A few years ago, when I was working at a women’s magazine, the beauty editor said she thought someone should open up blow-out places that were like nail salons – cheap and quick and the kind of place you could stop in between haircuts for a quick style fix without an appointment. It’s too bad she didn’t invest in such a business because in the last couple of years, it seems blow-out salons have taken off.

This time of year, most of us are anxiously waiting for the mercury to rise enough to start whipping out the pieces of spring clothes we have stashed away during the long hard winter. Springing the clocks forward is one strong sign that warmer weather is on the way, but if you are anything like me, the surefire way to tell the seasons are changing is the unexplainable desire that comes over me twice annually prompting me to drastically change my hair colour.

I feel like I should be writing this post under the cloak of anonymity. Yesterday, I went outside of what is probably the longest-running monogamous relationship I’ve had in my life. And yet aside from the fact that it feels wrong to boast about cheating (and I don’t want her to read this!), I also feel refreshed, excited. Like this break from the same-old is exactly what I needed.

The word tendril itself induces a shiver up the spine for me. The physical incarnation of this classic 90’s hair trend, however, scares me more than a world in which team U.S.A. takes gold in men’s Olympic hockey (yup, I'm still gloating). Sure, Brenda Walsh and Kelly Taylor could work the tendril like no other, but they also worked spandex bike shorts with suspenders. No one's asking us to accept that look again are they? Sound off about the tendril after the jump.

There’s no denying that bangs are hot right now. Just this past weekend I had two friends ask me to give them the royal fringe treatment. Though I wouldn’t necessarily endorse an amateur chop for a first timer, (I once forced my father to cut my bangs and let’s just say there may have been a bowl involved and, as a result, I became very well acquainted with hats) I do understand the sudden urge to change up your look—especially with all the great celebrity fringe inspiration that’s been flying around lately. 

Back in November we saw the beginning of a new trend in bun placement happening. First there was Rachel Bilson, followed by Cameron Diaz (who personally inspired me to try the look) and then the lovely January Jones at the GQ Man of the Year awards, all moving their updos to the crowns of their heads. This past week, though, there has been a massive surge in super-high bun activity on the fashion scene—sometimes with awesome results and sometimes, well, not so much...

Sometimes, simplicity is drop-dead sexy. This was most certainly the case with Anna Paquin's Brigitte Bardot inspired half up look at the recent Screen Actors Guild Awards. Of course, Paquin's plunging neckline didn't hurt her sex appeal at all, but it was her carefree coif that really caught my eye. I caught up with Vancouver hairstylist, Carolynne Collyer, to get the lowdown on recreating the look at home. With V-day just around the corner, this might be just the look to take your night from sweet to saucy—if you know what I mean? 

For the last couple months there has been a certain trend popping up in fashion editorials around the world that I have been trying to ignore. Unfortunately, now that the shepherd of all fashion sheep (aka. Kate Moss) has adopted this look as her own I am afraid that I won’t be able to sweep it under the rug anymore. It’s only a matter of time until this doozy saturates the European hipster scene and hops across the pond to infest the North American market….

It used to be that we only had one Olsen to worry about; Mary-Kate was clearly the wild child, dressing like a bag lady, battling eating disorders and generally not giving a flying hoot what anyone thought about it. Ashley, on the other hand, could usually be counted on to bring a little refinement, stability and class to the pair. Lately, though, it’s Ashley that has been causing me distress on the red carpet. Sure, Mary-Kate still looks a hot-mess most of the time, but I have come to expect/accept it as part of her charm. Ashley, unfortunately, just doesn't pull off the avant-garde crazy look quite as well....

One of my grandmothers is not known for handing out compliments – much the opposite, in fact. She’s more likely to ask me when I’m getting a trim or what hairstyle I’m going to go for next (the day I’ve had my hair cut!) than to tell me my hair looks good – even when I know it does. Which is why when I recently met said grandmother for dinner and the first thing she said to me (after giving me the usual once-over) was that my hair looks “so nice and shiny,” I knew I had to blog about the reason – right after I finished choking on my Diet Coke from the surprise of it.

There are two products that recently crossed my desk and have made it into my hair-care repertoire to which I give all the credit.