More Cinderella Moments: Sometimes ‘Before’ is Better…

Ashley Tisdale

Last month, we posted about celebrities making some drastic cut and color changes. The trend continues, but not always with a “Cinderella success.” As we noted before, everyone loves a good transformation, the big “reveal” when a women is shown with her new look, and the audience all gasps in surprise at how a haircut, new haircolor, professional makeup, and a new outfit turns the a woman who may have been sitting next to them into Cinderella, ready for the ball.

But Ashley Tisdale’s transformation from a rich brunette to a bright blonde doesn’t offer that moment of awe. We think the blonde washes her out, and she’s already showing roots. Upkeep on this color is going to be very heavy, since she’s very obviously a natural brunette, which is why in her “before” picture she has that glow that is missing in the “after.” 

Calista Flockhart

Calista Flockhart makes the same error, although she’s gone in the opposite direction. The deep chestnut color makes her skin look sallow and ages her, where the honeyed tones of her “before” picture flatter her skin and bring light to her face. She looks more youthful and alive with lighter hair.

 

Chloe Sevigny

Chloe Sevigny made a very drastic change for a movie role, but she really got it right. Known for being very offbeat in her fashion choices, she makes a very striking brunette, and wisely changed her makeup to match her new haircolor. Note that she wears her trademark bright red lipstick in both shots, but it is a very different shade in each picture. That is one of the most important rules when you change your haircolor – you MUST change your makeup to go along with the new tone. You will not be able to just wear the same makeup colors as a cool brunette as you did as a golden blonde, and vice versa. 

 

Dianna Agron

Dianna Agron’s new cut is a misfire – we think it was supposed to be a shag, but the bangs are too long to accentuate her beautiful eyes, and it’s too choppy, with no flow to the layers, and no wispiness around the face to bring out her cheekbones. If you look at her “before” picture and see her classical bone structure, you realize the “after” picture just doesn’t do her any justice. We’d commented last time when she’d gone from that “before” cut to a bob, and thought it a mistake; she’s compounded the error here.

Leighton Meester

Now, look at what the right bangs can do! Leighton Meester’s bangs are perfect, they’re very youthful, they accentuate her eyes and draw attention to them while camouflaging a high forehead with just the right amount of wispiness and beveling.

 

Emma Watson

Emma Watson is doing a marvelous job of keeping her pixie well-shaped and flexible, constantly changing the way she wears it to keep it exciting and new. The darker hue is richer and quite flattering, especially so because she changed her makeup and darkened her brows to go with the new color. She looks more sophisticated, and has totally left behind any notion that she is still that teenager from the “Harry Potter” films.

Halle Berry

Halle Berry, who we believe has hit on the perfect combination of cut and color with her signature pixie in the “before” picture, has gone even shorter and a few shades lighter. Unfortunately, the new color is so close to her skin tone that they blend together, and we’re not crazy about it. We loved her look before, and she needs that richer, darker color for the contrast.

Jessica Alba

Jessica Alba, who will be a new mother any moment now, added some extensions for length. Since many pregnant women avoid haircolor, extensions are a great way to add highlights, lowlights, or more color. For women who want a temporary change or are growing out their hair, they can give you length and thickness as well. 

 

Katy Perry

Over the last two months, Katy Perry has gone from her trademark black hair to red (which even she termed an “epic misfire”), then from red to a strawberry blonde (we understand she is a natural blonde). The blonde was quite beautiful on her, and her colorist did a great job bringing her brows up to the right shade, and her makeup matched the new tones perfectly. But she apparently couldn’t leave well enough alone, and she colored her hair pink. Talk about an epic misfire. What a shame. 

Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian made news when she cut her trademark waist-length locks to just below shoulder length, as seen on the left. She made bigger news when she traded her black color for a deep mocha shade with some lighter brown highlights – but she also went back to extensions and the original length. We think the lighter shade is much more youthful and flattering. The dark hair was so severe and made her look more mature, aging her beyond her years. We hope she’ll keep this brighter, lighter color -- she’ll need less makeup to accentuate her eyes and face, and to create that glow this color brings out naturally.

Selita Ebanks

Victoria’s Secret model Selita Ebanks appeared in the last “transformation” post when she cut her long flowing hair into this two-tone pixie, and we’re guessing that her employers may have had a hand in her going back to long extensions and this rich, almost-black brunette shade. We’re sure it was fun while it lasted, and she’s beautiful enough to carry off almost any style she wants, but she looks just lovely in her “after” picture. And notice that she adjusted her makeup accordingly, which she did the first time around as well. 

Vanessa Hudgens

Vanessa Hudgens made national headlines by allowing her hair to be cut for a movie role. It’s hard to tell the shape of the cut from how she’s styled it here, which is not very flattering. She’s a pretty girl and can definitely pull off short hair, but she should move it around a bit and see what she can do with it, pull some wisps down around her face. Right now, it seems to lack any style at all. 

All of these major celebrity changes and transformations teach that when you’re considering a new cut, color, or both, a thorough consultation is an absolute MUST. You may even want to try on wigs if the change you’re considering is drastic. Change is a good thing, but being too impulsive can result in disaster.

Rely on an expert – your trained stylist and/or colorist – to advise you on whether what you see on a celebrity is going to work on you, with your hair’s texture, condition, and color, with your skin tone, and with your lifestyle. 

Be honest about how much time and money you’re willing to spend maintaining your hair. Some changes cost a lot more to keep up than others, and some require a lot more time in the salon, or a lot more time at home to reproduce the style. And always remember that a major change in cut and color means changes in your makeup and wardrobe as well, and calculate those investments, too.

Until next week, ciao!