You can sense the urge for a change and the New Year resolutions: the gym sign-up, the quitting smoking and… the trip to the hairdresser. There's nothing like a session in the chair with a trusted stylist to set you up for a fresh start, make you feel polished and stylish, and frankly lift your mood better than a box of chocolates. And since a new look often leaves you unsure which cut to choose—and you may even be torn between styles at opposite ends of the spectrum—here are a few short-hair ideas that won us over.

The short cut that defines the look is Sienna Miller's: a closely cropped nape with longer pieces brought forward over the forehead and around the face. Dishevelled, tapered and lively.

In the same vein, we love this very tapered, sleek style, best suited to fine hair — otherwise, watch the volume. The layers give the cut depth and variation.

Short, tapered and sleek layered cut that gives fine hair extra depth
Tapered and sleek, the cut that wakes up fine hair

Camille Albane, the French salon name, goes boyish with a look that puts red hair front and centre. Expect plenty of volume, a deliberately messy finish and a long, full fringe.

Boyish red-haired cut with messy volume and a long, full fringe
The boyish style, all volume and a full fringe

The rock-chick bob gets a messy edge: no parting, a side-swept piece and layers to keep the volume. Camille Albane is behind this one too.

Messy rock-chick bob with a side-swept section and layers for volume
The rock-chick bob, with a side sweep and volume to spare

The short bowl cut, with a short nape and a long tapered fringe, is back. This version is by Franck Provost and comes in platinum blonde.

Platinum blonde bowl cut with a short nape and long tapered fringe
The platinum blonde bowl, with a neat nape and a long tapered fringe

Back to the short bob with Katie Holmes's pretty, polished take: a rounded bob and a thick fringe swept to one side.

Neat rounded bob with a thick side-swept fringe
The rounded bob in its neat version, with a thick side fringe

Charlize Theron, meanwhile, wears a textured bob for that retro look everyone's after.

Short textured bob with wavy texture and retro attitude
The textured bob, a retro texture with plenty of body

A short cut that isn't actually that short: deliberately undone, with movement, waves and a lovely airy finish. Dessange created this one.

Messy, airy short cut with soft waves and movement
Airy and wavy, the short cut that moves with every gesture

A short layered bob that's slightly longer at the front, with forward movement and romantic volume. Franck Provost is behind this version.

Short layered bob, slightly longer at the front, with romantic volume
The angled layered bob, with volume and forward movement

A pretty short cut on Sharon Stone, who goes for a very short bob, layered at the back and immaculately styled.

Very short blonde bob with a sharp layered back and immaculate styling
The very short bob, with a perfectly neat layered back

Camille Albane opts for a playful short cut with a thick fringe, curls and waves. Volume, movement and a warm colour: refreshing.

Mischievous short cut with a thick fringe, curls, waves and warm colour
Mischievous and curly, the short cut that freshens up the complexion
Graphic short cut, long fringe brushed forward, mirror shine
Sharp graphic line and mirror shine for a very clean cut

And no short-hair line-up would be complete without a nod to Rihanna, with that famous layered cut, long pieces around the face and a very short nape.

Layered pixie with a very short nape and long pieces around the face
A very short nape, clippered into a fade, and loose pieces

The one move that makes all the difference: before you sit in the chair, show a photo of the cut — and, above all, a photo of the back. With short hair, everything hinges on the nape and the layers, and that's often what we forget to look at. Then ask your hairdresser how long the cut will hold before the first tidy-up; that's the real question, whether you're going for a very short crop or a bob.

Back view of a platinum blonde bowl cut with a short nape and a long tapered fringe
Short nape, long fringe, bright platinum blonde

What it costs

In a UK salon, expect to pay broadly £40–£70 for a short cut without styling, and more like £60–£110 with styling. Prices climb quickly depending on the city — London and the big cities push towards the top end — the stylist's reputation and how technical the layering is. Colour, highlights or platinum blonde will add to the bill; budget easily another £80–£180, before you factor in root touch-ups, which need doing regularly to keep the colour fresh. Between appointments, a simple nape tidy-up often costs around £15–£30: a useful option if you want to keep the shape without going back for a full cut.