Looking for inspiration in Rachel Bilson

Rachel Bilson is always, to me, a beacon of effortless style. In Lucky or Lanvin, she always looks youthful, pulled-together and just plain pretty.




Another reason I have this girl-crush is her hair. Remember that Friends episode in which Joey finds his identical hand twin? Well, if there were identical hair twins, Rachel Bilson and I would be it. Them. Whatever.

My hair is my favorite feature. Thick, chestnut brown, never highlighted, and 100% healthy 90% of the time. The one hair sin I commit is taking too long between cuts, but considering I got my first split end at 19, I think I do OK. Rachel Bilson, too, is a brunette with shiny, thick hair and a similar face shape to mine. She is tinier of frame - blame the years of sailing and volleyball for muscular shoulders and height - but from the neck up, we're more similar. Granted her hair almost always looks ten times better than mine, but Summer Roberts can do no wrong.

Anyway, as I am leaving for Europe in 10 days and have summer ahead, my hair needs a cut. I love the comforting weight of my hair in fall and winter, but in summer, it starts to feel like a wool blanket. So I've been perusing In Style, Glamour, Elle and Vogue for ideas. Here's what I've learned so far... In Style: great for ideas, but most are too formal. Glamour: not enough close-up pictures of hair. Elle: too fashion-forward. Vogue: ditto, times ten.

So taking inspiration from Miz Bilson, I am scouring the interwebs for pictures of her haircuts to see what I might try this time. My criteria include: side parts only (can't pull off center parts like she does), no shorter than the collarbone, and no blunt-cut bangs (too much commitment). Here are some of the better ideas I found:



Banged and pin-straight
Pros: high angles are versatile, side part can be changed and I love straight.
Cons: those bangs could pouf in humidity, and I wonder if they're dated at this point.




Layered and wavy
Pros: volume and sex appeal like whoa
Cons: time with a curling iron? Hmm...



Smooth waves and nouveau feathers
Pros: chic, new, flattering, has great motion
Cons: could be tough to blow-dry, and this does have a center part, though that could be altered I suppose.

Often I feel like I should go for a bigger change in my hair. But the last time I ventured too far away from medium/long and angled/one length was in 8th grade. I went to my mother's "beauty parlor," and walked out with a chin-length curled-under bob, straight, high bangs, and a side part with major height in the front. Add turquoise glasses and a turtleneck... and you could see why that was my awkward phase. And why I haven't taken much of a hair plunge since.


But I have always heard from stylish women, magazines, books, stylists and celebrities with style that you should find what works for you, and stick with it.


Just like halter tops, Converse and cropped pants, for some reason, short hair was not in the cards for me. But a few things that have worked in the past that I've stuck with are violet eyeliner, bootcut jeans, fitted polos, pointy-toe shoes, car coats, and simple, long haircuts.


In stalking Rachel Bilson, I have realized that she never strays far from familiar, trustworthy products and pieces. Check out the pictures below. Her hair always includes some sort of angle or layer, or both, and is always long and some shade of medium to dark brown. And her face is done with three consistent ideas: navy liner to make her brown eyes pop, pink cheeks, and superlong lashes. Her lips never compete with the rest of her face, and she always looks fresh and current.





No one can argue the presence of prettiness, consistency and signature style here. Rachel knows her best features (eyes, hair, smile, great skin), and doesn't waste time experimenting when she knows this is how she looks best. This is a comfort to me in my reticence to make a big change with my hair, because while I don't think I've yet found my signature style, this chick definitely has. I feel most confident, beautiful and carefree with long, soft hair, so why make a big fuss to change it drastically?

Have you made a big change in your appearance lately? How did it feel? Do you think you have found your Old Faithful hair or makeup routine?

Cheers to not fixin' what ain't broke,
Hayley

Eye Candy: Benjamin McKenzie

I decided to do a little TV throwback last night, and fed my Toshiba DVD/VCR combo disc 1, season 1 of The OC, my favorite guilty-pleasure TV show of all time. I've already mused on the styles of Summer (chic) and Marissa (eccentric), but my favorite visually-enticing character on the show was soulful bad boy, Ryan Atwood. He hasn't done anything major before or since The OC, but I'm fine with him always being Ryan.

Summer Afternoon and Evening Muses

One of my favorite TV shows of all time, can't lie, is the short-lived, fast-peaked Fox series The OC. I had many an OC marathon in college, and loved watching the show every Thursday. The story lines were overdone and complicated (illegitimate children and secret porno, anyone?), the scenery was beautiful, the music was unique, and best of all, the women looked amazing. Ryan Atwood did too, of course, but his look rarely inspired me to make a trip to Sephora.

Mischa Barton as Marissa Cooper (drug-dependent, fragile, poor-little-rich-girl with the best body I've ever seen, and the perfect tousled bronde hair) provided me much inspiration for my daytime looks, especially in spring and summer.

It was her effortless, touchable hair (NOT Carrie Bradshaw's) that made me want to give beachy waves a try, and after a few stiff, frizzy and limp attempts, I finally found a successful wavy look for my long, very thick, brown hair. After showering, I brush damp hair, then flip my head and work in about a tablespoon of Garnier Surf Waves Texturizing Cream ($4, drugstores). Scrunch, scrunch, scrunch, then flip up, and use your fingers to create your most flattering part and smooth stray strands. You can also slide on a headband, or pin up half your hair at the crown.


Marissa's look inspired me to embrace my freckles, whiten my teeth, highlight my hair with lemons, and embrace clear lip gloss. The incessant crying prevented me from getting many eye makeup tips. Her daytime look was always simple, but she looked stunning. Fantastic bone structure and model body aside, I found that I could create a similar look for daytime makeup.

• Clinique Superdefense Moisturizer, SPF15 ($42, department stores, www.clinique.com)
• Sephora Mosaic Bronzing Powder, SPF15 ($15, Sephora) on cheeks, temples and the bridge of your nose.
• Clinique Cream Shaper for Eyes Duo in Chocolate Luster/Cocoa Shimmer ($13.50, www.clinique.com)
• Stila Lash Visor Mascara in Brown ($12.50, Sephora) on top lashes and bottom (lightly)
• Clinique Full Potential Plump-n-Shine Lip Gloss in Beach Bunny ($17.50, department stores)
  
• Vaseline ($3.49, drugstores) for eyelids*

On the other side of the OC Crazy Coin is Summer Roberts, played by Rachel Bilson. She started off as a ditzy, materialistic partier - in other words, typical rich suburban girl. She eventually morphed into a green Ivy Leaguer, but always looked drop-dead gorgeous, especially at night.

Summer's beauty and personal style meant even more to me, being a fair-skinned but easily tanned brunette. She didn't look bland during the day by any means, but charity fashion shows, restaurant openings and other evening events let Summer step out with an enviable face and the hair to match. To create the tousled waves below, blow hair straight with mousse, tease some at the crown, and then take a 2in curling iron to your whole head, concentrating on the ends. Finger-style the hair so some curls fall out more than others, then blast with cool air and hairspray.


Rachel's (can't say Summer, because Rachel Bilson always looks great on the red carpet) evening makeup is consistent, yet never boring. She relies on a killer trio: bold eyeliner, pink cheeks and pale, shiny lips. She uses navy liner to bring out her brown eyes, but tailor that color for your eyes. Brown liner for blue eyes, violet/gray for green, and khaki for hazel. Whatever makes your irises pop.

• Mineral Sheer Tinted Moisturizer in Pale, SPF15 ($30, salons and spas)
• MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural Powder in Medium ($24.50, department stores, www.mac.com)
• Clinique Touch Blush Mousse in Petal Cream ($16.50, department stores) on the apples of your cheeks
  
• Clinique Quickliner for Eyes in Violet ($12.50, department stores, www.clinique.com), heavy on top, subtle on bottom
  
• Clinique TouchTint for Eyes Cream Formula in Soft Heather ($15, www.clinique.com), to smoke-ify your lids
  
• Shu Uemura Mascara Basic in Black ($27.50, department stores), to make long, thick, lush fringe for your eyes
  
• Clinique Color Surge Lipstick in Perfect Beige ($14, department stores), setting a neutral base
  
• Clinique SuperBalm Moisturizing Gloss in Mango ($13.50, department stores) for shine and a sheer color
  

*For a dewy, day or evening eye shine with virtually no touch-ups required, tap a tiny bit of Vaseline on the center of your eyelid with your ring finger. This can be done over eye shadow or alone, but it highlights your eyes and gives you the coveted shine that the girls of The OC had, and took me a long time to figure out. Try it. Trust.

Cheers,
Hayley