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Allow me to introduce Becca, one of the new editors at Hair Thursday. Becca will keep you up-to-date on new celebrity hairstyles and will be helping me with some of the future Hair Thursday candidates. Welcome, Becca!

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I must say that the Emmy Awards were a bit yawn-inducing this year, but the one thing that always draws my attention (whether positive OR negative) is the award show hair.  While there was much to choose from this year, these 12 lookers are my hair highs and lows of the 2008 Emmy Awards:

Photos care of myLifetime.

While many stars are attempting to channel Old Hollywood these days, some are better at pulling it off than others. Case in point, America Ferrera and Kyra Sedgwick. While I admire America’s efforts, the end result is frizzy and unfinished looking. Perhaps a bit of anti-frizz serum or a dollop of glossing cream is in order?  Kyra has a softer, more polished version of this classic look, which results in a fresh and sophisticated look on the red carpet….from the neck up, but we’re focusing on hair here people!

Photos care of myLifetime.

A common awards show look in recent years is the messy updo, worn either high or low; this look can go south quickly if proper precautions aren’t taken. Here we see Lauren Conrad and Jennifer Love Hewitt sporting varied versions of the messy updo.  Lauren pulls this look off by keeping the mess to a minimum and accenting her pretty look with small braids and soft curls.  Jennifer Love Hewitt, on the other hand, has taken her version of this look into dangerous territory with spiky waves worn high on the crown. She ends up looking a little less Hollywood and a little more High School Musical.

Photos care of myLifetime.

Many women are partial to long and flowing hairstyles for an event, but even a simple look can fail miserably. Brooke Shields looks lovely here with beautiful curls that cascade down her back and accent her brightly colored gown. On the other hand, Kathy Griffin has added some not-so-subtle extensions to her hair and the end result leaves something to be desired. Perhaps that something is a brush and a little glossing cream?

Photos care of myLifetime.

In contrast to long and loose, some stars prefer a more tailored look for a special event. Let’s compare and contrast Vanessa Williams with Christina Applegate. Here we see Ms. Williams with great volume up front and a sweet little chignon at the nape of her neck. The overall style is well put together and simple. It allows her beautiful face to be seen without distraction and is very age appropriate. Christina’s version creates a bit more volume at the crown than would be desired and it detracts from the simple and lovely chignon. With her longer face and signature pursed lips, this high and tight look leaves Christina looking a bit like an alien.

Photos care of myLifetime.

Celebrities have become quite taken with the bob this season and I happen to love this haircut so much, that I consider it my signature cut. While it is great for an everyday look, it can be difficult to style for an event. Both Felicity Huffman and Eva Longoria Parker have taken to the bob, but they displayed different versions of award show style on the red carpet this year. Felicity keeps it soft and simple, understanding that a bob is best shown as a smart cut with minimal fuss.  Eva takes her look a step further and dare I say, a step too far.  The end result is a slicked down greasy mess that is certainly not complimented by her make-up!

Photos care of myLifetime.

Men can fall victim to red carpet faux pas in the hair department as well.  A shining example of red carpet class is Patrick Dempsey.  Looking fresh and clean with a slightly shaggy cut is one way to keep the ladies wanting more.  Unfortunately, Alan Cummings has taken the quirky characters he plays to heart, with this style being a bit more Flock of Seagulls than a flock of admirers.

Ladies (and gents), I think you are going to like what I’m about to tell you.

The wonderful owner of Stylebell (Hi Sapna!) is offering one lucky reader a collection of some of my very favorite hair products and tools. (Have you been to Stylebell? If not, PREPARE YOURSELF TO BE SUCKED INTO THE FABULOUS HAIR VORTEX.)

(I KNOW!)

Take a look at these awesome, tried and true bestsellers.

CHI 1-inch Ceramic Flat Iron

Hot Tools 1-inch Ceramic Curling Iron (Also seen here.)

Stylebell Heatproof Storage Bag

GHD Professional Ceramic Anti-Static Brush

Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream (Shhh. It’s my shiny hair secret.)

All of it, people. We’re talking a value of over 200 dollars. THINK OF WHAT THIS COULD DO FOR YOUR HAIR.

Leave a comment on this post and the winner will be randomly chosen on Sunday, August 10th and announced on Monday, August 11th.

Comments will close at 8pm PST on Sunday, August 10th.

Well, what are you waiting for? Get to it!

(The regularly-scheduled Hair Thursday will resume next week.)

Thanks to the extremely generous Casey and my trusty random number generator, the lovely Andrea from Mommy’s Martini will be featured as this week’s Hair Thursday participant. You can read Andrea’s contest entry here, and I am thrilled that she is the winner!

Andrea is a professor with two young children and quite a busy schedule, as you can imagine. Her naturally wavy hair has grown extremely long and she would like something different, yet low-maintenance.

Andrea’s hair:

Medium brown with reddish undertones, grays have started to make an appearance
Has used Clairol Natural Instincts in the past
Would love to be a redhead without repeated, expensive trips to the salon
Thick, wavy/curly, individually fine strands
Likes to pull hair up into chignons and/or out of her face (see above)
Spends 1-5 minutes styling, usually an air dry because curls look best left alone
Has trouble straightening hair with round brush and blow dryer

Andrea is very happy with her stylist, except that she can be a little conservative when cutting her hair. (Hey, that’s better than the opposite in most cases, right? ) From Andrea’s email, it seems her stylist really understands her curl pattern, and uses a technique to create subtle layering without any strong horizontal layers. (Andrea’s hair is so fine that tons of horizontal layers create an overly thinned-out look at the bottom.) The major problem is that Andrea waits w a y  t o o  l o n g  i n  b e t w e e n  c u t s.

First off, let’s talk about color. Unfortunately, going red requires substantial upkeep – red fades faster than all other hair colors and requires a decent amount of attention. (Low maintenance? I don’t think so.)

However, Andrea could pull off a semi-permanent reddish-brown shade that would add depth to her color, cover her grays, and naturally fade without leaving any “roots”. (Low maintenance? CHECK.) L’Oreal Color Spa makes a temporary color (lasts 28 shampoos) in a reddish-brown shade aptly named, Reddish Brown. Also, Andrea shouldn’t rule out golden brown shades either!

Let’s not forget that Casey is generously paying for Andrea’s salon visit, so I would encourage Andrea to consult with her stylist about adding some reddish tones OR some subtle golden highlights throughout, but later down the road, when she is looking for a DIY option, I would recommend the semi-permanent options.

Now, for the kicker. The CUT. Let’s take a gander.

Option #1 would be such a fresh change for Andrea. With her waves, Andrea could put some Bumble and Bumble Curl Creme in her towel-dried hair and air dry as usual. The cut virtually styles itself. It’s easy, it’s chic, and it’s perfect for Andrea’s lifestyle. (p.s. – shoulder-length hair is really hot right now. Just ask Gywneth Paltrow and Liv Tyler.)

Option #2 leaves more length and adds a long, sideswept bang. Now, the hair in this photo has been styled to the hilt, and I’m not expecting Andrea to wake up and pull out the styling tools every morning. However, I like the length and shape of the cut and think it would look nice dried naturally. (Although, a whoorl curl would look mighty nice once in awhile!)

The time has come. Tell Andrea which look you like the best!

Thanks again to Casey for her generosity, and I can’t wait to see Andrea’s transformation!

First off, let me congratulate Mommy’s Martini for winning the Mooshwhoorly Hair Extravaganza. You, my dear, will be featured on next week’s Hair Thursday.

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Missy from Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch was another participant in the Moosh contest. I had the chance to meet the darling Australian during the last night at Blogher while I was trying to round up 17 people to accompany me to some random bar serving $4 margaritas. (PRIORITIES.)

While chatting with Missy, I informed her that she, in fact, did not win the Moosh contest, but was more than welcome to listen to me babble about her hair right then and there. (By the way, Missy was with Supertiff, who was a recent HT participant and good lord, her hair looked GORGEOUS. Tiffany, send me an update so everyone can see your glorious hair.)

At some point during the conversation, Missy mentioned she was spending the next part of her vacation in Los Angeles, and a dimly-lit bulb went off in my head. (It was late.)

“Come down to Orange County and I’ll give you a personalized Hair Thursday! I’ll get you in with my stylist!”

I think she thought I was kidding, but hoo boy, I was NOT kidding. Standing in that dark lobby, it was the best idea ever! Of course, I wasn’t really thinking of the logistics of this arrangement (such as What To Do With Wito In A Salon For Several Hours), but hey! It’s Hair Thursday! I’ll make it work.

I returned home from Blogher, contacted my stylist, Missy made her appointment time, and there you go.

I met Missy at Tek Salon yesterday with my toddler in tow for my first ever Hair Thursday: IN THE FLESH.

Without further ado, meet Missy.

Missy’s hair:

Naturally wavy/curly, but she straightens it 90% of the time
Mostly one length, with some grown-out fringe on the sides
Likes the length
Colored at home quite awhile ago, color is faded and uneven

Missy seemed a little nervous that I was going to suggest chopping her hair off, but rest assured, that was not the case as you can hear in this video. Can you sense the fear in her eyes during this clip?

Hair Thursday – Missy from Hair Thursday on Vimeo.

Oh my GOD, my voice is so annoying. Going to cry now.

I sent Missy off with the very talented Tera and let her work her magic.

First, a nice wash:

Since Missy’s color was a little faded and uneven, Tera added random chunks of dark chocolate brown that matched her natural color to break up unevenness. The result was fantastic because you could still see bits of the lighter reddish brown but it looked fresher and more interesting. She cut about 1.5 inches off her length (less than 4 centimeters, Missy!) and created many face framing layers with a sweeping bang.

Her layers are shorter in the back and work into longer layers in the front, which will give her long hair more texture and movement and will look amazing when she wears it curly.  All of her layers were cut with a razor to give more texture, followed by texturizing scissors to take out more weight.

Voilá! Gorgeous.

Still long, but fresh and updated. (And those layers will really allow her great curls to BOUNCE when she wears it naturally curly.)

Isn’t she beautiful? Overall, a happy customer. (I hope.)

And possibly, my hair twin.

I hope you had fun, Missy! Have safe travels back to Australia!