Beauty talk

SADIA MOYEEN Beautician, La Belle, 13/A /2 Kemal Ataturk Avenue , ( 3rd/ 4th fl ) Gulshan -2

There was a time, long long long ago when the only hair accessories available were flowers. Though as far as I am concerned, they still head my list of favourites to dress hair. Fresh jasmine in a bride's braid or roses in her curls are definitely added attractions - ask any groom. Not to mention the heroines of the sixties who started the trend of wearing hair accessories with their bouffants and tight churidar kurtas, there would still be this one Tiger Lilly behind Asha Parek's ear or a huge rose, but they carried it with such élan that we have still not forgotten it. Nor have we forgotten the quivering flower that would magically, and strategically block the kissing lips of the heroes and heroines; us little kids would bend this way and that trying to look past the interrupting flower!

Those were the days; then came the seventies with the thick hair bands of fabric and ribbons and bows that would put a gift wrapping to shame, nevertheless with a charm of its own. Then came the forehead band during the discoing mid and late seventies a la Mithun Chakraborty, Zeenat Aman, John Travolta and so on. Even for me that was too much to swallow; thank God it's all in the past! By this time I was sent off to boarding school and didn't come out until the mid-eighties; no movies, no television, no nothing. Those days it was so uncool to use make up, watch movies or listen to Abba or Air Supply (all of which I secretly loved), and hair accessories? You must be kidding!

Hair accessories and ornaments have from time immemorial been an integral part of the desi woman, from the time when women wore flowers in their hair every single day of their lives, to today, where it has now become seemingly confined to formal occasions only but is still a very crucial part of our culture. Not to mention that jewellery for hair has been an ancient custom; kings and queens and common folk, all wore some form of hair ornaments . Even today, imagine a bride without her tikly or jhoomar (jhapta). How taken aback will we be? So no matter how modern we have become, inherently we, as a race, simply love to get dressed up from head to toe!

Today there are endless options with which to accentuate your hair, from simple scrunge clips that gently hold your hair in a casual style, to hair extensions that can add body or length or both to your hair. These can be weaved into your natural hair or can be clipped on to strategic sections of hair. Ready-made buns, braids with or without ornaments, stones etc; the list of accessories is endless.

Diamante hair clips, combs and brooches are very popular and can look quite good if not too overdone. Dry flowers, feathers, pins, clips, stickers - whatever takes your fancy, as long as you can carry it well.

Everything said and done, nothing like a hair accessory to dress up and brighten your look!