A Cut Above

The real way to make every day a great hair day? It all starts with the right haircut.

Has this ever happened to you? You walk into the salon, torn magazine page in hand, visions of Jennifer Aniston dancing in your head. By the time you leave, not only are you fairly certain the paparazzi won't to be chasing you down the street but that your new 'do actually makes you look more like Brad than the missus. What went wrong, you ask? After one too many Meg Ryan mishaps (who knew that haphazard hack look was so hard to do), we asked salon pro Denise Klicos of DK Salon in Baltimore for some advice on how every girl can find the perfect haircut.

I WANT TO LOOK JUST LIKE HER! "It's not a bad idea to collect photographs of hairstyles you like when considering a new cut," says Denise. The trick is figure out the shape of the face in the photo. If you have a square face (look on the following pages for examples), mimic what Minnie Driver is sporting for style these days. Love your heart-shaped face? Check out Charlize Theron.

You should keep in mind two more key points, says Denise: "Texture is just as important to a style as the shape of your face." In other words, many of us have a square face like Minnie, but few of us have her luxurious curls. Girls with stick-straight hair should stick with a Kirsten Dunst style.

And few of us have a team of trained hair professionals to dry, set, curl and coax our hair into perfection every morning. "The amount of time you're willing to work on your hair is very important," says Denise. "Often the styles you like are just a basic, traditional haircut with some products and fabulous styling techniques. Be sure you are willing to blow-dry, hot iron, set, crimp, scrunch, gel or mousse. If you aren't, select a style that is more carefree."

So see which celebrities and models most resemble you, and pay close attention to what works best on them. But also know that what you see may not always be what you'll get every morning.

OH, MAKE ME OVER! If you're considering a drastic change, it might be best to do it in stages. As Ken Russell will tell you, taking long hair and cutting it into a short, choppy style can be very traumatic. Advises Denise, "If you think change is good and exciting, then go for a dramatic new look. But if you're a little hesitant, take it easy. I encourage girls to make big changes in three steps--waist to shoulder, shoulder to chin and then from the chin up."

THE KINDEST CUT. You're positive Gwen Stefani's new look is the one for you? So how do you get your hairstylist to share in your (platinum and pink) vision? "First, discuss the photographs with your stylist," says Denise. "Let the stylist know what you are capable of doing, how much time you are willing to spend achieving your look, and a little bit about your personality and lifestyle. The more honest and open you are about yourself, the easier to create that personalized, special look for you."

SPEAK UP! You've looked at photos, made your hairstyling capabilities clear, discussed your lifestyle.... Still, does it guarantee the look you want once you are in the chair? The key is communication. Start by asking the stylist to show you exactly what she or he plans to do with your hair. The stylist can lift your hair to show you the shape she wants to create. Since hair shrinks as it dries, make sure the stylist understands the length you want to end up with.

The Heart Face

If you don't like something, speak up. Make your wishes known before the first snip. After all, you want to leave with an awesome look, and the stylist wants you to be a walking ad for her talent.

The Heart Face

Softness where you need

If your forehead is a lot wider than your chin, you probably have a heart-shaped face, like Meredith, left, and Calista Flockhart. "The idea is to balance out the width of the forehead by off centering the part and leaving the bangs long--past the eyes," says Denise. "Allow for more length at your temples so your hair will lay longer near your cheeks. This will soften your forehead and bring out your eyes. Ideally, your hair should come in at your chin to add balance and fullness."

How we did it: Meredith came to us with long hair she wanted to keep. With that in mind, DK's style team of Danielle Chadderton and Nakisha Green razorcut layers from her collar bone to the ends to add movement and lightness. A Back to Basics Silk Grooming Creme was used to keep those pesky fly-aways in check.

The Oval Face

Anything goes!

Lucky you (and Julia Stiles and Kristen)! You can wear it all--short, long, bangs, curls, waves. "Just be sure the stylist takes into account the shape of your nose, size of your ears, and whether or not you wear glasses," says Denise. "Your style should soften any imperfections by emphasizing your most attractive feature."

How we did it: Kristen came in with straight, long hair. Denise blunt-cut the ends, using a technique called splicing, to create the illusion of layered hair. To give Kristen some fun '80s style (it's really in right now), Danielle and Nakisha randomly spiral-curled sections of hair using a curling iron, then used Back to Basics Green Tea Texturizing Lotion to add shine to Kristen's locks. A little bit of Tigi Spray Shine holds the style in place.