Saturday night saw the X Factor live shows return to our television screens. Freshly overhauled with clothes, makeup and a range of new hairstyles, the sixteen acts certainly looked ready to embark on their mission to become the next big thing.
The man responsible for the contestants’ hair this year is 2010 Celebrity Hairdresser of the Year, Jamie Stevens. Already a television regular with GMTV and How to Look Good Naked, Jamie is bound to be getting even more exposure after some truly fantastic cuts, colours and styles on Saturday’s show.
So, with some professional assistance from Jodie Dexter of Headmasters by Jade Salon in Leicester, bookacut.com decided to take a closer look at a few of the contestants, and at the changes made to their styles between their first audition and the first live show.
Amelia Lily
Amelia’s hair certainly saw some changes over the weeks since she first hit our screens, as she went from blonde bombshell to pink princess. Amelia opted for quite a natural look in her first audition and again at boot camp, before we saw a straighter, more diva-like look at the judges’ houses, possibly with the introduction of some hair extensions.
Amelia’s biggest change, though, was saved for the first of the live shows. As she performed a cover of Michael Jackson’s classic hit ‘Billie Jean’, Amelia’s shorter, scrunched, and now pink hair was a hit with some and a flop with others.
Neither bookacut.com nor Jodie was particularly convinced by Amelia’s new colour, but there was no denying that she looked 100% the rock chick for her first, and sadly final, live performance.
Frankie Cocozza
Already a hit with the ladies, as proven by his tattooed backside, Frankie had clearly spent some time perfecting his style long before his first appearance on X Factor. His sideways-sweeping hairtyle definitely suits him, and he stuck with it through boot camp and judges’ houses, letting it grow and using the straighteners a little less in comparison to his first audition.
A slightly less-swept Frankie was seen in the first live show, his hair in a messier, more volumised style. For those who have the hair for it, some volumising spray on damp hair, a blow-dry and a bit of wax to finish should see you achieve something very similar at home.
Janet Devlin
As natural as her sweet Irish brogue, Janet’s long soft curls, full of texture and volume, were left virtually untouched the first few times she was seen in the competition. On Saturday, as she performed Coldplay’s ‘Fix You’, her hair had been shown some warm colour and definition with tongs and controlling spray.
A little less frizz but all the warmth you want from a modern day angel.
Marcus Collins
A hairdresser himself, Marcus has made sure his hair has looked the part from the first time we saw him. His neat, slightly ruffled styles served him well through all the audition stages, and his hair looked just as sleek on Saturday’s live show. Sporting a shorter style, and definitely a nod to the 1950s, he blew away the crowd with his performance of Maroon 5′s ‘Moves Like Jagger’.
Plenty of wax will have been used to achieve this final look, holding the hair and keeping it in perfect position.
Misha B
Misha’s hair has been fabulous since the first time we saw her, and if she styles her own hair at home then she certainly has some skills. Until the live shows we had just seen some variations of one style, a bun at the back with a kind of roll quiff at the front, which she changed to achieve different looks.
On Saturday night, wearing a dress constructed entirely from paper and sporting a magnificent avant-garde style, Misha B announced herself as a future superstar with a powerful rendition of Adele’s ‘Rolling In The Deep’. Her hair really was something to be admired, the height, the structure, and the large crown accessory almost pre-empting this girl’s inevitable rise to becoming a queen of the music industry.
Sophie Habibis
We’ve already got a bit of a thing for Sophie, although a lot of this might be just because her surname is such fun to say in a Peter Dickson style voice…”SOPHIE HABIBIS”. We didn’t however have much of a thing for her hair the first time we saw her, and that’s especially true when we now see the look achieved on Saturday night.
Sophie performed a Katy Perry number, “Teenage Dream”, and it seemed that some of her styling was also homage to Mrs Russell Brand. A heavy block fringe really complemented the shape of Sophie’s face, and some dark colour has helped her hair to look shinier and healthier. Finished with a blow-dry to create body and bounce, this was a gorgeous, and perhaps the most stunning transformation.
