'Shameless' hosts Michelle Andrews and Zara McDonald on why short hair is the move for summer
Plus, their fave products from cleanser to conditioner
By Delaney Loane
Digital Beauty Editor / January 27 2021
You probably know Michelle Andrews and Zara McDonald as the women who bring us Shameless, the self-proclaimed 'podcast for smart people who love dumb stuff' (hi, that's us). But if we're honest, Spotify isn't the only place we bookmark their content; they also happen to be saved several times among our 'short hair inspo' folders.
Because on top of being Aussie journalists-turned-podcasters-turned-empire-builders, they simultaneously moonlight as two of the major reasons behind us wanting to chop half our hair off. They just make bob life look so fun. And healthy. And shiny. Pretty fitting considering they've just been announced among the latest gang of Pantene ambassadors...
So, in a bid to learn all their strand-styling secrets, we caught up with the ladies to find out their best advice for keeping short hair glossy, chic and manageable (as well as a few other gems of beauty wisdom they dropped along the way)...
Set yourself up for success by finding a celeb reference
‘Short hair’ means different things to different people. So, to avoid leaving the salon with a layered lob when you wanted a razor-sharp chin-grazing chop (or vice versa), first find an inspo pic that does the explaining for you. Our advice? Screengrab the celebrity bob of your dreams, and have your hairdresser try to recreate the magic.
Fun fact: Andrews and McDonald turned to a homegrown favourite for their own inspiration. “Would it be too completely predictable to say Margot Robbie?” the girls said of their motivation. “We think her hair may be a little longer now, but for a while there she was sporting a pretty sick lob that we have both taken as inspo to the hairdresser.”
Short hair equals both simplicity and versatility
Even if you’ve come to terms with ditching your ‘security blanket’, you still might not think you're ready to say goodbye to the endless styling options that come with long hair. But don’t stress, there are more bob-friendly variations than you think – and you don’t need to heat-style every day to achieve them, either.
“Day-to-day, we’re [both] pretty low-fuss when it comes to styling our hair,” McDonald and Andrews confirmed. “Usually we will keep it sitting natural or throw half of it up in a bun (is this also the technical hair term!?). We think that’s why we have been sold on short hair for so long; even on the days you don’t style it, it’s much easier for it to look, well, ‘done’. Generally we feel the vibe right now is laid-back and effortless. More women are embracing their natural hair – curly, straight, and everything in between –and we just adore that, particularly in the summertime.”
However, we don’t know if any head of hair looks more majestic than a freshly waved bob, and the girls agree . “[If we’re getting a bit fancy], we’re both big fans of a curling wand, we can tell you that much. We love an undone, beachy wave (which is a polite way of saying we aren’t very good at styling, and are very grateful that a messier look is cool at the moment),” they laughed. “The best part is it genuinely doesn’t take us more than 15 minutes to pull a couple of twirls together aaaand voila, bed hair be gone!”
The low-maintenance vibe can carry through your entire routine
Maybe your fresh chop will make you want to rock every bright lippy under the sun, and hey, we're all for that. But for Andrews and McDonald, it’s only encouraged their effortlessly chic aesthetic further. There are, however, a few beauty essentials they rely on for the perfect amount of polish.
“Ooooooh OK so first thing’s first: SUNSCREEN! You’ve just gotta use it every single day. Protecting your skin is so very important," they shared. First of all, a million times yes. Secondly, here are our team’s top SPF picks – once you find your perfect fit, application won't seem like half the hassle.
As for their other hair, makeup and skin care must-haves, they're all about keeping their brows feathery, their lashes full, their hair glossy and their skin calm. We guess great minds think alike. “[We both love] a good cool-blonde-hued eyebrow pencil (Kevyn Aucoin do fab ones), a volumising mascara (Maybelline all the way), Pantene’s 3-Minute Miracle Conditioner to revive and strengthen our hair, and a creamy cleanser that’s suited to sensitive skin (CeraVe and La Roche Posay are both great!).”
Main image credit: @zamcdonald
Need more hair routine inspo? Here are the products Zendaya uses to care for her curls...