At 43, I still find myself squaring off with the girl inside me when it comes to cutting the ends of my hair. I procrastinate, even when I know I really need it. I promise my hairdresser that, at the next appointment, for sure, I’ll let them take the scissors to my lengths. When the moment comes, I’m making them promise to make the chop minuscule, just enough to clean up my mane.
By then, I’ve left it too late. My hair is grown out and broken, in need of more than a few centimeters off to keep it looking healthy. My comfort in Rapunzel-like hair, at risk. The more anxious I’ve gotten in the run-up, the more I’ve put it off, the more inches need snipped.
The last time I went to have my hair colored, my hairdresser suggested I get some long bangs, to my cheekbones, with the promise that my hair would look longer and healthier. “This type of fringe visually lengthens the hair,” he told me as he took the scissors to my front pieces. And he wasn’t wrong.
We’re calling them the ‘trompe l’oeil’ bangs—the French phrase meaning that which ‘deceives the eye.’ Quique Sanchez, hairstylist at the Madrid-based salon Espacio Q, confirms this bangs-related revelation. “It is true that this type of fringe creates the ‘trompe l’oeil’ effect of longer hair, because it visually lengthens the face and thus the contour of the hair,” Sanchez says. “They integrate perfectly with the rest of the cut because they create continuity and length from a cascading effect, giving the impression of longer hair.”
Hairstylist and makeup artist Gabriel Llano adds that the key success with ‘trompe l’oeil’ bangs is that they’re integrated seamlessly into the rest of your hairstyle, creating a “frame that directs the eye downwards, especially if they are styled with a natural fall or slightly curled.”
Why get ‘trompe l’oeil’ bangs?
Long and short bangs have been top of the hair style trends and a regular request from those in the hair salon chair for quite some time now: Side fringes of the early ’00s, baby bangs a la Emma Stone, and pumped up hair with big bangs to match by way of Keke Palmer. Curtain bangs have been the dominant, longer style—think Priyanka Chopra and Emily Ratajkowski’s bouncy sets, which frame the face and hit at the cheekbones, or Dakota Johnson’s ever-coveted, cool shape.
This fall will see longer bangs grow up. The trompe l’oeil bangs are flattering, easy to wear, and don’t require a lot of maintenance thought. Although in general they are quite a universal cut, Llano says there are some face types and hair textures that should take heed. “On very curly hair or rounder faces, you have to customize the cut and loosen up the density of the bangs to keep it flattering,” Llano says.
Need some inspo pics to bring to your stylist? Look to Anne Hathaway and Jenna Ortega. Hathaway’s blend seamlessly into her long, face-framing layers, graduating softly into her chest-length hair. Ortega’s more coiffed and curled bangs are cut to fall in line with your hair style, and styled to create dynamic, undulating waves. Considered next to the curtain bangs, it’s a look that’s much more relaxed and light.
How to make your hair look longer
Trying to grow your hair fast can feel torturous, with no one walking the same path to longer lengths. You’ve got hair oils, food supplements, hair massages (yep), and just the simple task of keeping up a consistent and strong hair washing routine.
Whether any of this truly accelerates hair growth is arguable—what these tips can do is keep your hair strong and full, leading to the illusion of length and avoiding breakage that would require a chop. Less traumatic moments in the chair, for me, then.
While the trompe l’oeil bangs are a good illusionary measure for looking like you have those princessy lengths, Sanchez has some other suggestions: “A cut focused on a few long, controlled layers for example. Or, applying hair coloring strategically can also create the effect of longer and healthier.” Multi-dimensional colors, with expertly placed lighter and darker tones, will add to that full and lengthy look. Go forth, Rapunzel!
