I am probably the last person on earth to feel fashionable, trendy or cute but sometimes I get a little spunk in me and go for it. I don't want to be stared at or the center of attention. Blending in is ok. Until I got the nerve to make a drastic change... to my hair.
Long for me is a beautiful, stringy mess with few options and more headache than I care to deal with. Post-partum hair loss was my main motivation to make a change followed by the desperate grabbing hands of my little man while nursing.
The above was Thanksgiving 2012. A couple of weeks later I took the plunge to cut several inches off and go for a slight bob cut (thank you, Mary!)...
I let this grow out over the course of the next 4 or so months (laziness) and decided I was ready for yet another slightly more dramatic change.
My newest inspiration started here with Dear Whippy and her longer pixie style.
And this was my result (thank you Sarah!)...
I realized I was not much for the longer sideburns and hair around my ears. I was spending far too much time flat ironing to perfection, which seemed unachievable.
It felt almost like a Lego hair piece.
After I decided I didn't like the Lego look I went back to my hair stylist with new inspiration from my good friend, Ginnifer Goodwin.
Ok, so we're not "good" friends, but my minor obsession with the TV series Once Upon A Time made me absolutely fall in love with this style far more than I had previously thought I might.
My husband recently took up photography and photo editing as a hobby. Enjoy his wonderful work!
I couldn't be happier with the outcome of my hair!
I am still working on the styling aspect. There is so much to do with the pixie but many of the more fun styles need a fair amount of product and a bit of practice. Currently all I use to style my hair is my blow dryer, flat iron, hair spray and volumizing powder. It does require almost daily washing in order to have a clean styling slate. You're also looking at cutting it ever 4-5 weeks.
If you were considering the pixie don't expect to be able to jump out of bed in the A.M. and be on your merry way. If you do this you will look like, as I saw once described, a derranged teenage boy.
(After I experiment more I will share with you the products I find work best for me and the respective style. I'm taking tips from several different pixie ladies!)
You will begin to find that accessories such as head bands and clips become a necessity to avoiding the same look every day if you're like me and don't have much styling time on a busy day. There's no need to spend an arm and a leg on them though. Check local overstock stores like TJ Maxx or Ross. They often have them for $1-$5. If you are interested in the clips I'm sporting in some of my pictures you can find them here on Amazon. In the future I plan to make my own assortment, of which you can find hundreds of tutorials if you simply use dear old Pinterest!
Normally I wouldn't promote this aspect because "natural beauty is all you need" according to my husband... who is he kidding. I'm a woman! But honestly, make-up can really make this style pop and truly do its magic. Your face is fully exposed with little focus elsewhere and the before and after is surprising when it comes to putting your face on. There's no need to over do it but I feel like the fun part of the pixie is you can apply a more natural make-up coverage or an evening make-up coverage and still look fabulous! There will (hopefully) be more on that in the future as there isn't much opportunity for the evening look in my present daily life.
I suppose I'll end with a thought:
Long hair is elegant and is the timeless and modest picture of being a lady, but don't be afraid to take the plunge in to super short hair if you've considered it! You can still make it look beautiful and feminine! I did it somewhat gradually but I'll be honest, nothing can truly prepare you for this sort of drastic change no matter how short you thought you were before. You'll be shocked at first and likely question every ounce of you that ever thought it would be a good idea, but the compliments will pour in and probably overwhelm you (be humble!)... and confidence will gain. Learn from what others before you have done to make it work. Feel comfortable with your choice and embrace the short hair trend!
