In collaboration with Bookety Book Books
Patti Smith
By Tara Young
A new hairstyle can be liberating, a dose of oxytocin for some good feels and instant gratification of your dream 'do staring back at you in the mirror. There's nothing like riding that hair-flipping high as you walk out of the salon with your fingers running through soft, shiny, perfectly styled hair.
The road to elation and beautiful hair can be a bit of a process especially if you're in for a big change (going through a breakup? We see you). If you're settling in for a couple of hours, pack accordingly; snacks, phone (duh), ear pods, charger, maybe some work, or better yet take this time to catch up on some reading.
We hit up our fave online indie book shop, Bookety Book Books, for their expert opinion on the coolest books to read while you're getting your hair done, providing that brief escapism for when you have a little or a lot of time to kill.
THE LOOK: POST BREAK UP MAKEOVER
It’s the makeover stage of the breakup, that pivotal turning point where you officially take back control of your life by exploring a new identity without them. This is a symbolic statement that you’re ready to move on – new beginnings after a full cut and colour treatment. An indulgent treat that takes 3 hours, 2 coffees and the best part of that new book you can’t put down.
Bookety Book Books recommends:
Crushing by Genevieve Novak
“Getting over someone is not that difficult. All you have to do is focus on every negative thing about them for the rest of your life until you forget to stop actively hoping for their slow and painful death, then get a haircut ...”
THE LOOK: CURTAIN BANGS
The wispy face framing style essentially providing the perfect draping for your visage, a mysterious, low maintenance girlie who feels nostalgic for the sunny 60s and 70s. Summer simplicity with chic Brigitte Bardot-esque curtain bangs are the look.
Bookety Book Books recommends:
Sex & Rage by Eve Babitz: Advice to Ladies Eager for a Good Time
Sex & Rage is a recently rediscovered classic from author Eve Babitz, herself a muse to many an artist, writer and musician in the 1970s. A semi-autobiographical novel, it charts the highs and lows of a life lived at the limits, and transports the reader to a sunnier, dreamier, more reckless time and place.
THE LOOK: BLONDE IN A DAY
You’ve been thinking, saving inspo posts on IG and squireling cash away for the transformation of your dreams. Instant gratification is the name of the game and between 5 to 10 hours in the chair is the reality of taking your hair blonde in a day. Take the day off work, settle in with snacks and a captivating read – you’ll be here a while and it will all be worth it in the end.
Bookety Book Books recommends:
Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados
Refreshing and wry in equal measure, Happy Hour is an intoxicating novel of youth well spent. Isa Epley is all of twenty-one years old, and already wise enough to understand that the purpose of life is the pursuit of pleasure. She arrives in New York City for a summer of adventure with her best friend, one newly blonde Gala Novak. They have little money, but that's hardly going to stop them from having a good time.
THE LOOK: JUST A TRIM
A lunch-break quickie every 6 weeks, this is purely admin to get rid of pesky split ends but a relaxing selfcare moment nonetheless. Bring something short and sweet to read.
Bookety Book Books recommends:
Dress Rehearsals by Madison Godfrey
A memoir made of poetry, Dress Rehearsals documents a decade of performing womanhood in a non-binary body. My femininity is not a survival instinct, it is a song. In their brilliant new poetry collection, Madison Godfrey documents a decade of performing womanhood, from teenage fangirl to tender femme.
THE LOOK: FULL-SERVICE MAINTENANCE
Like a by-monthly WOF. You’re a salon regular, you know everything about your stylist, and look forward to your monthly check in. After a coffee and a catch-up you are ready to get right into that book you’ll be discussing at bookclub tonight. You have 3 hours!
Bookety Book Books recommends:
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
Spanning decades and generations, HELLO BEAUTIFUL captures what it means to be a family -- the joy and tragedy, the deep trust and devastating betrayals. Split apart by stubbornness and heartbreak, the Padavano family scatters across the country. Will the love and loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together?
