Short and sexy

Hair stylists put together easy-to-follow looks for women with short hair to sport at work, parties and casual outings.

Hair stylists put together easy-to-follow looks for women with short hair to sport at work, parties and casual outings

Time to party
* Take the desired parting, left or right. On the lower side of the parting, remove a section going down till the top of your ear.
* Now divide this section into three parts and braid the hair using a serum. This will keep the braid neat.
* Once the braid is complete up to the tip of the removed section, tie a thin black rubber band to lock the braid and pin it behind the ear.
* Take the top/fringe area and smoothen it using dryer and brush or an iron. Use a heat-protecting spray or product while using any heating tools.
* The rest of the hair needs to be extra voluminous to complement this look. Taking a convenient section from the crown area, use a tong (large size) to lift up the hair from the roots and take it behind.
* Just for fun, you could take sections around and below the ear and flick them out using the same tong.
* To finish off this look, use a spray serum to add some shine.

Keeping it casual
* On damp hair, apply a styling mousse and scrunch.
* Leave the top fringe area (top triangle) to be blow-dried or pinned to the desired side and left to dry naturally.
* To finish this look, use a serum to control frizz.

Working it
* Prep hair as described in the casual look.
* Take the top fringe area and start backcombing it, taking convenient sections. Work your way from root to tip while doing so.
* Balance out the hair and make the top look neat. Now take the centre section, make a puff and use bobby pins to keep it in place.
* The rest of the hair can be left natural, but make sure to use a serum to do away with the frizz.

Colours and Crystals
Ritu Kapoor

There is a close correlation between the colour of gemstones and their healing properties across several cultures. The colour of a crystal affects us in two ways - through our eyes and by its placement on the body. Once the key concept for each colour is recognised, it is easy to identify how a crystal or gemstone may bring the qualities of its planet to interact with our personal energy.

Warm-Coloured Stones
Red stones are energising and stimulating.
Rich, bright reds, such as garnet, ruby and zircon, can be quite dramatic in their effects. The opaque or tawny reds of jasper and iron quartz create a more grounded, practical energy. Orange stones are excellent for use in situations of shock and trauma. They energise the repair mechanisms within the body. Carnelian and orange calcite will soothe and restore, while topaz and rutilated quartz help to strengthen reintegrate dissipated energies. Yellow stones support the sense of self, energising the solar plexus and so reducing tension and anxiety. Citrine, yellow fluorite, tiger's eye and amber create clarity, awareness and confidence.

Cool-Coloured Stones
Green stones balance the heart, calm the emotions and stimulate personal potential for growth. Green aventurine and green tourmaline are good emotional stabizers. Emerald and moss agate encourage harmony with our surrounding. Malachite, dioptase and peridot help to release emotional pain. Light blue stones support communication skills and work well to strengthen immune systems. Turquoise and aquamarine encourage flexibility and support the subtle energy systems of the body. Blue lace agate and celestite release tensions and lift heavy moods. Dark blue stones like lapis lazuli, sodalite, sapphire and kyanite quieten the normal thought processes and encouraging intuition. They can also help to release long-held stresses, encouraging deep peace.

Other Colours
White and clear stones generally amplify the life-sustaining energies of the body. They bring clarity, purification, orderliness and harmony. Clear quartz, calcite and selenite energise, while moonstone, milky quartz and translucent white or cloudy stones have a scooting, cleansing effect. Black stones-obsidian, smoky quartz, black tourmaline and hematite can help to release energy imbalances.