Brunette Ambition by Lea Michele Page B

away sleep deprivation, cowlicks, blemishes, damaged tresses, tired eyes, and even asymmetrical features—though if they focus on making you look “perfect,” they’ve likely gone too far. Feeling confident about your hair, your makeup, and your dress is key when you step out for any big event, whether it’s the prom, your wedding, or opening night of a movie—but it’s just as essential that you still look like you, rather than a totally different person. My hairstylist, Mark Townsend, and my makeup artist, Melanie Inglessis, always play up—rather than diminish—my most unique features.
    When we’re sitting in our hairstylist’s chair at the salon or visiting with a makeup artist at a beauty counter at the mall, we’re really at our most vulnerable: Here is someone who is assessing your face and hair from every angle, looking you up and down. Make sure that you pick people who celebrate all the wonderful things about your signature look rather than nitpick everything that should be fixed—and you also want to feel like they aren’t attempting to change you. If you have curly hair, you don’t need a haircut intended for someone who has stick-straight locks, for example. You want to leave your hairstylist’s chair feeling your best, like they’ve assessed your hair and your lifestyle and given you a cut and style that really work for you. And while we don’t all visit with makeup artists routinely, you should still find a pro at a beauty counter at your local department store whom you can turn to for help. You don’t need someone who is looking to sell you a million things you don’t need—you need someone who can teach you how to play up your eyes or lips with a few key products and tools. The drugstore is wonderful for everything else.
    When you’re looking for your pros, the key is to ask friends who have great style for their recommendations—and then, instead of booking a cut, go and see this potential stylist for something like a blowout first. That way you can get a sense of whether it feels like a good match, and you can feel out what they would do to your hair: If their suggestion feels like too much work (e.g., if you have five minutes to get ready in the morning and they want to give you a cut that requires a blow-dryer and curling iron) or they want to take your look in a direction that you don’t feel comfortable with (long to short, etc.), then you should keep looking.
    I found my people in much the same way: I met Melanie at my first Glee event, and we never stopped working together. I immediately fell in love with her because she put down her brushes and ran out to get me Spanx because I was in a bind—and she’s been taking care of me ever since. I feel so comfortable with her, she’s really like a second mother. Not only does she make me look beautiful for all of my big moments, but spending time with her puts me in the right mood to step out on the red carpet. I trust that Melanie knows my face and will always make me look amazing, playing up my ethnicity in the process. Sometimes she’ll even refuse to give me what I claim I want (More lip! More lash!) because she knows it won’t play right. I’ve never left her chair looking like anyone other than a great version of myself. Part of that is letting me be in my twenties, too, by keeping my makeup pretty minimal: If you wear too much, you can age yourself pretty fast.
    I met Mark shortly after I met Melanie. He’s known for being one of the best stylists in town and does big, gorgeous Hollywood hair for some of the industry’s most beautiful girls. He wanted to work with me and so he called my publicist, who told him, “That’s fine, but you have to understand that Lea’s very loyal and wants a team that’s essentially a family,” and he said, “You got it.” He’s never left my side. I feel so fortunate that he’s stuck with me, despite all the pulls on his time. You should feel like your people care enough that