On the fence about making the cut? Let this season’s bob make up your mind for you! Just take a look at how this versatile cut—plus shimmering new color—gives our makeover model three sexy spring looks!

Photography by Guy Aroch

The Cut

Regis National Artistic Director Kat Carey razor-cut an angled bob that hit just below our model Jem’s jaw. She thinned the ends and added layers with scissors for “a classic shape with a soft, modern twist. I love the way it shows off the curve at the base of her neck,” Carey says.

The Color

Jem’s color was uneven: pale at the ends, darker at the roots. Carey balanced it with wheat-toned highlights and lowlights. “I focused brighter hues near Jem’s face to soften her features and added more lowlights near the crown, which gave her hair shine and dimension,” Carey says.

Wavy Bob

This soft, relaxed look—we’ve nicknamed it the “wa-bob”—has been seen on Keira Knightley, Scarlett Johansson and our cover girl, Kirsten Dunst. “It is a little bohemian and beachy,” says Carey. “You can either make it more polished like Keira does or wear it rough and loose like Scarlett.” Carey melted a pea-size dab of Regis DESIGNLINE Sculpting Mud between her palms to make the product less sticky. Then she used her fingers to smooth it over one-inch sections of dry hair and created curls using a flat iron. The trick to this technique: “Pull the flat iron over each strand as if you’re curling a gift ribbon,” she says. (See a demonstration at thehairbookonline.com.)

Classic Bob

Carey calls this sophisticated, voluminous look “glamorous and elegant.” To create it, she prepped Jem’s damp strands with It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product to control frizz. Then, for lift, she sprayed Regis DESIGNLINE Get Pumped Thickening Spray at the roots and crown. She blew the hair dry using a round, natural-bristle brush to create a smooth finish. To add more height at the crown, Carey pulled the brush up rather than tugging down. Finally, Carey smoothed Regis DESIGNLINE Silk Drops over the outer layers to prevent static and add luster.

Straight Bob

This sleek, edgy “strob” shows off the cut’s choppiness. “It’s a little more fashion-forward,” says Carey. After prepping Jem’s hair with Paul Mitchell Hot Off the Press Thermal Protection Spray, Carey flattened one-inch sections using a flat iron. “Move the iron slowly and evenly down each piece, going all the way down to make sure the ends are very straight,” she says. And make as few passes as possible: “It protects hair from the heat.”

BEFORE PHOTO: DAMON LARSEN; WARDROBE STYLIST: SARAH SHIRLEY; MAKEUP ARTIST: CHARLOTTE DAY/SEE MANAGEMENT; MANICURIST: NAUSIL ZAHEER/MARK EDWARD INC.