Over The Pond and to Awards Far Away...

Like I said – there has been a shower of awards lately – more excuses for me to gossip about the hair trends internationally – especially with the arrival of the American Billboard awards!
I may as well get this over with – as I’m sure your all aware, no newspaper, magazine, facebook status, twitter comment or girly conversation (and I’m positive that it’s the same between the boys aswell) has passed without Beyonce’s stunning performance being mentioned. Singing her latest single – “we run the world” – live for the first time at the awards, Be made sure she did NOT go unnoticed! The stunning songstress wore, well, not much to be fair, and left her long curly hair wild for her debut, and it proved to be a perfect hit:

Beyonce definitely ran that stage!
On the topic of girls who will always be on top, I must mention my personal favourite, Miss Nicki Minaj. Not one to pass by quietly, Nicki made her presence known by stepping out in a new curly pink wig, and still managed to rock it!
I also wouldn’t copy any of Rhianna’s hair styles myself, but, I don’t know what it is about these girls – she looked hot as ever with her red locks glowing! I can sense a quiet competition between the two.. and who wins? We will let you be the judge of that!

I guess we all have to grow up at some point, I just didn’t realise how quickly it happens in Hollywood – our teen sensation Selena Gomez stepped out in a gorgeous long, black, CUT OUT, dress – cut out! When did she grow! However, my jealousy is the most negative thing about her appearance, as I must say, sporting simple straight hair in a middle parting, Selena looked beautiful, and showed her sophistication -

- Bloomsbury approves!
Speaking of growing up too fast, we at Bloomsbury of London seem to think that someone went a bit too far – Taylor Swift, you’re only young once – hold on to it please! Not to say that she didn’t look the part, we just think that Taylor looked the part of someone much older, and she could have had some more fun with her look. Her pretty side swept hair did suit her however, but the dress did her no favours in the teenage tantrum polls!

British Annual Fashion Tournament – Awesome!

Worked it out? It took me just as long to think of it – BAFTA – clever eh ;) The past couple of weeks have been uber busy with all the award shows, so its only my duty to report on them – obviously my loyalty lies with good old English tele, so I had to priorities the BAFTA’s first!
Alright, so I can’t do the whole ‘build-up-to-the-climax’ thing today – I can’t possibly hide my excitement from the winners of the youtube audience award – my favourite programme ever – The Only Way is Essex! Whether youre brave enough to admit it or not, you know it’s the series you love to hate, and some of the characters in it are those I just love to love! While Lauren adopted a half up look, Amy matched her daring dress with equally daring long, loose locks.

But what I was really impressed with was the way that Lydia scrubbed up. Not one to score highly in the fashion stakes, Lydia went to town and came out looking immaculate! Her sophisticated up do made us at Bloomsbury proud -

- and clearly made Arg proud too – as they were together all night!!
The up-do that I wasn’t most impressed with however, was Helena-Bonham-Carters. That’s not to say that I don’t still adore her, because lets face it – who doesn’t – but her style, to be frank, scared me a little!

she didnt look like someone I would like to meet in a dark alley on a late night to say the very least; but then I suppose holding a BAFTA makes everyone look attractive when it comes down to it!
Never mind the ladies though, here at Bloomsbury of London we were more than impressed with how the men styled themselves! Looking more than well groomed, Colin Firth, Sir Trevor McDonald and our old favourite, Mr Schofield showed us that grey is the way, and let their silver shine-

I really could go on and on, but lets just finish on an ever higher note – our best dressed. This year I have to give my own personal award to Jessica Alba. Pregnant Jess filled our newspapers immediately after her appearance and showed how mums-to-be can still look glam head to toe. Her glamorous (almost bridal) hair did her Versace dress a thousand favours – not that a Versace dress needs any favours, but still! – Heres to you Jess!

You're STYLED!

I can’t believe it’s been a year – finally one of my favourite programmes is back! We all know that behind closed doors we hold a soft spot for Alan Sugar, so I wont tell anyone when you say you smiled from ear to ear when you found out ‘The Apprentice’ was back – I did!
So, naturally, I thought it would be a good idea to take a sneak peak of the possible new employee of Lord Sugar, and rate (or slate) their hair – as if anyone can do it, its me!
Right, so let’s start with the hairdresser – Felicity. She isn’t exactly doing anything wrong with her do’, but for a hairdresser? Really?

personally I would say poor effort. Of all people to pull of a professional look, you would think a hairdresser would be the person who could. Her dull, limp, pretty standard mop doesn’t do much to impress me!
Its only natural to move on to the one who states – to impress Lord Sugar of all people – “My positive approach and very good looks make me stand out from the crowd.” Now theres nothing at all wrong with a positive mental attitude. But modesty is a virtue, and sometimes I think that people should have a second helping of humble pie, or in Vincent Disneur’s case, a first helping.

– I’m no hairdresser, but I sure would love to get a pair of scissors on that barnet – never mind what Felicity would do!
Someone I am quite feelng, is Zoe Beresford. I am as far from an entrepreneur as a fish to flying, but her enthusiastic passion shows through and through. She looks the part too, as her dark red locks complete her serious, slightly overpowering (and slightly intimidating!) style -

Finally, it’s been said that you can tell a lot about someone from their hair. 26 year old Melody Hossani is the walking definition of this. Her slogan – “don’t tell me the sky’s the limit, when there are footprints on the moon” – to me indicates that she isn’t really bothered by her hair. Her basic straight locks don’t speak volumes in the style stakes, but, it’ll do -

- just shows shes serious about getting some work done instead of plaiting the locks!!

Forgot Posh Frocks - its all about Posh Locks!

Posh locks!
Hello bloggers! Well, looking through the history of my blogs I was astonished – I am yet to pay any attention to my favourite celebrity of all time! Yes I do love Brit and Gaga, but the one who really wins it every time has got to be Victoria Beckham. A fashionista in her own right; designer, and general fantasy bff, Victoria sets the trends in the hair polls all the time – and I haven’t paid her much attention for it at all!
Lets go back to when a mere Victoria Adams was coming on to the scene. Her sophisticated style was noticed immediately, naming her ‘Posh’, with hair to match! Her simple curtain-look framed her fresh face and was the perfect example of ‘less is more’ –

As time went on, Posh must have grown tired of this look, and went for the chop to add some edge to her image, and in my opinion – why not! She still looked edgy and chic with the boy-crop – something not many can pull off:

Now I am always full of praise for Posh, but that’s not to say that she hasn’t got it wrong in the past! Every girl goes through a blond phase if they can, and Vic was no different – the media may have slated her for it, but personally I think she pulled off the blonde hair – what do you think?

Right. We’ve covered Posh with the short hair, what about the long? Vic loves her hair extensions as much as the next girl, and again, I think they suited her beautifully! She has dabbled with the extensions quite a few times, from the early days –

to later days,

, and to highlights:

Posh has since ditched the extensions for her pregnancy and opted for her natural tresses, and as we saw at Kate and Will’s do, she still can do no wrong! A swift ponytail finished off by a quirky hat completed her look, and what a look it was!

Red all about it!

Wow! I’ve spent so much time gushing about my fave celebs and events recently that I haven’t had a chance to tell you about my new next best thing in the hair world – and there’s only one word that can describe it – RED.
Stars such as Whitney Port have reintroduced strawberry-blonde tresses to 2011, and she’s done it in style –

I must say, although I do love Whit, she has fooled us with the fake tan as well, as she thinks that this is the only way to do justice to the daring do – well Miss Port, Nicole Kidman has proved you wrong!
Nicole has always been a red-head, but have you noticed the varying shades? I bet your all googling it now, huh? Well I have always kept track of it, and Nicole hasn’t let us down for 2011. Toning it down but keeping her trademark skin tone, Nicole keeps classy and elegant with her long red locks -

The latest star to banish the blonde and dare to dye is Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively. Worshipped in the fashion world, Blake can’t put a foot wrong, as she proves by following the fashionistas early and raring for the red -

So, whats the big deal? I just think it’s a change for the better. Blondes may have more fun and brunettes may be classier, but whatever happened to breaking the mould? Its about time a new colour was introduced to the hair stakes – and I welcome the reds with open arms. I’d much rather look exotic and unique than washed out and cloned – what about you? Try it – you wont regret red!

Life's a beach!

HOORAY! Finally, the Summer seems to be creeping up on us! And I couldn’t welcome the best season with wider arms if I tried. Hide your scarves and hats bloggers, swap them for sunglasses and vest tops!
Now obviously at the first sign of sunshine I will get my towel and flipflops and head straight to the seaside – but theres always that question – what will I do about my hair? Sun, sand, sea? Not the best combination to compliment my locks. So this year, I’ve done my research!
Beach hair. We all hear about it, but what is the ideal ‘beach hair’? Personally, I’m not a fan of the scraped back sweat look –

to me it shows a day of hard work, and I’d like to show off my day of leisure! But I admit, it is unavoidable. While I’m occupied topping up the tan, I’m not to focused on the 7000 different directions that my hair is flying in behind my sunglasses. Well now, I will be!
We all know the ideal – the blonde waves, subtly highlighted by the sun, falling perfectly behind our shoulders, looking effortless …

but we also all know – that’s not reality! I must say though, if I could have that naturally I would go to the beach every morning to achieve the look – even in the winter!
One thing I have noticed, is that ‘beach hair’ tends to be a term related mainly to blondes. Well that’s not fair, what about the brunettes amongst us? Well I have your answer! Audrina Partridge, our favourite Hills girl, never gets it wrong. Especially on the beach. She remembers everything in the style guide, right down (or up) to the locks –
So I guess that is the look of the summer – as it is every summer. The tousled, wavy, knotty-but-neat luscious locks, sunkissed and sultry. Hope I’ve helped!

Right Royal Wedding!

Right Royal Weddings!

I cant believe how quickly Kate and Wills’ wedding is coming along! It just seems right to honour them (and all of you bloggers, of course), with a little shpiel on my favourite wedding do’s.
Classically, a lot of brides tend to go for the up-do. But did you realise how many different types of up-looks there could be? I certainly didn’t! We all know what the original looks like, the tiara-fastened bun securing the veil –

While this look is beautiful, I think that the updated versions are even better. How about a few twists? Adding some volume and bounce, this look definitely makes me go wow!

You know I love a bit of celebrity, so lets include an outstanding up-do from the world of glitz and glamour. How about our very own Coleen Rooney? Col kept it simple but elegant, and shone with her sleek bun –

Now, I know what your thinking. That’s all well and good if you have Rapunzel-length hair, but what about those of us who have been more on-trend and opted for a bob lately? How will that work for my wedding? Well, I have two words for you: Victoria Beckham. Never one to miss out on any fashion fads, Posh married Becks while she was sporting a shorter look, and stayed away from the extensions to do so.

Finally, lets show you some even more modernized marriage looks. How about having your hair down? Wont make you special enough? Think again! For those of you not certain enough to go the whole hog with all your hair loose, what about a half up look? Try this maybe –

a bouffed-up half down look that works great with a viel and tiara!
Lets finish by looking at the girl who may have made the biggest mistake with her choice of partner, but definitely did not when it came to her choice in hair! Heidi Montague (Spencer Pratts ex), worked the isle (that really became her catwalk) when she strutted down it with long, loose, flowing blonde locks. Some human-hair extensions and curling tongs worked a treat, and Heidi really was the belle of the ball –

This is a mans world!

Well, the above statement is definitely debatable, however one thing that men don’t get enough credit for, is their effort when it comes to keeping up with the hair do’s and don’ts. Now this may be due to the young’uns catching up with them and cramping their style, but maybe the older stars have people like Bieber to thank for snapping them back into style reality!
Lets start with the Biebs, because in the short time that Justin has been in the limelight, we have seen a hair-formation and a half! Initially Bieber was known and adored for the mop he had placed so scrappily on his head, but time moved on, and Justin got a girlfriend (wah!), and with a new love clearly came a new look – yes, it is the same Bieber, but he doesn’t have the same effect on me anymore!

What about someone who has been in the limelight a little longer. Lets go to the other extreme of the scale… No, higher than whoever your thinking – higher, higher! Yes, the legend that is Brucey. He may not have it all there anymore, but once upon a time, Bruce sported a lovely, thick head of hair – which he was infact extremely proud of!

However, its just impossible not to love Brucey with whatever hair he has, or hasn’t got (natural or not!), which is why to this day the Forsyth is still doing us proud –

Speaking of stars that we will always love, I have to include my favourite star – Peter Andre. Now I may be biased, but he can’t put a foot wrong when it comes to looks! Even back in his mysterious girl days, I suppose its fair to say that greased-down-curtain-straggly look wasn’t his best, but Pete pulled it off and won our hearts from the start.

Obviously I’m pleased that Pete saw sense and got rid of the stuck-down look, and today Pete is looking charming and handsome as ever with his trademark spikes.

So, maybe it is a mans world, maybe it isn’t. but in the hair world, the men will always be the underdogs!

Hair me baby one more time!

With the long waited arrival of my favourite little songstresses new album, Femme Fatale, is it really a surprise that you will be gorging over a Britney blog today? Didn’t think so! We have watched Britney grow and blossom into the mature young woman she is today and with that growing came the appearance, and removal, of many a hair do (and a few don’ts!)
When Brit first came into the scene, the squeaky clean, bubbly girl next door sported the hair to match. Naturally mousy brown, Spears kept her hair loosely waved with a wisp fringe to finish the look. Not too much, and not too little – an idea that maybe got lost along the way with this star…!

Now, sitting here with my bleach blonde extended locks, I’m not one to judge, so I’m not really in any position to comment on Britney’s somewhat expected trip to the light side soon after she ditched the natural look. Come on – a teenage starlet rises to fame in a matter of seconds – was it really a surprise that she would go blonde?! I actually think she suits blonde best, but maybe getting her roots done slightly more often wouldn’t have hurt!

Britney notoriously went through a rough patch recently, however what wasn’t realised is that this wasn’t her first dip in the dark! In 2006, Brit momentarily ditched the blonde locks for an experience as a brunette, but I think she found that blondes had more fun! For a pretty girl, one look I think she didn’t suit first time round was the brown tresses, especially with pale make up and a do-nothing-for-you black satin cami.

However, in a brave move, this wasn’t the only time that Brit went brown. As mentioned was Britney’s shaky period about a year ago, but in an attempt to change things around Britney donned the brown look again. I think this time it looked great! She definitely changed things in terms of her looks for the better in my opinion, maybe not in her mind seeing as this was soon shaved off, but for the time Brit had the brown do, she was doing it right!

Spears may be back to blonde now, but she sure is sounding, looking, and hopefully feeling great.

good luck Brit – good to have you back!

Glorious Gaga!

Glorious Gaga!

Never one to stay out of the limelight for too long, Gaga’s done it again. Tweeting the shocking image of her album cover yesterday, Gaga has sparked yet more controversy in discussions with her emaciated face.

When I heard about this however, I was disappointed in myself – of all the hair style ‘icons’ to blog about – how could I miss Gaga! So, here you go!
Lady Gaga loves her wigs. It started with the cutesy bow, but never one to go around quietly, the hair phenomena that is Gaga gradually built up to full-blown, all out wigs – well, what do you expect from a woman who makes her grand entrance to an awards show in an egg?!
I must say, I know Gaga is a dedicated blonde, but having seen her borrow the brunette look, I was quite impressed.

Gaga did all the right things when wearing this brown wig, including an extra clip on fringe, which worked perfectly. Bump up the spray tan, and Gaga isn’t washed out at all – she stands out amazingly – (Gaga, standing out?! Never!)
However, speaking of Gaga being a dedicated blonde, as I have said many times before, its VERY easy to go too far with the bleach (take it from a victim of the bottle herself!) But when your Lady Gaga, I suppose it doesn’t really matter when you walk around with bright yellow hair – its kind of expected, am I right? Right. Well all I can say is, this would be a good picture to show the hairdresser when presenting them with a warning of what not to do! But hey, whatever floats your boat Gaga!

Now, I do love Lady Gaga as much as the next person, so let me finish by being complementary. Gaga is allowed to experiment and have her fun, but she is also a strict, serious, entrepreneur, and I’d like to think she expresses it in her style too. Heres a ‘toned down’ Gaga being interviewed. Maybe she was trying to show that theres more too her than extreme hair, but then again…

Cherry bomb?! – That hair is the bomb!

So, you know what I’m like. Can’t last five minutes without researching the latest do’s! Heres the latest, breaking news just in from the research centre of my living room – topic? Spring / Summer 2011 catwalk trends. Now prepare yourself, its quite a shocker, but, after some careful, concise cross-examination, I’m quite a fan! The name? “Cherry bomb” – the notion? Frizz – yes! For once it is acceptable for us to get out the shower and not have to run straight for the straighteners!

 

Kicking us off, the Topshop campaign. This made me feel great – high street diva’s can work the look too! Don’t worry though, there are so many different ways of playing around with the Cherry Bomb, look at Sonia Rykiel, she manages to pull of elegant and sophisticated simultaneously with manic and messy – 

We all know that we can rely on Vivienne Westwood to provide us with something, lets just say, extrovert when it comes to her clothes, and she is no exception when it comes to styling her models either – clearly! Viv manages to keep on track with the trend while putting her own spin on things, and I salute her for it – 

Now I know you're all thinking it – (fashionistas – at least I hope you're thinking it!) – what about the up do? Surely we cant ditch the reliable, infallible, failsafe look that has saved all of our fashion faux pas moments for a back combing frizz fad – right? Right! Marc Jacobs does it oh so right with his swift cherry bomb-bun, and shows us that frizz really can be fun!