CREATE HEIGHT AT CROWN, ADD GOLDEN LOWLIGHTS
Irene Palatucci, 57; real estate sales associate
Problem: "My hair does only one thing, and I've had this same style for years."
Pipino's solution: The length of Irene's hair suited her face well, but the shape of the cut, which she'd been doing herself, was square, and it limited the ways she could wear it. The layers were too short at the top and too long on the sides. So Pipino trimmed the crown minimally, cut shorter layers on the sides, and reminded Irene not to cut her bangs till they'd grown out. The texture was full and thick with a slight natural wave, but he wanted to eliminate the yellow tones. He replaced them with pale blonde highlights and golden lowlights.
Results: "I love being able to play around with the style," said Irene, "and it looks much more modern."
LOSE LENGTH, DEEPEN COLOR, ADD DEFINITION
Tammy Daniele, 36; full-time mother
Problem: "I've been growing out my hair for two years. It just hangs there, with no style."
Pipino's solution:A shorter, layered cut will take the weight off of Tammy's hair—which was what was pulling it down—and reveal her striking long neck. Pipino cut off more than four inches and sliced long bangs for a strong, sexy style that's also easier to maintain. Tammy's hair was overbleached—too light and too similar to her skin color, so Pipino gave her a single-process dark red to add depth and definition.
Results: "Pretty color," said Tammy. "And less time with the blow-dryer. I'm really looking forward to that."
GET RID OF PYRAMID SHAPE
Christina Moses, 26; actress
Problem: "I just have too much superfrizzy, thick hair."
Pipino's solution: It's not that Christina had too much hair but that its shape—short in the back and longer in the front—was the opposite of what it should be, so it fell forward into her face. It was also angled wider at the bottom, creating more volume around the collarbone than at the crown, which gave it an unflattering pyramid shape. Christina wanted to keep the length, so Pipino trimmed layers around the face to take off some of the weight and to reveal her jawline. To break up her solid brown color, he wove in cappuccino brown highlights. Pipino also suggested that she use a daily conditioner to maintain curl and decrease frizz.
Results: "I feel like a million bucks!" said Christina. "Even though my hair is still thick, it's so much more manageable."
CUT LAYERS ALL AROUND TO ADD SHAPE
Patricia Joseph, 37; producer of soundtrack albums
Problem: "My hair looks like it exploded. It's out of control."
Pipino's solution: It was the length of Patricia's hair, not the volume, that was overwhelming. Pipino cut four inches off all around and shorter layers in front to bring the curl up around her small, delicately featured face. Because Patricia's hair was dry, it was often frizzy, which contributed to its wild look, so he gave her an intense moisturizing mask. He also wove fine, permanent honey blonde highlights along the crest of the curls to brighten the color without making it look too dense.
Results: "I thought I didn't want more volume," said Patricia, "but this looks polished and beautiful."
ADD ANGLED BANGS, GOLDEN BROWN HIGHLIGHTS
Rita Chuchalova, 25; full-time mother
Problem: "I think my hair is flat and boring, and it has no body."
Pipino's solution: Rita's hair is fine, but she has a lot of it; the problem was that the style had no shape and the highlights looked brassy. Pipino agreed with Rita that she could keep the length but suggested trimming about an inch and a half off the bottom and adding shorter layers around her face, where he cut angled bangs to accentuate her gorgeous, almond-shaped eyes. Because Rita's natural color is dark and her hair is healthy with lots of shine, Pipino added just enough light golden brown highlights for her to look as if she'd spent some time in the sun.
Results: "I love the color—it's softer and closer to my own, only better," said Rita. "And I've always wanted more shape and some bangs, because I think that makes my face look less square. It's fabulous."
SPICE UP WITH SUBTLE COLOR AND A FACE-FRAMING CUT
Ebony Mines, 22; sales manager
Problem: "Plain. Blah. That's my hair."
Pipino's solution: Letting Ebony's hair go naturally curly would emphasize the roundness of her face, so she should keep it sleek (it's been chemically relaxed). Pipino added bangs to soften her high forehead and bring out her stunning eyes and mouth. Cutting a few layers and a couple of inches off the length all around gave the shape more definition and style, and increased the body. To break up the solid dark brown color, which made her hair look stiff, Pipino added light golden brown highlights and a gloss to protect and moisturize.
Results: "Now, this cut gives me some style," said Ebony.
