The end of my red period.

 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Freshly minted brunette here, reporting for duty!

Well Reader, I said goodbye to my red tresses yesterday.  How strange!  Even this morning, the new 'do still feels somewhat wig-like.

My beloved Buffy, the girl who turned me red almost exactly three years ago, made the switch with me.  Back then, in late 2008, I was still blond -- and the new hue changed everything.  

You know what they say, about blondes having more fun?  Lies.  I got fifty times more attention as a redhead than I ever did as a blond.  Inspired by Joan Holloway on Mad Men, and particularly by how bold she was, I waltzed into Buffy's chair at Vain and fanned out some pictures.  I was 26, and I wanted some of that boldness for myself.  

Have you ever gone red before, Reader?  If not, I think you should.  Everyone should.  Just to see how it feels, because let me tell you, red is an absolute trip. 

I believe that other redheads present and former can vouch for this: Red goes beyond stares on the street.  My hair has probably been every shade on the red rainbow, from demure ginger, to maroon, to loud, screaming Poison Ivy.  An old lady I used to go grocery shopping with thought I was Irish, my classmates at my 10-year high school reunion voted me "Most Changed" last year, and my Dad once called me "Crayola Head."  So red not only imbues confidence, you see: It makes people process you differently. 

But sometime recently, I saw a picture of myself on an overcast day, and the red suddenly looked ... too much.  Like it didn't fit me anymore.  I craved something more natural, something less look-at-me.  Isn't that funny?  You'd think I'd never give this great thing up, this fun color that got me so much attention.  But I just had this gut feeling.  A beloved chapter (my twenties?) was closing. 

And now?  Well, new color is always a little weird, but I like the new me.  I feel confident in a different way.  Mature!  That's the word.  I feel mature.  Less Poison Ivy, more Jane Birkin.  Thank you for transforming me yet again, Buffy.  You always make me feel so comfortable in your chair, and totally jazzed by the time I leave. 

I love you and your hair dying wizardry!

(PS: Buffy moved two weeks ago to Propaganda on West 5th.  I recommend her to everyone that I know.)

You only live once. Why not give yourself bangs?

...Was my line of thinking at roughly 4:00pm yesterday.

A trifle uneven!

But even so, I think I fancy them.

My new bangs and I wish you a good weekend!

Happy Birthday, Andy Warhol! Party at Birds

This is being SPONSORED BY Birds Barbershop, and actually HAPPENING at Mohawk (I had it wrong earlier until an astute reader caught it. Thank you, Tiffany!)

Party starts at 8:00pm, and you can find all the details here.

Speaking of Andy Warhol and his 81st birthday. For Halloween sometime, I've always wanted to get three friends together and all dress up (i.e. paint ourselves) as the four Marilyns:

Any takers on this idea?? I think I'd like to buy a blond wig and be the turquoise-faced Marilyn.

Birds Barbershop: Ladies Night!

So, seriously you guys, how about that Birds Barbershop?? Who is their genius marketing czar! All these cool events! (That's me with blonde hair at the Yelle concert!) All these pretty ads! And now, they're expanding to the east side? And hiring, you say (with healthcare benefits)? Out-of-work hairdressers, just stop reading! Go apply, post-haste!!

Ahem. The rest of you still there? Ok, cool.

Ladies, our time has arrived! Tomorrow evening, the Burnet Birds is hosting Ladies Night. It's a regular love fest: my girl Cory, my fave drag queen Rebecca Havemeyer, cupcakes, vodka, $5 blowouts. Massage. KARAOKE. (Is this all happening simultaneously, you think?)

As an aside - here's a rad Lykke Li clip from last year's SXSW. A Birds Barbershop-sponsored event, natch! (The audio's a little lacking, so, sorry about that).



I show this to you all to get you excited - because Lykke Li is coming HERE in a few weeks!!! February 19, to be exact. Stay tuned for details.

Going to stop this post before it gets anymore random.

The Black and White Years AND Vain Salon party

So here is something pretty special I just found out about: The Black and White Years are playing tonight at The Compound over on the east side, along with DJ Manny.


I think I am going to go. I have actually never seen The Black and White Years, but I sure have shaken it to DJ Manny at Red Fez - so any way you slice it, this will be a fun show!

Also - guys. You know how I went red? Well, I have Buffy at Vain to thank for it, and tomorrow, the whole salon is having a party!! They have a GORGEOUS new website, and they are celebrating it with hula hoops all day tomorrow:


(P.S. - On the site, they have this amazing music video which totally captures the flavor of Vain, and if I were smart/web-savvy enough I would steal it and post it here. Until then, just go look at it.)

Undercover Blonde

Hey everybody, I'm guest-posting on Undercover Blonde this week! To check it out, just click here.

For anyone who has ever artificially colored their hair, you might enjoy the story.

Rory McNeill + More Polyvore fun

Is there any everyday task that you perform in such a way as to give your friends and loved ones cause for concern? R. experiences heart palpitations, for example, when I handle knives. Maybe for you, it's your driving skills. Or worse, your dancing skills.

Well for many Austin ladies, choosing a hair stylist is a Big Deal. A decision that gives them anxiety. As it should: we're a city of stylishly-coiffed people. I walked into a party last night for example, and the kitchen alone was virtually bursting with adorably ironic, mullet-headed cuties. Sort of like:
























Exactly, like that guy. Austin girls wear this look very well. I am not one of them but no matter - for any self-respecting hipster, boring hair is simply inexcusable in a city like ours.

So all of that being said, Rory McNeill is someone you should know about.

Rory's glam little space, Roar on E. 5th, has been operational for about a year now. I won't tell you too much because the real story will be in the November Rare, but suffice it to say that Rory himself has highlights to die for (he's a colorist, natch), a dreamy team of stylists, and a salon that basically looks like my fantasy apartment. Think old Hollywood, Bette Davis aesthetic, if Ms. Davis had an affection for the Texas hill country. A harlequin chandelier here, a set of antlers there. You know: Texas!

(Maybe I exaggerate on the antlers but...you get the idea.)

And, guys...y'all know TLC's "A Makeover Story?" Rory was on that show! (As the makeover-administering person. Not makeover recipient. Pause: how fun would it be though to go on one of those shows? Even if you're not unfortunate-looking? I honestly get choked up at the end of "What Not to Wear" when the made-over person has their big reveal, and everyone basically acts like it's the second coming - "OH my GOD! I can't believe it!") Anyway, I think it happened while he was heading up this tucked-away, referral-only salon in Chicago called Tousle. But now, Rory is ours - all ours! - right here in Austin.

Secondly: I cannot stop playing with Polyvore.

Roar Salon

So, I spoke with Rory McNeill yesterday of Roar Salon. Before I give him a proper welcome to That Austin Girl however, I want to just say...holy freak, the space is beautiful. And Rory is a doll!

Has anyone been here before? My heart (er, hair) lies with Vain, but I'm curious to know if any Austin ladies or super hip gentleman have already been to Roar. Yes?

Interestingly enough, a girlfriend and I gawked inside the windows like peeping toms once, about a month ago, stumbling back to our cars from 4th St...let me just say that sober and in the daylight, it is even lovelier.

Hair before and after

Yesterday, before bangs:

Today, after bangs:

(And no, the bed is not made in either picture).

More later.

You're so VAIN...you probably think this post is about you

....And if you're Buffy at Vain Salon, then you're absolutely right.

I am visiting Buffy in approximately 17 hours and 3 minutes. I've got roots the size of Texas. And like my girl Kitty, the siren song of blond hair is, for me, never that faint.

So tomorrow we're going blond. Quite blond indeed. And with that blond, there shall be bangs, I've decided. Examples:







I couldn't resist an Olsen.

Ladies, do you do bangs? What are your thoughts? Hip or bothersome? Men, do you wish you were a woman, so you could do bangs? Don't be shy.

And if you are in the market for an excellent Austin colorist, let me sing the praises of Buffy, who has taken me to the dark side and back. Perhaps you don't remember? Here's a sort of blurry photo from me last fall:

Sorry for the awful picture quality. Anyway, Buffy right now has a small legion of devoted clients - but we are growing in number. So if you're in Austin and hair color is in your future, this is the girl you must visit.

Blonde ambition

I yearn to be blonde again.

It's been one-and-a-half brunette months. I have a color appointment next Friday with Buffy. I am torn between getting more bright red streaks, or honey, flaxen highlights. Right now, I'm leaning toward the latter.

Why? I don't know, really. Sometimes when I look in the mirror, I look rather...drawn. Older. I think blond hair is more forgiving in this regard. I am a woman prone to undereye circles, even when untired.

I DID see Chloe last Sunday, beautiful redheaded Chloe, in my weight-lifting class. That did give me pause, Reader. My life twin is still rockin the dark red hair.

For the sake of an informed opinion, I did some internet sleuthing on famous hair color chameleons.









"It's great being blonde...with such low expectations, it's easy to impress." - Pamela Anderson