Choosing a Hairstyle

When choosing a new hairstyle for ourselves, especially if we want something very diffrent from what we already have. Some think too much of how a hairstyle will make them "unique" and too little of how it actually looks, often ending with something completely ridiculous. Even I, when I was eleven or twelve, did hours of research and sketches of what I wanted, and upon presenting them to my parents was told that all I was actually allowed to do was to cut my hair two inches or so shorter. We then, however, thought of a deal: If I paid for the haircut myself, I could get whatever I wanted, but if they had to pay for it, they would choose. Since no stylist would do the haircut that I initially wanted for under $80 and almost every one said it would be extremely high-maintenance and I would never have the time for that, I decided to wait with the haircut.

Also, remember this when researching hairstyles on the internet: If you find something you like on a model wo looks nothing like you, it is unlikely that it will make you look good. Models usually have hours to spend on their hair, plenty of money and a professional stylist, something you probably don't.

The Right Haircut for Your Face

Diamond Face: Narrow forehead, small pointy chin, and wide cheeks.

Haircut & Style: To create a balance shape look for styles that are narrow at the cheekbones and wider at the forehead. Add a little more fullness at the crown if required.

Heart face: Wide, short forehead, and small pointy chin.

Haircut & Style: Suited styles are like layered bob with extra volume and outward flicks at chin level. Asymmetric cuts are also flattering heart-shaped faces.

Oval face: High forehead and narrow, slightly rounded chin.

Haircut & Style: This is the most balanced face shape and almost perfect for any type of hair style.

Rectangle face: Long face with high forehead and long jaw and chin. Also known as long face shape.

Haircut & Style:Suited styles are like chin or shoulder-length cuts with a fringe that can disguises the long forehead.

Round face:Wide, short forehead, full jaw and chin.

Haircut & Style:The round shape normally makes the cheeks appear wider. Most short hair cuts works well for round face as long as there is some height at the crown area and little fullness above the ears to slim down the round face. Soft cuts with sophisticated layers coming forward onto the face look stylish and is an ideal hair style for round face shape. Soft curls will also flatter the frame of a round face. For straight hair asymmetric cuts can also be an option. Read more about hair styles for round faces.

Square face: A wide, short forehead and square jaw.

Haircut & Style: Square edges should be soften by breaking the symmetry. Graduated layers with some volume at crown and soft curls looks stylish on this type of face shape. Read more about hair styles for square faces.

Triangular face: Narrow at the temples, slightly wider at the cheeks and widest at the jaw line.

Haircut & Style: Most short hair cuts works for this type of face. Avoid styles with volume at the top.

Remember to note distinctive features like your nose, cheekbones, or jaw line. You can then decide to downplay or highlight these features with the short hair cut style you choose. The real trick is to pick hairstyles that enhance your best features while camouflaging any flaws.

Please remember that this face shape concept is only a simple hair cut guide and there are exceptions. Sometimes it's difficult to distinguish two face shapes from each other and you may not get an exact match. But usually these classifications of face shapes will help you select a better style for your face. Here are some ideas for neat and low-maintenance styles:



Remember, it could be any color.



I had short hair for a while, bit mow I'm growing it out into something like this.

For guys, simple short hair is the eaiest option.

                        
These however, are not a good idea:

It looks okay, but kep in mind that with bangs like that you won't be able to see.

Looks good on that one model in that one picture with that one outfit,
but definitely not for everyday life.

My Biggest Fashion Fears

Every one of ys has something we are afraid will happen to us. Here are some of my fashion fears, which most of you probably share:

1) Plastic nails falling off in public
    I guess I have a good reason why I'm afraid this would happen. Firstly, it hppened to me once and I must say having a six-year-old cousin pull something black out of his instant-noodles and realizing that it is your own plastic fingernail is not a pleasant experience. Now, I usually don't have fale nails, and I only use plastic to replace my nails if they break, but I still don't like finding them in somebody's food.

2) Looking "silly"
   I am sure this is a fear many of us have. Silly as in looking like I am wearing a halloween costume instead of normal clothes, or looking like I tried too hard to be "cool". Although this only happened once to me, when handing out candy on Halloween I ran out and had to go to the store to buy more but had no time to change out of my costume, I see people looking like they forgot what time of year it is and claiming to be goth almost every day.

3) Losing my nazar  ring

It is believed that wearing a ring or piece of jewelwry with a blue eye on it will protect one from the evil eye. My ring is a good-luck charm to me and I am very afraid of losing it. However, I strongly doubt this will happen anytime soon as the ring has literally grown on me, in the sense that I can no longer take it off. Even with soap. The ring is also sterling silver and a one-of-a-kind handmade design, so it is very dear to me.



Looks somewhat like this one, but with a thinner band and slightly brighter eye.





Clothes Challenge: Day 2

Outfit from yesturday, wearing black jeans from H&M ($15 on sale), black blouse with lace I got as a gift, black leather jacket which was also a gift, and a black leather bag from H&M for $10. Mu shoes were just simple black boots with a 3-inch heel and a slightly pointy toe, from Sears for $15. They weree originally around $40, but I bought them at the end of the fall season last year when they were switching to more winter footwear and they were on sale.

Outfit Idea: Challenge Day 1

In this picture, I am wearing dark red leopard-print pants from a store called Stitches that I bought for around $10, a shirt I got as a gift several yeare ago drom a friend and which I added lace to myself. I also have a scarf from the flea market for $5, a bag from Winners the price of which I forget, and a ring with a bright blue eyeball from the flea market also. My shoes, which you can;t see in this photo, are a pair of silver pointy-toe ballet flats I bought for $15 at Steps.

I decided today to wear some of the things I had in the back of my closet that I rare;y wear or look at to see if they sitll fit well and try to coordinate them somehow.

Clothes Challenge

I'm tired of buying the cheapest of the cheapest.
I'm tired of going straight to the sales rack whenever I enter a store.
I'm tired of digging through flea markets, discount stores and bags of clothes my relatives are going to throw out.
Even though I am a creative person, I'm tired of making everything myself.
I'm tired of always lookng at pictures of beautiful style for reasonable prices on he internet only to be told that I'm not supposed to have them.

For these reasons, I decided to start the "Conservative Challenge", the name of which I did NOT invent,  and I invite you to join me. The rules are simple:

1) Do not buy any new articles of clothing, shoes, or acessories for one month, excluding the absolutely neccesary.(Absolutely neccesary as in your last pair of tights got ripped and you had to throw hem out, not as in you liking something you found very much)
2) For that month, wear the things that you already have in your closet, but try not to repeat outfits.
3) Be free to make or alter things, but only with the items/materials that you already have.

Although I know I should not have pictures, I will try to take a picture of each outfit I wear during this time and make an outfit post, starting tomorrow. I, as many other people, have plenty of things in my closet that I rarely wear just because I have no time to find what to wear them with, and I hope this can help me find a use for items I already have instead of buying new things.

Goths and Body Image

Health Canada defines body image as "the picture an individual has of his or her body, what it looks like in the mirror, and what he or she thinks it looks like to others." Since the 1960’s, idealized models of beauty such as waif-like women, and muscle-bound, sporting men have been ubiquitous in movies, magazines, television, and the cosmetic and fashion industries. Girls are trying to achieve impossible beauty standards that are produced through much media trickery - photo cropping, airbrushing, composite bodies, and body doubles.

Unfortunately, this affects gioths just as much as it affects anybody else. Maybe even more, as it is harder to find gothic clothes in plus sizes then mainstream clothes, and because of the stereotypes regarding goths and weight. Althoigh this is not a problem that affects me personally, I understand how hard this may be.

When picking out clothes, for those of us who are plus-size it is especially important that what we wear fits us well. Meaning that it is not too small, but does not hang like a tent either. It can be the best design in the world, but if it doesn't fit, it will never look good. When shopping online and unsure of the sizes, buy the next size up to be safe. However, when you do so do expect the item that you order to be slightly too big and be ready to tailor it down.

For example, if something fits like this, it is okay:

And like this is not very good:

Looking closer, the first outfit is not overloaded with colors and prints, and the jacket has a defined waist.If you want to appear thinner, defining a waist is always a good idea.

However, in the second outfit the top has a small ribbon that is much too high but no defined waist, and the top is too loose and definitely too long, making her legs appear shorter and bigger. The skirt is okay in terms of fit, but the highly contrasting pattern I don't think would look good on anyone. The hairstyle also plays a part, as very few people look good with all their hair pulled back and she is unfortunately not one of them. A bigger hairstyle, maybe with curly hair, would have looked much better.

Appology

I appologise to all those whom I may have offended by my post on gothic things that I dislike. I may have been sligtly too harsh on keeping cats and other topics, but the only experience I had with any of those things was the most horrible. I am sorry if I offended anybody's personal beliefs.

A new hairstyle!

In the past few months I have been trying to grow my hair out so I could wear it long. Which unfortunately turned it into some completely unpresentable, mullet-like mess. Naturally, this means that I need to get a haircut in order to be able to appear in public without getting unpleasant stares anywhere I go.

This time, I decided to get something more age-appropriate and as ordinary as possible. The color is still  going to stay as it is, a dark red-brown. I like it, it looks natural and better with my skin color then my original dirty-blonde. I needed a hairstyle that was low-maintenance and does not stand out too much or rather at all, I'm guessing because I've watched enough of Stacy and Clinton's What Not to Wear I don't want ANYTHING out of the completely ordinary.

I can't post a picture of myself, buy it looks pretty much like this, maybe with the bangs a bit longer.



I like this kind of hairstyle because it is much more age-appropriate then most of the things people like to wear these days (undershaves, deathhawks, big teased hair and the like) and actually low-maintenance with no shaved areas or fading color to take care of. And even if it grows out a bit, it will still look fine.