Hair-volution : Jessica Alba

Jessica Alba may be widely known for her remarkable fashion sense, but it's her ever-changing hairstyles that don't get enough credit. She is never afraid to experiment with different cuts and colours; and incredibly, everything that she tries, suits her. Her beautiful skin tone compliments any new hue, and her angular face shape allows her to carry off any style. Jessica's had just about every type of cut, tint and length, which makes her perfect for hairstyle inspiration.



After 2 years of growing my hair out, I've decided to take the plunge and cut it off. Sometimes a new hairstyle is the best makeover, it can make you feel and look like a whole new person. I've already made the appointment, I just need to muster up the courage to get myself in the chair. In my quest for a new summer hairstyle, I've gathered the best of Jessica's cuts and colours over the years to help me make a decision.

Short to Medium Length

1. An angled bob in dark brown with coppery highlights. It's cut slightly longer in the front and has a heavy, blunt fringe.

2. A classic straight bob in a shimmery cinnamon shade, cut just below the jawline. It looks easy to accomplish, but I'm sure there is a lot of ironing involved to get it looking this sleek.

3. Jessica went blonde with her much shorter, pin-straight bob. It's cut just above the jawline, with jagged edges. I am not brave enough to go this length.

4. Her blonde locks are styled into windswept waves, thanks to a round brush and good hairdryer. This style perfectly shows off her stunning bone structure.

5. A mid-length, tousled look in ombré chocolate-to-chestnut brown. Slight layering through the ends enhance her loose waves.

6. A shoulder-length hairstyle thats feathered in the front. She added a multitude of bronze and brown highlights.

Long Length

1. Jessica wears her sultry long brown tresses to the side. This is the length my hair is at the moment. So you can imagine how hard it would be to cut it off.

2. This was when Jessica went platinum blonde for her role in Fantastic 4. Her bouncy cut with asymmetrical fringe includes lots of layers, which probably means lots of work.

3. This is one of Jessica's most-loved and copied styles. Her glossy locks have been slightly layered from the mid-lengths to create soft waves with volume and movement. Honey highlights makes her hair look that more radiant.

4. Simple, smooth and straight. With a few layers around the jawline and caramel highlights. It would be the easiest to style and wear.

5. Jess tinted her hair a rich reddish auburn colour and added a fringe.

6. As gorgeous as this is, it seems the most difficult to style. Jessica opted for a golden brown mane with sunkissed highlights. The colour brightens up her face. Plenty of layers create defined curls that add texture and body. 

I've deliberated over these styles many times...and finally decided on the very first one. Without the blunt fringe. Choosing this bob would mean cutting 20cm/8 inches off my current length. It is a lot, but then that's the great thing about hair, no matter how many times you cut it...it will always grow back. Which of Jessica's styles would you wear?

The Savvy Girl's Guide To A Fishtail Braid

The hottest hairstyle for this summer is the fishtail braid, as seen on numerous stars, runways and magazines. The fishtail braid is a more complex take on the regular braid that we all wore to mask those school day hair blues. It may seem daunting to try out at first, but according to blogger Akanksha Chawla from Fictitious Fashion, it's as easy as pie. After seeing Akanksha wear a fishtail braid on her blog, I asked her to do a guest post on how to recreate the look. She's written a step-by-step guide, along with corresponding photographs - which makes this hairstyle easy enough for anyone to achieve.

How to Create a Fishtail Braid

In the Words of Akanksha:



A Warm Welcome to Everyone. I wanted to share my favourite hairstyle, the fishtail braid.



Step 1. If you’re doing it yourself then I’d suggest making a side braid or one at the back. Tie up all of your hair to the side with the help of any rubber band.



Step 2. Divide your hair into two sections. Hold each piece separately.



Step 3. This step is very important - Take a thin bunch of hair (see picture) from the end of one of the divided sections.



Step 4. Take the thin bunch over to the other half of the hair, making a cross. Hold it tightly.



Step 5. Now, take a thin bunch of hair from the second half of your hair.

Step 6. Take this second thin bunch over to the first half of hair, making a cross.  (This is the equivalent of pulling smaller strands from outside the larger sections, and drawing them into the center).



Step 7. You should get your first Fishtail.



Step 8. Repeat steps 3-6 until you get to the the end of your hair. Secure with a  hairband.



Akanksha's Tips:

*You could spray gel onto your hair for a solid and sophisticated look.

*My hair is a little silky and cut in layers so you would see tiny hair hopping around. Not to worry, long hair wouldn't have an issue.

*Remember to make this hairstyle your own by adding beads, colourful rubber bands, tic-tacs, etc.



Feel free to ask her any questions on http://fictitious-fashion.blogspot.com/

Special thanks to the very sweet Akanksha for sharing this tutorial and tips with us.

Celeb Inspired Looks

Now that you have learnt to do the simple side swept fishtail braid, you can move on to more intricate braided styles, as shown off by these celebrities.

Top Row

Kim Kardashian lets a few strands hang loose from her braid and wears a side-swept fringe.

Wear a blunt fringe and tie a ribbon around your elastic hairband like Bella Thorne.

Hilary Duff used thin strips of black leather to style her fishtail braid.

Ashley Tisdale added some volume to her look by teasing the front of her hair.

Center-part your hair, make two separate French braids then pin them up like Sarah Michelle Gellar.



Bottom Row

Blake Lively's version of an unkempt fishtail braid. She added a pretty gold hair brooch.

Amanda Bynes used her smaller braid as an Alice band, with the rest of her hair loose.

Nicole Richie plaited her hair in two sections from the roots.

Try a high ponytail braid like Diane Kruger.

Mary Kate Olsen combines tousled waves with her fishtail braid.



I hope that this post will inspire you to create your own fishtail braid.

Happy Styling from Akanksha & I!

The Savvy Girls Guide to Side Swept Waves

Side Swept Waves

I was browsing for a formal hairstyle for this weekend, and the one that appealed to me the most was side swept waves. This 1940's Veronica Lake hairstyle exudes vintage glamour and elegance. It will work for medium to long hair and suits all face shapes. If you want to show off a pretty pair of earrings, this side styled look is a great option. It's young, yet formal but not too fussy. Just Perfect. These are my favourite side swept looks.

Top Row

Julianne Hough wears her long blonde locks to the side.

Camilla Belle styled her glossy dark tresses with picture perfect make-up.

Amy Adams channels old Hollywood glamour with her side swept red hair.



Bottom Row

Lea Michele wears this hairstyle beautifully with more defined curls.

Ashley Greene added some volume to her look.

Taylor Swift wore an asymmetrical fringe with her cascading waves.





How to get Side Swept Waves



1. Shampoo and condition your hair as normal.

2. Use a protective styling product that won't weight your hair down.

3. Dry hair roughly with a hairdryer, until almost dry.

4. Use a fine tooth comb to create a deep side parting, whichever side works best for you. 

5. Separate your hair into small sections.

6. Using a wide-barreled curing tong, curl each section. Start with the top layer of your hair and work your way to the middle and bottom layers.

7. Wrap hair diagonally around the tong, starting about 5 centimeters from the root.

8. Once you've curled each piece, keep it wound up and pin it gently to your head with a small clip. By allowing it to cool this way, it will set better.

9. Once you've completed curling all your hair, you can remove all the clips and loosen the waves with your fingertips.

10. Spritz with hairspray and you're all glamed up and ready to go!

Katy Perry for GHD

Katy Perry

The New Face of GHD



Beloved British brand GHD have chosen Katy Perry to be the ambassador for their latest range of hair irons. I'm guessing Katy's luscious locks had something to do with it. GHD have just launched the "Iconic Era's of Style" campaign in South Africa. It features 3 limited edition styling kits - New Wave, Glamour and Boho Chic. 



Each kit contains a GHD classic Gold ceramic styler, hair clips, a heat guard and pretty purse to match each theme. There's a brown fringed bag for the Boho Chic Collection, a gold studded purse to represent New Wave and a classy black satin clutch emphasizing Glamour.

Top Left

Katy models 80's inspired voluminous curls in a colour block outfit for the New Wave Collection. 



Top Right

Katy channels 50's style Glamour with tightly wound waves and a pleated peach tulle dress.



Bottom Left

Katy is Hippy chic in a brown animal print mini and thigh high suede boots. Her hair has been styled in loose waves, with Boho braids across her forehead.



Bottom Right

The entire "Iconic Era's of Style" range.



You can watch the step-by-step video guide on the GHD website to recreate each of Katy's hairstyles. The new stylers sell for R2 280 and can be purchased from ghdhair.com 

Cover Girl - Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian

Harper's Bazaar March 2011

The gorgeous Kim Kardashian graces the cover of Harper's Bazaar March 2011 issue. Kim looks red-hot on the cover and did a Cleopatra-inspired photo shoot for the magazine. The fashion shoot pays homage to Kim's idol and the original 1963 Cleopatra, Elizabeth Taylor. The liquid gold dress (pictured right) is by Moschino. When beauty was bestowed upon women on earth, I think Kim got an extra share. An extra large share at that too.

'Cleopatra with a K' - Kim befittingly plays the the part of Egyptian Queen, with dramatic fringed bob, kohl-lined cat-eyes and ornate hairpieces. Kim's leopard print dress (top left) is by Dolce & Gabbana, with headpiece by Alexis Bittar and heels by Gucci. The gold gown (top right) is by Ralph Lauren, turquoise and gold headpiece by Lynn Bay and sandals by Casadei. The midnight blue grecian gown (bottom left) is by Salvatore Ferragamo. She wears it with a gold belt by Gucci, which is the exact same one Katy Perry wears on the cover of Elle magazine. (See this on my post below). On the bottom right photo, Kim wears a black jumpsuit by Gucci. 

I wonder if we'll see a remake of Cleopatra starring Kim in the lead role? With her magnetic appeal and dynamic ambition, you never know...

Cover Girl - Scarlett Johansson for Mango

Scarlett Johansson

Mango Spring 2011 Ad Campaign

The stunning Scarlett Johansson stars in her fourth campaign for Spanish fashion brand Mango. The advert for their Spring 2011 collection was shot in Barcelona and reflects on the Modernist Resort theme of the line. Mango chose a retro-modern inspired look for Spring, with clean lines, cherry prints, stripes and simple silhouettes.

This collection features preppy cardigans, longer-length skirts and A-line dresses in blocks of bright red, orange, yellow and watermelon pink. Scarlett's new classic-cut bob suits the minimalistic style really well. For more information on this brand, visit Mango online. 

The Savvy Girl's Guide To Cutting A Fringe

Late one evening this week, I realized that my fringe had grown too long and was annoyingly getting in my eyes all the time. I needed a trim. Any sane person would have waited for the next morning to call their hairstylist and make an appointment for this. Not me. I couldn't wait that long. The 'bee in a bonnet' in me wanted it cut right then. So, I wet my hair, and stared apprehensively into a badly lit mirror with a pair of scissors; which I am sure was not appropriate for cutting hair. I hesitated for a few minutes, thinking, "Should I, shouldn't I?" My impulsive nature got the better of me and...Snip! Uh oh - I really shouldn't have.

After the first cut, I found out that the scissors was so blunt, it couldn't even cut paper. But by then I had already chopped off the right half my once-wonderful hair. I had no choice but to finish off the dreadful mess I so stupidly started. When I was done trimming my entire fringe, I didn't have to dry it to see that it was far too short. Like sticking-out-in-the-middle-of-my-forehead-like-a-cockatoo short. And crooked. As I said before 'Any sane person would've went to a hairdresser....'

So for next time, if there is a next time, I asked an expert about the 'proper' method of cutting your own fringe. Ideally, it should be done by a professional, but if you are courageous (or crazy) enough to undertake such a mission, here are a few simple steps to guide you.

How to cut your own fringe

You will need:

A sharp scissors made especially for cutting hair

A styling comb

A brightly lit mirror

A steady hand

Some nerve

Step One: Always start with dry, straightened hair. It's easy to overestimate the length of wet hair as it stretches when it's weighed down.

Step Two: Use the comb to separate the rest of your hair from the section you want to trim. Pick a point on top of your head where you would like your fringe to start. The further back you go, the heavier the fringe. Section off a wedge shape of hair, using the ends of your eyebrows as a guide. 

Step Three: It is still not too late to back out.

Step Four: Pull your hair down and hold it taut with your middle and index fingers. Hold your scissors with the ends pointing up, perpendicular to the line of your fringe.

Step Five: Cut! Slowly and only a small bit at a time, from one side to the other. You can always go back and trim more off later if necessary.

Step Six: Flaunt your new fringe!

With this guide, you will now be able to cut your own fringe. Either successfully or not. If not, just remember that your hair will grow back. Until then, arm yourself with lots of hair clips, alice bands and industrial strength hair gel to keep the short spikes at bay. Unfortunately, you cant stick your hair back, as you might end up looking like that scary girl from The Grudge.

Note to Self: I will not cut my own fringe again. Or at least until this disaster grows out.

Jessica Alba's New Hairstyle

Jessica Alba

Little Fockers NYC Premiere

Jessica Alba shows off a short sleek bob at the premiere of Little Fockers in New York this week. Her white fringed tier dress is by Valentino Couture and the stunning gold heels are by Christian Louboutin. She stars in the third installment of the hilarious Meet the Parents movie franchise.