New Hair for the New Year

When we were in Japan, I was so envious of the women there. They were so beautiful, elegant, and stylish. Their coats were perfectly tailored and lint-rolled, their clothing was polished yet adorable and their hair was always perfectly placed to frame their faces. Every girl had bangs or some sort of side-swept-in-your-face thing going on. I had to be like them, or at least try. My coats would never be fuzz free and I added some Japanese pieces of merchandise to my closet, but the biggest impact to my style would be the bangs.

I haven't had bangs since I was very young, probably in elementary school. I had one of those stereotypical blunt bangs and blunt hair, the female counterpart to the rice-bowl cut for boys.

Throwback!

The inside joke in my family is the time my Mom was reading us a picture book of Disney's The Jungle Book and my brother pointed to Mowgli (and his hair) and said my name.

The Jungle Book starring me

Anyway, it took a lot of deliberation, but I took the leap. One week after we returned from Japan, I went to a local salon for my new do.

Before: too long and too much bulk

After: new bangs with sleek layers

I'm still not sure on how to style the new haircut. I'm not used to having to pay attention to my hair, so that's the mentality I have to adjust to. For example: do I style it to go with certain looks or keep it the same? Full blown, straightened, side-swept, parted? Hmm.

Also, I feel like I need to highlight my eyes more because of this cut. I was really getting into lip colors, but now it's all about eyes. Blues, silvers, purples, greens, grays, the whole shabang! It's also very possible that I may purchase a pair of reading glasses to complete the look. You know, trying to look smart and stuff. Haha! Either way, this is my new look for 2013 and hopefully it will serve me well.

-Akemi-chan