Diamonds and Dames Does: Kate Nesbitt

I am enjoying blogging again...both reading and writing them. It's sort of a 'back to basics' thing that I can't help but embrace in the light of all the mayhem on Instagram and Facebook these days. I mean, is it just me, or are people getting to be especially sensitive and quick to offend? Enough about that though...

Last week, I posted a 'pre-haircut' video, showcasing a hair tutorial that I received a request for all the way back in 2009!! Can you all believe how long my channel has been going? (Speaking of the haircut, I still need to do a blog entry about that too!)

Anyway, this installment of Diamonds and Dames was dedicated to the lovely platinum locks of Rachel McAdams in 2007's Married Life. The style is one I've wanted to do for a while but in playing around with it, I discovered that I really didn't enjoy the look of it when I set my hair in a heated option. Something about that side curl was laying too flat or something. So I chose instead to make it a 2nd day style, using the remains of a foam roller set that had initially been quite a tight curl.

A little about the movie:

Married Life (2007)

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The story involves a love triangle between Harry Allen (Chris Cooper), Richard Langley (Pierce Brosnan), and Kay Nesbitt (Rachel McAdams) and is modeled after 1940's film noir in the setting, the styling, and the way it plays out. Harry is a gentle man in a loveless marriage, who can't help but be swept away by the stunning Kay. Rather than subject his wife, Pat (played by Patricia Clarkson), to a humiliating divorce, he begins to toy with the idea of murdering her instead, and confesses his plans to his friend Richard in hopes of obtaining some worldly advice. Richard seeks out Kay to confirm whether or not she might actually be worth such a sacrifice and ends up falling for her himself, which of course leads to even more conspiring and plotting. For all intents and purposes, the movie mostly succeeds, mainly due to the professionalism of its cast and the general look of the piece. The direction by Ira Sachs lacks passion, but remains poised and interesting. I saw this years ago on television and honestly remember very little about it, other than McAdams' exquisite loveliness. Therefore, by way of review, I'd say that is a very pretty movie, if not especially memorable. Cooper and Clarkson are always standout, in almost everything they grace, but I do recall being pleasantly surprised by McAdams and how easily she slipped into this traditionally stoic sort of femme fatale, when compared to the very modernized 1940's girl she played in The Notebook.

My Rating: 6/10
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The Tutorial:

For this episode of Diamonds and Dames, I decided to take a little different approach by recreating the style in a more traditional 1940's way. The film being modern, a heated set seems to have been used in the hairstyles Rachel McAdams sports, much like her styles in The Notebook. Her hair was a platinum blonde for this one though , and naturally the curl seems to be more pronounced. If you didn't know, Platinum hair is supremely easy to style since the lightening process makes it more malleable.

The style I enjoyed the most, in the picture, was the one Kay sports in the diner/bar/whatever-sort-of-establishment-that-was when she meets up with Richard. The sides are swept back into simple pin curls (not really full victory rolls), and the top is simply styled.

I also really enjoyed the simple waves of the following look:

Therefore, the style I created in my tutorial is based on both and would be considered an 'asymmetrical' style of the 1940's. While hot rollers were probably used for the hair in the movie, and could undoubtedly be used for this one as well, I actually created my look with 2nd day foam roller set. The foam roller setting can be seen in my last Pin Up hairstyle for Youtube, inspired by Gil Elvgren. To preserve the curls from this pretty tight set, simply wrap them in a hair net at night and sleep gently. Or, if you're a tossy-turny type of person and you tend to sweat at night, wrap the dry curls up into large pin curls and then cover them up with a net or scarf before bed. In the morning you'll have a softer, wavier version of your initial set, even if you have stick straight and fine hair like me!

For this look, the technique is fairly basic and can be seen clearly in the tutorial. Of note would be the slightly different way of constructing the side pin curl since our natural tendency is to part the hair farther back and form a full victory roll. For this look, only a slim section is used, and the pin curl is placed over the TOP of the smoothed side hair, which creates a very different aesthetic.

Three cheers for Rachel's hair stylist for the film, FRANCESCA PARIS.

Enjoy the video, and let me know, as always, if you have any additional questions Dearies!


XXOO
Ashley