Beauty Fail, Beauty Score: The Pixie Cut - Page 2

Michelle Williams's Perfect Pixie: SCORE

Pulling off this season's coveted pixie trend with the greatest of ease is Michelle Williams. Her hair is super-short, super-chic, and perfect for her face shape. "The reason the pixie cut looks so good is because of how it frames your face," Howse says. "You can vary the length of the fringe to make it fit your face shape perfectly."

Check out more of Howse's tips for getting a pixie cut to ace this hot trend.

Watch the neckline. The general rule is that the hair at your neckline needs to be long enough so it doesn't look like a boy's cut, Howse says. The edges should be softer, as opposed to round or square. Also, match the length with your neck. A shorter neck means you can pull off shorter fringe.

Give the sides length. Make sure your stylist doesn't give you a barbered edge on the sides or cut them neatly around your ears. Instead, give your sides some length and fringe that will hang slightly over the ear.

Keep the front fairly short. The key to the pixie is short front fringe swept over to the side. Give yourself a distinct side part like Williams for a modern take on this trend.

Keep in mind your face shape. How you cut your fringe should depend on your face shape. The more hair in the back you have, the more it will elongate your look, while shorter fringe tends to make the face look rounder. Really short fringe is optimal for oval face shapes, as Howse says it will allow your bone structure to take over. If you have a rounder face, give yourself more height on top by gently teasing at your crown.

To style this look, Howse says the more natural the better. Shampoo every day unless you have super-thick hair. “This is one style that looks better when dried naturally. Use a pomade or styling wax (something softer than gel or mousse) — apply to wet hair, then top off with finishing crème when dry. At night, use a little hair spray for slight volume to take it from casual to an evening look.”