Having shaved my head completely more than half-a-dozen times, the spiel about empowerment and being “bold” irritates me. I’ve usually only shaved my head when I’ve had a dandruff issue or if I feel that I will not be able to handle the heat of North India. This time, I didn’t want to shave it off completely. I wanted to get rid of the completely ruined colored fragments. I wanted to see what the salt-and-pepper would look like. It took me a good one and a half hour to do this. First I chopped off chunks with scissors and then I just went over my skull again and again and again with the trimmer set to 10mm.
I’ve never considered my “look” before this. But this time, I wanted to do it right. I looked for articles or blog posts online but most of them were disappointing to say the least. There was definitely no Indian representation till page two of the search results and my patience was wearing thin. I decided to experiment and see what would work for me.
Facts
I have a slightly chubby face, so having a shaved head makes it look chubbier.
I have a short neck, which would worsen the chubby look with all my hair gone.
I have a slightly chubby build, so my tummy sticks out a bit and I don’t have a butt and I also have a slight hunch on my back. I’m also not very tall, so that compounds everything above.
Assessment
A shaved head makes the top of the body / shoulders etc. look bulkier and broader. The head looks so much smaller without hair. I would need to address that. I would also need to address wanting to make my neck and face and torso appear longer. And whatever I could do to make my silhouette look slimmer.
I shot the above photograph as a selfie on my phone right after I had finished the haircut. I cut and style and color my own hair and always have.
The rest of the photographs are also self-portraits but shot on a DSLR.
Earrings
I didn’t want to do chunky earrings and I also did not want to wear small ones. Since the goal was to make the face look longer and the neck look longer as well, I went with these slim long ones. I would have gone with even slimmer ones, without the pearl drop, but I have yet to finish unpacking and I don’t know where the rest of my jewelry is. Long danglers but not touching my shoulders.
I’m wearing gold-plated silver earrings from Amrapali. These are my own, which I purchased several years ago. The ring is not relevant to the shaved-head look but it’s my own as well. the bracelet is brass that is gold-plated. My own purchase from Dashia.in. The brooch is also not relevant to the shaved-head styling but it’s my own from Khaosphilos, called “Blue-Eyed“.
Makeup
My goal with the makeup was to keep it feminine : bold red lipstick, which isn’t new for me, but I wasn’t sure how it would work with this hair. I wanted full lips and dark eyebrows and with the bronzer, I wanted to make my face appear thinner than usual. So, bronzer under the cheek bones but also on the temples and also under my chin and jawline. I don’t usually do this but in this case, I wanted to try, and I think it worked. I would avoid super dark lipsticks because at least in my case, they make my lips appear thinner and it’s a severe look, which I want to avoid.
Lipstick is a mix of Nykaa’s Call Me Scarlet and Stila’s Beso ( on Sephora and Amazon). The Beso in the tube dries too quickly and is a problem to apply because it ends of flaking pretty quickly. To prevent that and still use the colour, I mix it with the Call Me Scarlet pencil. Foundation is Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush, which I’ve been using for at least four years – I love it. Brows have brown brow powder and I ran a black mascara wand on them as well.
Shoes
Bold sneakers to balance the top body looking bulkier or statement boots, like the leather riding boots I’m wearing, which make your silhouette longer and thinner. Especially here with dark brown boots on black jeans. I would not venture out in flats either. Even if it’s a half-inch heel, when my hair is like this, I would prefer a heel.
The riding boots are leather and were a gift, from 12 years ago.
Clothing
It’s best to keep your clothing simple and streamlined. Clean lines, classic silhouettes, and neutral colors would work best. I would avoid bright colors or too many colors, which is what I usually like. I went with my staple travel-wear : black stretch/skinny jeans, tucked in black t-shirt and a black leather belt on the jeans – enough to create a demarcation to make the torso look shorter but not sticking out to make the torso look boxier.
Jeans are stretch-skinny from Uniqlo. T-shirt is one of my favourite designs from Threadless called Bleeding Heart. I have at least four of these.
For Next Time
A sleeveless top might be a better idea next time. I feel that the short-sleeved t-shirt did not help with the broadening of the shoulders. I don’t usually wear sleeveless stuff because I am extremely conscious of my arms. They be flabby. I would also try slimmer and longer danglers for my ears. Apart from that, I think this casual look for an out-and-about day worked just fine. I’m excited to try a more formal look in the next couple of days.
And remember, it is hair, it grows back. Unless you have baldness in the family, in which case, better to shave it all off.
