today. (Think Emma Watson in her new hairstyle shown below that is drawing comparisons to Audrey). Love in the Afternoon with Gary Cooper doesn’t hold the same place in our hearts as Sabrina, Roman Holiday and Wait Until Dark. If you’ve viewed any of their movies recently, let us know if you see the similarities. If not, tell us what you think about their shortcuts.

The fashion critics seem to diss the women of Mad Men every chance they get. The negative reviews usually focus on their wardrobes, but January Jones often garners bad marks for her hairstyles. January’s hair is either too messy, too trendy, too sedate, too whatever. We’re wondering what those holier-than-thou fashionistas are thinking after seeing the Mad Man & Women on the cover of Rolling Stone’s September issue. A recent flurry of comments resulted from the Emmys, where the top actresses struck a confident pose. January Jones was criticized for her messy hair and her short, electric blue dress with a pointy corset-style bodice. Elisabeth Moss was snickered at for her old-fashioned glamour look. And as usual the Joan Rivers types slammed Christina Hendricks for showing off her curvy figure at a time when stick-thin women are still in vogue. A few of the experts ARE predicting that the hourglass silhouette will be everywhere next season. Perhaps hairstyles will follow suit and become as voluptuous as the women of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce Advertising Agency.

Here they show how high volume works on straight to curly locks. The ever fearless leader of the pack, January is steps ahead of the trend with her asymmetrical bob and kicky ends. If you have a good haircut, styling is as easy as applying a volumizing product, blow-drying hair upside down, gently combing and fingering into place and then spritzing on a strong-hold spray. Next we see that while Peggy’s away, Elisabeth will play! On Mad Men the secretary-rising star of the agency, Peggy is slowly becoming a little less dowdy and a little more feminine. But even when she turns on the glamour, Peggy stays restrained. It’s fun to see the real woman behind the character–Ms. Moss pretty, glamorous, poised yet totally relaxed. Her do isn’t as difficult as you might think. After blow-drying hair with a round brush, set it on hot rollers and let hair cool before brushing it.  Back-comb, gel and spray to your heart’s desire. Like Elisabeth, Christina gets to step out of the strict secretary/office manager position. When Christina is able to let Joan’s hair down, out of the tight updo, she looks real. To copy, curl hair vertically with rollers or a big-sized curling iron.

We’ve come to the end of our episode. To be continued…

Long before it had a name, bronde was a haircolor.  For ages brunettes have been adding a little blonde to their hair. Then in 2007 celebrity stylist Kim Vo coined the word “bronde” and it stuck. Women go bronde for many reasons: to lighten up, flatter themselves or just have more fun! Its appeal is timeless as sun-kissed brown seems natural and resembles the perfect haircolor of a child. Brown/blonde comes from fine highlights on naturally dark or lowlighted hair.

Supermodel Gisele Bundchen is the quintessential bronde and the inspiration behind the name. We were going to put her picture on top but couldn’t resist using the trio of Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Lopez and Natalie Portman (considered the brondes of the day). Miley and singer Demi Lovato (right) represent the younger generation who’s embracing bronde for something they think is new and different. Compared to Gisele, Demi is a darker brunette with sunny streaks on top and around the face.

Miley goes high contrast with brown that’s almost black and blonde that’s almost white. The light streaks and shorter curls separate her from the Hannah Montana she’s trying to do get away from. Jennifer and Natalie have the same idea: hightlights so subtle they could have come from the sun. Jennifer has more blond in her bangs and very fine highlights throughout to give her waves incredible shine. Natalie proves that less is more for stars as well as real women who don’t have the time to fool with the high maintenance kind of bronde. 

Sarah Jessica Parker stands out as the blondest in the bunch and that’s OK for the fashionista of Sex in the City. Meanwhile Michelle Pfeiffer swirls gold on brown to distinguish her spiral curls. 

As you can see, all brondes are not the same. In the near future we are going to add more brondes to the list and tell how to get the look.

Earlier this year, Miranda Lambert won three awards from the Academy of Country Music and one from CMT. Those honors paved the way for her latest coup: nine CMA  award nominations — the most ever for a female in this contest! Her album Revolution plus songs White Liar and The House that Built Me put Miranda in the running for this year’s top Entertainer, Album, Song, Female Vocalist and Musical Event. What’s more, she’s been nominated twice for Single and Music Video of the Year.

While her career is soaring, Miranda’s hairstyles have stayed down to earth. The flashiest touch is chunky red highlighting through pale blond — the perfect match for her fiery Texas voice. The styles shown here prove how versatile long hair is, but they also offer fresh ideas for medium-length cuts. Her easiest ‘dos are straight, with hair worn off or on the face. Blow-drying small sections of hair at a time polish it up.

For a change of pace, the rising star chooses side bangs, volume and a little loose wave. She wore this style for a special date with fiancé Blake Shelton to the CMT Awards show. (BTW: the couple will face off in three CMA categories: musical event, single and music video of the year). To do the coif, apply a strong-hold styling product to damp hair. Use your fingers to blow-dry and finish with a large round brush.

To get the most elaborate of these coifs, hair should be volumized before being swept back. Create big curls around the face to soften what could be a severe style.

No matter what happens with the awards, it’ll be fun to see if Miranda’s hair changes between now and the CMA show in November.

The first thing we noticed about Meghan Linsey is her hair!

The hot singer from Steel Magnolia has one of the cutest hairstyles in Country Music. Like her unusual career, Meghan’s haircut is unique. Instead of staying with a traditional long mane, she goes with a short cut that looks longer than it is and fuller because of precise layering. To copy these coifs: blow-dry hair upside down until it’s slightly damp. Finish drying and either scrunch with your fingers or use a large round brush.

What’s unique about Meghan’s career? She first met Joshua Scott Jones in a karaoke bar, they sang I’m All Out of Love that night AND later became girl/boyfriend. Winners of the second season CMT’s Can You Duet?, M & J will release their self-titled debut album Steel Magnolia on September 21.

While they are new to stardom, the strong-as-Steel singers seem comfortable in the limelight. At the same time, they are casual and friendly with fans. Here’s hoping that they’ll stay down-to-earth as they rise to the top of the charts!
Photos from Big Machine Records

Rima Fakih before Miss Universe contest

Rima before Miss USA

What is it with Miss USA & Miss Universe?
Do their organizers (i.e. Donald Trump) stir up controversy to boost ratings? The publicity photos for Miss Universe have taken the same slant as Miss USA: risqué clothing, body paint and topless. Both beauty contests have drawn outrage from fans who feel that the pageants are going too far with their PR. Before the first competition, the negative comments inspired headlines like this: ”Miss USA–Is There Such a Thing as Too Sexy?” While viewers renounced the hot pix, the pageant people felt they were “tasteful and very sexy.” Now the Miss Universe Organization is getting slammed for racy photos that show too much skin for the general public.

Is it a coincidence that Miss USA 2010 used to study pole dancing?
All of this pales next to the real-life story of Miss USA. As far as publicity goes, it was too good to be true that the beauty queen of the United States had a little secret in her closet. In less than 24 hours after Rima Fakih was crowned Miss USA, the stories broke about her being a pole dancer in a previous life. It didn’t matter that she had only taken a pole dancing class (like women do these days). The gossip mongers made her out to be an employee in a strip club.

And what about their hairstyles?
Almost as funny as the hype is the fact that most of these naughty girls look alike. If you’re viewing their pix by country, it’s hard to find Miss USA. Long, dark locks seem to be the required uniform with only a few blondes breaking the code. No matter the haircolor or body type, the hairstyles are salon perfect, frozen in the come-hither look of full, flowing manes. We won’t even attempt to tell you how to copy their ’dos. Suffice it to say that you either have to be a great stylist yourself or know one who will be close by at all times.

In early June we were caught off guard when Agyness Deyn got a crew cut. We wondered why the supermodel would give up the pretty “bowl” bob that she made famous? Watching Agyness for a couple of months, we’re starting to see the beauty of the buzz… namely that her stunning  face can stand on its own. Few women can get away with this, so why not do it if you can? Agyness is making little changes that spice up the crop, going from dirty blond to red hot to cool white.

Seeing the It Girl so comfortable in her hair makes it look better and starts to seem like a natural for the model/trendsetter. Right after the short-to-shorter haircut Agyness didn’t seem too pleased. Now she seems happy and at ease in the new ‘do. Agyness’ crew cut fits the avant-garde image she often creates in fashion mags. The Madonna-like model seems right at home in the New York Issue of V Magazine as a Hare Krishna and a Britney Spears gone goth girl binging on Cheetos.

Another reason for Agyness to smile is naag.com, an online magazine that she launched with her journalist friend Fiona Byrne (above). In an interesting role reversal, the woman before the camera becomes the Creative Director behind the scenes–photographing gal pals and sharing secrets about her beauty products, movies, restaurants and a lot more! It’s hard for us (in the Second City) to relate to all the NYC stuff; however, most any girl/woman can appreciate what these trendies have to say.

Just take a quick peek at the lifestyle mag and you’ll find info on things like Mororoccanoil hair treatment for all types. It’s a short post, but here’s how it starts: ”If you’re anything like us, the mere mention of the word ‘oil’ in the same sentence as ‘hair’ has an entirely negative connotation, one that takes you back to zits, braces and hormones and memories of those girls in class who thought it was OK to wash their hair once a week during the oiliest of those teenage hair years. Ew.”

“Even the finest of hair won’t be weighed down with residue,” according to Ms. Byrne, “and as one who sports the finest and silkiest of hair with an inherent fear of lank, greasy tresses, we can vouch for the fact that this oil is light as a feather. It’s a moroccaniracle!” (Moroccanoil is available starting at from $14.99 at Rickysnyc.com).

Getting back to the whole reason for this post… Agyness’ short-short is becoming bold AND beautiful to us (even though we would never dare to bare our head like that!)

Sources: photographers Bauer Griffin and Brent Murray, Style.com, PacificCoastNews.com, zimbio, V Magazine photos by Alasdair McLellan, Huffington Post, naag.com

Dear Miley,
We know it’s time for you to give up Hannah Montana, grow up and expand your career outside of the Disney Channel. But why did you have to go and choose Britney and Lindsey for your role models? #1 they aren’t pretty. #2 they don’t act grown up. #3 they aren’t talented. #4 you’re limiting your audience if you copy the LLO and Brit type pseudo-stars #5 Madonna’s lingerie fashions made sense, but you are no Madonna (and neither is Lady Gaga!). #6 why don’t you copy celebs who balance sexy with sophisticated? Jennifer Lopez’s hot looks are close to what you want, but she doesn’t go overboard (most of the time!). Natalie Portman has done what you are so desperately seeking–transitioning from girl to woman–BUT she did it in a subtle manner. When she plays risqué characters in the movies, you know it’s not the real Natalie…she’s just a great actress doing her job. When she’s not filming, Ms. Portman goes back to her classic casual coifs.

Miley, we have to apologize for dissing your poor taste. There are plenty of times when you are the picture of beauty and poise… like when you wore a sleek ponytail with a high crown and loose curls highlighted in bronde (the trendy blond-brunette color combo). These pix only go to show how soft-spoken style can be just as hot as pole-dancing ‘dos!

Of course, none of this matters. You are a grown woman (girl?) and you’ll do what you wanna do.

Good luck!
realhairstyles

Being Harry Potter’s BFF in six movies has paid off for Emma Watson. As if by magic, she has gone from girl to woman overnight. The secret lies in a dramatic mane change–from ultra-long locks to barely-there hair. The new Emma is being compared to young Twiggy, Mia Farrow and Audrey Hepburn (if you don’t know who they are, ask a baby-boomer!).  Only weeks ago, the ingenue was wearing her hair almost to the waist in a casual braid. Before that there were a variety of semi-longish looks (like casual waves below) which maintained the continuity in the HP films.

Unlike her peers, Emma wasn’t trying to attract attention with titillating style. She just wanted to cut her hair. It’s refreshing to hear why Emma took the plunge (especially when compared with spoiled starlets using Twitter to rant against f-ing judges, crazed fans, whatever). The popular actress premiered her do on Facebook with this friendly message: “Dear all. Cut my hair off a few days ago…Feels incredible. I love it. I’ve wanted to do this for years and years; it’s the most liberating thing ever. Hope you like. Big love from Emma x.” 

Having to keep her hair long for the Harry Potter movies made the makeover even more exciting for Emma: “The stylist just grabbed the back of my hair and took a whole ponytail of hair out.” New York stylist Rodney Cutler of Cutler Salon left just enough length to keep the hair feminine. That little difference is much more flattering for most women than the boyish crew cuts of Agyness Deyn, Natalie Maines and Janet Jackson. The pixie-ish look doesn’t even have to be styled, but it CAN be dressed up in minutes with gel or a few twists of a curling iron at the back of crown.

Keep watching Ms. Watson… she’s bound to be changing hairstyles more often, as she gets farther away from her Hermione and Harry Potter and closer to the more sophisticated characters she’s hoping to play.

As we predicted, Janet Jackson is yo-yoing between her buzzed haircut and slightly longer styles. JJ’s pixie cut with bangs works perfectly for her role as the new face for Blackgama’s fur coat campaign. The beauty of the crew cut was evident when Ms. Jackson was vacationing in Sardinia, Italy earlier this summer. Without doing a thing to her hair, the pop star was free to swim, sail or just sit on the beach with her new boyfriend Wissam Al Mana. When it’s time to be on stage, Janet simply polishes up the do with a shine enhancer (like she did on the American Idol finale). Some star watchers compared Janet today with Toni Braxton in the early ’90s. While Toni’s short cut was a tiny bit longer and tinted in brownish red, we have no idea how Janet will make her short cut different in the days to come! 

The hairstyles from Mad Men are gone, but not forgotten!

While Mad Men revolves around the guys, they wouldn’t be anywhere without their women. More and more, the ladies are revealing there’s more to their characters than meets the eye. Their retro hairstyles make them look like spoiled housewives and sexy secretaries, and we could write off their demure dos as old-fashioned. But if you look hard enough, there are a few touches that are still around today. Betty Draper changes hairstyles like Don changes women, but glamour curls are a favorite. Now imagine if those curls were brushed out, slept in or wind-blown… the results would be pretty similar to January Jones’ modern mane. It’s a good thing we can copy the coif without going to a salon once a week (who has the time, money or desire to do that?). Styling with a round brush and blow-drier or a large curling iron are a couple of ways to do it. 

The funny thing about Christina Hendricks’ current look is how similar it is to Joan’s (her character). They are both up-sweeps with a few curls left loose, but the older version has the pumped up crown of that era. Even though Joan is one of the hardest workers at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, she finds time to do her impeccable hair and makeup in the morning and keep it fresh all day and night.

Peggy Olson cares more about being a successful ad exec than how she looks. Every now and then Peggy HAS to play the femme fatale, but when she does, the results are beautiful. Actress Elisabeth Moss makes the transition possible with her classic good looks. Judging from pix of Elisabeth today, it seems like she favors romantic glamour styles in real life. 

As time goes, it will be interesting to see how the fashions change on Mad Men and if we can get any style twists we can borrow!

The woman with January Jones IS January Jones… but you knew that didn’t you? 

In a previous post we asked, “Who’s that girl with January Jones?” We were talking ’bout the drop-dead redhead above. Fans of January recognized her immediately as Betty Draper from Mad Men. While the model-turned-actress is well known for taking risks with her looks, she usually ends up resembling Grace Kelly, according to celeb stylist Mark Townsend. He thought it was time for January to break out of that mold. The creator of MARKTBeauty decided to replace Mrs. Draper of the ’60s with a hot-blooded Parisienne from the ’20s. As you can see, the results were dramatic… a far cry from the hairstyles of Don Draper’s long-suffering wife.

If you love January’s smart blonde hairstyles, don’t worry. The look was very temporary thanks to a natural-looking wig Mark used for the do-over. He and makeup artist Rachel Goodwin wanted to show how hair and makeup “can be used to really transform a person’s look.” At stylist.com, Townsend reveals how real women can copy the coif. Simply ask your stylist to design a bold bob with touches like short to long angles, and then ask the haircutter to use thinning shears on the ends. Dare-devils will want to finish with a bang, dark brows, color or something that brings even more attention to the eye-catching do!

While The Hills are long gone, Kristin Cavallari is here to stay. At the Salt premiere, she got media attention because of a barely-there neckline and mini, but we were more interested in her do. Straight hair only needs to be long enough to be swept back on top. If your hair’s too short, just pin it back and spritz with a light hairspray. At the TV.com NOW Awards, K-Cav looked the part of Trendsetter of the Year in a similar half-updo made different with lifted top and curled ends. When she wants to go all out, the special K girl does French braids all around the face before taking them up. When she gets tired of one-length hair, Kristin can always go back to long bangs and leave them loose to tress up a ponytail. There’s no end to the style ideas you can get from Ms. Cavallari, so stay in touch!

I have to hurry up, write this post and post it… before I see Inception (sometime tonight). I’ve been intrigued with the idea of the movie ever since I wrote about Ellen Page months ago. I remember watching the trailer and thinking it was a must-see for me. My husband is dissing the movie already, pointing out all of the negative reviews (2 or 3!) he’s seen. I’ve heard more good ones, but I’m trying to go in with an open mind.

The hairstyles alone are enough to draw me in. Two mane examples are leading ladies Ellen Page and Marion Cottilard. Their styles couldn’t be more different–natural vs. supernatural. Glamorous pix of Ellen from the movie are hard to come by. Even though she’s a professional architect, Ellen Juno looks like a young girl next to Leo. Ellen’s architect character shuns the executive tress code for coifs that say “casual Friday” or ”weekends at home.” Meanwhile Marion dons the dos of a bombshell beauty like the one she played in Public Enemies. The looser ringlets that captured the heart of Dillinger are tighter and more polished to contrast with her gun-toting character.  

Of course the playing field was more level at Inception’s premiere (top). The stars both opted for updos, but again the results weren’t the same. Ms. Page let her side bangs hang out and loosened some other spots. As she often does, Marion went sleek and straight to high fashion. Either upsweep makes a grand entrance.

I’m stopping while I’m ahead. Check back later to see what the verdict will be!