Discover your color palette and your style type.

Style Identities: Your Best Hair

6/24/2019

Here are hairstyle ideas for the two-identity blends.

For each blend, the suggestions are jumping-off points. Use them as inspirations.

If you're a blend of three identities, try combining suggestions from the different two-ID blends that apply to you. For example, if you're a Romantic-Ethereal-Natural, take a look at suggestions for Romantic Ethereal, Romantic Natural, and Ethereal Natural.

Don't know your style identity? Try the Style Identity Calculator!

Romantic Ethereal: Aphrodite

Try:
Soft & flowing.
Asymmetry.
Fullness and height at the crown.
Long, luscious and full.
Side parts.
Low side pull-backs.
Touchable curls or waves.
Soft, sexy updos with lots of free curls.

Ethereal Dramatic: The Sorceress

Try:
Flowing but controlled.
Dramatic in length.
Intense.
Low, sleek side pull-backs.
Striking winged effects.
Long blunt cuts.
Frozen waves or cascades.
Severe or sleek updos with side parts.

Ethereal Natural: The Earth Goddess.

Try:
Flowing & free.
Low, wispy ponytails.
Low side pull-backs.
Tousled or braided updos.
Loose, floaty braids.
Hair that's more narrow than full.
Fishtail braids.
Tendrils.
Diaphanous & tousled.
Long, cascading layers.

Ethereal Classic: The Delicate Sophisticate

Try:
Flowing but controlled.
Elegantly wing-like.
Face-framing.
Symmetrical waves.
Braided or "period" updos.
Low, neat side pull-backs.
Crown braids.
A narrow hair silhouette.
Neat, elegant braids.
Neat bobs with some float or wisp.

Ethereal Gamine: The Sprite.

Try:
Spunky, diaphanous, floaty, boyish, tousled.
Short and wispy.
Choppy waves.
Cute or witty "period" looks.
Playful, unexpected braids.

Ethereal Ingenue: The Fairy.

Try:
Diaphanous; floaty.
Longer hair. Narrow, not wide.
High or low side pull-backs.
Wispy bangs.
Long, wispy, low pigtails or pigtail braids.
Medium-length, gently cascading, sweet.
Innocent "period" looks, such as crown braids.
Center parts with curls or waves.
Mystical floral accessories.

Romantic Dramatic: The Femme Fatale

Try:
Dramatic in length or shape.
Touchable, but sleek and intense.
Exaggerated asymmetry.
Side parts.
Sleek, oversized updos with rounded shapes.
Exaggerated height at the crown.
Sexy and striking.
Full, sculpted waves or curls.
Full, wavy blunt cuts.

Dramatic Natural: The Amazon Queen

Try:
Shaggy, extreme, intense.
Exaggerated layers.
Dramatic ponytails.
Big and wild.

Key ideas: Dramatic Classic: The Art Critic

Try:
Avant-garde, but neat.
Face-framing and striking.
Controlled.
Dramatic, stiff updos.
Geometric.
Sculptural bobs and blunt cuts.
Every hair in place.

Dramatic Gamine: The Punk Rocker

Try:
Playfully geometric.
Short and striking.
Spunky high ponytails.
Spikes.
Piecey hair.

Dramatic Ingenue: The Childlike Czarina

Try:
Simple, sculptural curls.
Modest and controlled, but striking.
Dramatic bangs.
Narrow profile.
Sleek or striking low pigtails.
Simple, sharp bobs.
Sleek center or side parts.
Sleek, high side pull-backs.
Avant-garde accessories.
Striking floral accessories.

Romantic Natural: The Babe Next Door.

Try:
Medium to long, but with face-framing layers.
Waves or soft curls.
Asymmetry. Side parts.
Messy crown bumps.
Touchable, uncontained, uncomplicated, free & easy, tousled and full.
Sexy low ponytails with loose curls.
Tendrils.

Romantic Classic: The Sexy Sophisticate.

Try:
Soft, face-framing.
Medium-length.
Sexy but restrained.
Sideswept, curly updos.
Height at the crown.
Side parts.
Full but neat.
Soft, touchable bobs with curls or waves.
Controlled.
Rounded shapes.

Romantic Gamine: The Firecracker.

Try:
Short but touchable.
Asymmetry.
Playful height at the crown.
Side parts.
Face-framing, with some tousle.
Sexy and spunky.
Full curls, waves, or playful ringlets.

Romantic Ingenue: The Demure Seductress.

Try:
Sweet, touchable, face-framing, styled, medium-long.
Center parts with full, sexy curls or waves.
Side parts with simpler, neater curls.
Soft, sexy bangs.
Crown bumps.
Gentle, high side pull-backs.
Sexy pigtails (high or low) or pigtail braids.
Ribbons.
Larger feminine accessories, perhaps with sparkle.

Natural Classic: The Prep.

Try:
Simple, neat, medium-length, relaxed, face-framing.
Pulled back simply but not severely, perhaps with a little tousle.
Simple, loose updos.
Subtle layers.
Simple ponytails, low or straight back.
Simple, low-maintenance bobs with movement.

Natural Gamine: The Tomboy

Try:
Boyish and spunky.
Layers.
Shaggy.
Shorter, messy ponies or pigtails.
Short and tousled.
Overgrown pixies.

Natural Ingenue: The Outdoorsy Sweetheart

Try:
Relaxed, unstructured bangs.
Messy low pigtails; loose pigtail braids.
Simple ponytails with neat curls.
Tendrils.
Casual high side pull-backs.
Center parts; tousled or mussed.
Layers of sweet curls.
Simple floral accessories, or simple ribbons.

Classic Gamine: The Prep Schooler.

Try:
Boyish, but neatly styled.
Medium-short.
Simple, neat updos with bangs.
Neat, elegant pixies.
Face-framing, with just a bit of tousle.

Classic Ingenue: Nancy Drew.

Try:
Simple, neat bangs.
Symmetry, always.
Precise center parts.
Precise, high side pull-backs.
Neat-as-a-pin pigtails (low or medium-height).
Longer simple, sweet bobs.
Controlled curls.
Barrettes.
Modest, simple updos and buns.
Elegant, modest floral accessories.
Headbands.
Face-framing.

Gamine Ingenue: The Girlish Mod.

Try:
Spunky bangs.
Short, sweet, tousled.
Playful, short pigtails -- low or high.
High side pull-backs, perhaps with barrettes.
Cute floral accessories
Center parts.
Curls.
Witty accessories.

This post first appeared in January of 2016.

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Ethereal Elements, Explained

6/17/2019

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First published May 2016.

Elements of the Ethereal style identity haven't been clearly and fully articulated before.

Here, I'll identify several of them, and -- more importantly -- explain the logic behind them.

My hope is that you’ll be able to extrapolate from this this logic to predict other Ethereal elements .

Braids are Ethereal because they are visually busy and they involve S curves.

Let's start with braids. I love braids.

Braids are Ethereal because
a
1) they are visually busy -- there's a lot of detail --

and

2) they involve S curves.

For Ethereality, put that shape -- the S curve -- in your head.

The S curve is crucial to Ethereality.

That’s because it's a line that's elongated, but that also curves. (Elongation is Ethereal.)

The S curve is essential to the Ethereal because it's a line that's elongated, but that also curves.

Braid detail is, of course, also Ethereal then. This includes braided metal in jewelry.

Braid detail is Ethereal.

In jewelry, braided metal is Ethereal.

Spaced beads -- like those you see on a rosary -- are Ethereal, again because of the S curves created.

Spaced beads are Ethereal because of the sinuous line created.

See the S curves?

A reader in a previous post asked about handkerchief hemlines. They are Ethereal (when they are gradual, not excited) because of the diagonal lines.

Diagonal lines, as long as they're not sharp or geometric appearing, are Ethereal.

This is because, as lines, they're elongated, but they're also in motion, and movement is Ethereal.

(Diagonality suggests movement; the diagonality is a way of a line traveling from one point to another.)

Handkerchief hems are also Ethereal because they flutter, and fluttery movement is Ethereal in part because it suggests birds and flight.

For that same reason, flutter sleeves are Ethereal, winged shapes are Ethereal, feathers are Ethereal, and birds and winged motifs in prints are Ethereal -- as long as they're abstracted or stylized, not realistic. If they're realistic, they can be Ethereal plus a more literal style ID, such as Gamine, Ingenue or Classic.

Abstracted prints of winged creatures are Ethereal.

Flutter sleeves are Ethereal.

Feathers are Ethereal.

Wing and feather motifs are Ethereal.

Abstracted bird and butterfly motifs are Ethereal.

Winged-style tops are Ethereal.

Abstract prints are Ethereal, because Ethereality transcends literal reality.

Abstract prints and motifs are Ethereal because ethereality is about transcending physical reality and the literal.

Realistic prints and motifs are not Ethereal; they're good for Classics, Gamines, and Ingenues.

Shimmer, shine and sparkle are Ethereal, in part because light itself is Ethereal, and in part because a shiny or sparkly finish reads as feminine.

A shimmery or gently sparkly finish is more Ethereal than a hard shininess because Ethereality is a gentle energy, not an aggressive energy.

Iridescence, which has a very gentle quality and suggests the sea, is particularly Ethereal.

Iridescence and opalescence are Ethereal because they are gentler forms of shimmer and they evoke the sea.

Abstract prints and motifs that suggest the heavens or the cosmos, or that you'd describe as celestial, are Ethereal. Prints that suggest the sea are also Ethereal. (Think of the sea and the heavens as other worlds, and this will make sense.)

If the prints are realistic, they're Ethereal plus another, more literal style ID, such as Gamine.

Abstract celestial prints are Ethereal...

...as are abstract prints that suggest the sea.

Godet skirts are Ethereal because they create sinuous lines and because they evoke mermaids, which are Ethereal. For the same reason, flares are Ethereal. (If they're flared jeans, that's Ethereal Natural.)

Godet skirts are Ethereal because they create S curves and they evoke mermaids.

Flares are Ethereal because of the S curve/mermaid tail effect. (Flared denim is Ethereal Natural.)

Hi-lo hemlines are Ethereal because of their fluttery movement, their diagonal lines, and the way their shape suggests a mermaid's tail.

Hi-lo hemlines are Ethereal because of the diagonal lines and because they suggest a mermaid's tail.

Layeres, especially if cascading and translucent, can be Ethereal.

Layers can be Ethereal, if they create a waterfall or cascading effect, or if some of the layers are translucent.

Translucence is Ethereal, of course.

Speaking of which, waterfall effects, cascading effects and tiers are Ethereal, partly because they create the impression of gently diagonal downward movement, and partly because they evoke waterfalls, which we associate with infinity, beauty, and the ephemeral and intangible.

Cascading effects are Ethereal because of the gently diagonal movement and the suggestion of a waterfall.

Waterfalls are Ethereal because they represent infinity, beauty, and the ephemeral and intangible.

Cut-outs and mesh, if they're delicate but not sexy, can be Ethereal, because they're airy and light, because they suggest a world behind the current world, and because the very open weave generally creates S curves.

Delicate cut-outs can be Ethereal because they're airy and sinuous and they suggest layers of reality.

A fish-scale effect can be Ethereal if it's not too literal.

A fish-scale effect, if it's not too literal, can be Ethereal, because of its association with mermaids, because it's extremely detailed, and because it evokes the sea.

A very textured finish can also be Ethereal, if it's delicate, because it has the effect of being very visually busy -- i.e., highly detailed. Profusion of detail always reads as feminine, and Ethereality is highly feminine.

Extreme texture, if delicate, can be Ethereal because it's highly detailed.

Art Nouveau designs, if rather abstract, are often Ethereal, because they consist of narrow, elongated lines, they're very detailed, and the edges are generally rounded.

Abstract Art Nouveau designs are often Ethereal because of the narrow, elongated lines, profuse detail, and rounded edges.

(I know David Kibbe assigns Art Nouveau jewelry to Soft Natural.

But realize that Kibbe groups all feminine identities -- Romantic, Ethereal, and Ingenue -- into one descriptor: Soft.

As a result, his recs for Soft types are sometimes more accurately assigned to Ethereal types and Ingenue types.

For example, Art Nouveau jewelry is really better for Ethereal Natural than it is for Romantic Natural. Romantic Natural needs more sexiness in her accessories; Art Nouveau design is generally rather chaste.)

Long hair is Ethereal because elongation is Ethereal. And of course S curves in long hair are particularly Ethereal.

S curves in long hair are particularly Ethereal.

Wispy, floaty hair is Ethereal because it feels insubstantial and suggests a halo.

Wispy and floaty hair is more Ethereal than smooth or slick hair, because it feels more insubstantial, and because it suggests a halo.

Sandals are Ethereal because their open, airy nature suggests that the foot is only partially connected to the earth.

Sandals are Ethereal because they suggest a tenuous connection between earth and body.

Delicate period looks are Ethereal because they suggest agelessness.

"Period" looks, if delicate, are Ethereal because they suggest agelessness, which is Ethereal.

(Distinguish "retro" and "vintage" from "period"; the first two terms imply decades of age, while the last one implies centuries. Vintage and retro aren't great for Ethereal, but can be good for Ingenue.)

This isn't an exhaustive list of Ethereal elements, but I hope it helps you think more clearly about the Ethereal style identity.

If you think you might be Ethereal, please check out my tools for identifying your own style identity!

And if you know you're Ethereal, please check out my Visual Style Guides and What Not To Wear guides.

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Style ID Calculator Only $9.99 This Week!

6/10/2019

15 Comments

Just because!

If you've been thinking about trying the Style ID Calculator, but you've felt unsure whether to go for it, now is the time.

Your promo code is JUNECALC.
It's good for a week; it expires June 16th.

What do people say after using the Style ID Calculator?

Joy writes:

Wow! That was incredibly helpful. I have been struggling with finding the right shapes and styles to wear. I was quite surprised to get Ethereal Natural - but it fits, perfectly! Thank you for creating and sharing this wonderful tool.

And Lilac says:

Your style calculator is no less than genius!!! And I am not easily impressed. I was kind of skeptical about it. I'm often told that I look like a completely different person, when I change my hair. So I tried the test with 3 different hairstyles. I had to choose completely different boards each time. So there I thought - I've confused the system.
Imagine my surprise, when I got the same results each and every time! 😮
Well, almost the same. The percentage for the identities was different, but the identities where the same...
It really works 😁
Thank you SO MUCH. You are incredible 💖

If you're as nerdy as I am and you'd to read one customer describe, in detail, her work validating the Style ID Calculator as an instrument, click here.

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How Natural Style Types Do Sexy

6/3/2019

34 Comments

Romantic is the style type that's most flattered by traditionally "sexy" clothes and details, such as cleavage emphasis, skirt slits, cinched waists, red lips, et cetera.

On a woman without a lot of Romantic, these elements will read as awkward or unharmonious, not sexy.

But many of us want to appear "sexy" at some point.

How does a woman who's strongly Natural -- a woman like me, whose beauty has a rough-hewn, masculine quality -- create a sexy impression?

Not like a Romantic would, with pouty lips, smoky eyes, an abundance of jewelry, and butt & bust emphasis. Those tend to make us Natural women look mannish.

Instead, Naturals do sexy with bare arms and legs, mussy hair, very open necklines, little makeup, tank tops, oversized sweaters, and cowboy hats.

You might be thinking, "Those are elements Naturals always look great in."

You're right!

If a Natural simply turns up the intensity on an already Natural element, it tends to look sexy.

Go with even barer arms and legs. Make that hair even more messy. Go with an even bigger sweater, perhaps falling off one shoulder.

Below, see Sheryl Crow, Jennifer Aniston, Sandra Oh, and Elisabeth Shue. These are strongly Natural women who look sexier and more confident when they don't try so hard. In looks with bust emphasis, jewels, shiny finishes, careful curls, and lots of makeup, they appear awkward.

If you're a strongly Natural woman, one of your gifts is the ability to look your best with almost no effort. (Typically, the more effort you put in, the less good you look!)

This is why Natural beauty is often described as "confident"; the viewer assumes you must have a lot of courage to present yourself so casually.

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Truth is Beauty

Style Identities: Your Best Hair

Ethereal Elements, Explained

Style ID Calculator Only $9.99 This Week!

How Natural Style Types Do Sexy

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Truth is Beauty

Style Identities: Your Best Hair﻿

Ethereal Elements, Explained

Style ID Calculator Only $9.99 This Week!

How Natural Style Types Do Sexy

About Me...

Categories

Archives

Style Identities: Your Best Hair