To Grow or Not to Grow & How to Look Like Bardot

ever since i saw the sleek new haircut Michelle Monaghan has been sporting lately, i've been wanting to grow my hair out and run to the nearest salon! i love the shiny, perfectly straight shoulder skimming length and the heavy, eye flattering bangs. VA-VA-voom! as i've been mulling over the idea of trying this haircut out, i realized that this isn't the first time i've been infatuated with this look, i loved it on Heidi Klum a few years ago, too! i think the reason that i'm so taken with this particular kind of haircut is that in my opinion it's very modern-day Brigitte Bardot, and i looooove all things Brigitte Bardot. i mean, has there ever been another woman who even came close to being as sexy as she did?! i don't think so!

on the beauty side of this post, if you'd like to incorporate a little bit of Brigitte sexiness into your life, i'd start out in the shower with some majorly volumizing shampoo and conditioner, making sure that you only condition from mid-shaft down, as you don't want to weigh down your roots. after towel-drying, you'll need a volumizing product like Aveda Volumizing Tonic, $14, to rub into your roots for some lift. then take your blow dryer and a round brush and blow out your hair without making it too straight, you want it to look messy and sexy! hold your hair straight up from the roots and blast them with the hot air, it will help them hold their height and give you luscious volume. after you're done blow drying, skip your flat iron and tousle your hair into shape with your hands.

for the makeup, you'll want to paint on a thick, sharp, winged line of black liquid liner to give you irresistible doe eyes! my favorite liner for this kind of look is MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack, $15, or for a less expensive liner, try Physician's Formula Eye Definer Felt-Tip Eye Marker, $6.95. either one will give you the perfect look, just make the line thick enough and be sure to get it right down into your lash line to avoid the gap-between-the-lashes-and-liner look. rim the lower lashes also, but only bring the line in halfway to the inner corner of your eye to avoid closing your eye up and making it seem smaller. skip eye shadow, and instead give your brows some natural definition with a pencil like Maybelline's Define-A-Brow Eyebrow Pencil, $6.50. for your lashes, you'll want the biggest, flirtiest, lushest results you can possibly get, so i'd recommend falsies if you're going to be sporting this look at night, or a mascara like Christian Dior's DiorShow Mascara, $24, if you aren't a false-eyelash guru. for the lips, you'll want a soft, petal pink color that gives you the nude effect turned up just a notch. i'd recommend either MAC's Blankety lipstick, $14, or NARS Chelsea Girls Lip Lacquer, $24, to get the perfect pout. last but not least, Brigitte always had the perfectly tawny, sun-kissed skin, and although natural always looks best, we certainly don't want to court the disaster that laying out in the sun brings. for a faux beach bunny look, try a bronzer like Benefit's HOOLA, $28, Guerlain's Terracotta Bronzing Powder, $42, or if you don't like powder, NARS The Multiple in Palm Beach, $37. sweeping any of these across your cheekbones, forehead, nose and chin should give you a beautiful golden glow without any damage being done to your skin.

no matter what look you're going for, confidence is key. don't wear clothes that make you feel uncomfortable, don't wear makeup that you think isn't you, and don't do anything to compromise the most important beauty rule: be yourself, because you are beautiful! au revoir, mon cheries!