| Portia De Rossi: Legally Blonde Beauty |
| Karen Marie Shelton |
| Date: 5/2/2002, 6/6/2002, 6/29/2005 |
Introduction
 Beautiful
blonde Portia shot to television fame as the no-nonsense long tressed
blonde legal eagle on Fox TV's Ally McBeal. (Portia
de Rossi as Nelle. CR:Aaron Rappopport/FOX 2002 FOX - All
rights reserved). Even though Ally
McBeal goes off the air at the end of May, many fans will never forget
Portia's gorgeous long blonde looks.
Although Portia has long locks that flow
down her back, she loves to mix it up with her onscreen styles.
To achieve a no-nonsense frosty legal presence Portia wears her lovely
locks in a variety of tight buns on top of her hair. She lets
her beautiful tresses flow free in a variety of wavy, curly and
twisted dreads styles for more romantic or fun scenes.
In her private life Portia loves to
surprise with everything from a head full of super tight ringlets to
soft ponytails and twists. Portia proves that long hair offers the
opportunity to try on a wide range of hair styles and looks.
Portia's
Acting Fate
 Unlike
many actresses, Portia de Rossi did not intentionally seek out an
acting career. Instead, she was pursued by it. Portia
de Rossi as Nelle. CR:Aaron Rappopport/FOX 2002 FOX - All
rights reserved
She was enrolled in law school and well on her way to becoming an
attorney in her native Australia when movie stardom beckoned. Local
film producer John Duigan asked her to audition for an independent
film he was making. The film turned out to be "Sirens,"
which co-starred Hugh Grant, Sam Neill and Elle MacPherson. de Rossi
got the part of Giddy, a 16-year-old caught between the notion of
being a wild and free "siren" or being a conventional and
sophisticated woman. The film became an international and critical
success.
 Her
other starring role was in the mega-hit "Scream 2" as
Murphy, a social-climbing sorority girl who, along with Rebecca
Gayheart, recruits Neve Campbell's character to join their elite
group. (Nelle “In Search of Barry White”
episode of Ally McBeal Monday, April 23 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX™
2001 FOX BROADCASTING CR:FOX))
Also for the big screen, de Rossi will soon be seen in several new
films, including "A Breed Apart" with Andrew McCarthy;
"The Invisibles," a two-person film with Michael Goorjian;
"American Intellectuals," an ensemble piece about a clique
of upper-class kids who experiment with smart drugs; and
"Girl," a coming-of-age story with Dominique Swain, Summer
Phoenix and Sean Patrick Flannery.
 Photo
to side: Nelle
(Portia de Rossi) tries to figure out a way to keep the peace between
a minister and his ex-girlfriend vs. current girlfriend on Ally McBeal,
(Photo courtesy FOX 2001 CR:Gale M. Adler/FOX - All rights reserved).
For television, de Rossi starred in FOX's "Too Something"
as Maria, a junior account executive at a financial corporation. Most
recently, she guest-starred on "Veronica's Closet" and was a
series regular on "Nick Freno." She lives in Los Angeles.
Steal Her Twists - Faux Dreads
 Portia
loves to wear her hair in a variety of ways. She looks
especially gorgeous with her long blond locks spiced up with soft faux
dreads and twists and either pulled back off her face or softly
flowing around her gorgeous skin and eyes. (Photo of Portia de
Rossi as Nelle on Ally McBeal on Fox™ 2000
FOX BROADCASTING CR:FOX - All rights reserved).
To recreate Portia's twisted look complete the
following steps:
1. Shampoo with a product designed for your hair type. If you
need extra volume, shampoo with Phytotherathrie's
Volume or the new Volume
Mousse Shampoo. Follow with a rinse out conditioner if
appropriate. Finish the cycle with a cool/cold water rinse to
add extra shine.
If you have colored or highlighted hair consider using color enhancing
shampoo and conditioner to keep your hues looking spectacular.
2. Towel blot hair to remove moisture. Apply a good detangler
and remove all tangles working from the bottom to the top of the head.
If you wish to create Portia's side part, use a comb with a pointy end
and create a part from the front to the back of your head.
3 For extra fullness apply a volume enhancing product like Phytotherathrie
Actif at the roots. If extra volume is not required, apply a
good
leave-in conditioner or heat
protectant spray to protect strands from blow-dryer
heat. If you prefer, apply a gel or styling mousse to add overall
control and body.
For hair with slight natural curl or wave apply a straightening
balm or defrisant
balm to help straighten as you blow dry.
4. Separate your hair into sections and blow
dry using a boar's head
paddle brush. Told the hair taut with the brush and direct
the air flow of the dryer from the roots to the ends to add natural
shine. (Photo of Portia de Rossi as Nelle
Porter. CR:George Lange/FOX 2002 FOX)
 5.
Once the hair is 100% dry separate hair into one or 2-inch sections of
hair. Remember that the smaller the section, the smaller the
twist. Apply a gel,
paste
or wax
to the palms of your hands and then mix well with the heat of your
palms. Glide your fingers from the roots to the ends of each
section.
6. Twist each section of hair clockwise from the roots to the
ends. Clip the new twist at the end. Wrap a piece of
aluminum foil around the twist lengthwise.
Experiment with twisting your hair both clockwise and
counterclockwise for a different look.
7. Roll the foil up to the root until you have
only a small knot like piece of aluminum foil at the roots.
 8.
Use a blow-dryer on a high setting and direct the air flow towards the
knotted twist at the top of your head. Blow dry for
approximately 3-5 minutes or until the foil feels hot. Let the
foil completely cool while you work on the next twist. Complete
Steps 5-8 until you have twisted, wrapped, dried and cooled your
entire head.
(Photo of Portia on Ally McBeal: on FOX - All Rights Reserved).
You have the option to just twist a few select strands or to twist
the entire head. Portia appears to prefer only twisting a few
select strands around her hairline. Other stars like Heather
Graham seem to prefer having their entire head of hair twisted.
9. To finish the look unwrap all the foil and use your fingers to
carefully smooth the new twists into place. For a looser look
use a small barrel curling iron to form ringlets mixed in with the
twists. Spritz your entire head lightly with a good shine spray like Mine
Barbee Blast. If you prefer, use your fingers to smooth your
hair into place then add a few drops of Phytotherathrie
Serum to the palms of your hands and smooth over the top of your
hair from roots to ends.
 Wear
hair parted from the side like Portia or jazz up the look with a messy
part. (Photo of Portia de Rossi, Ally
McBeal episode "Happy Trials" on FOX.
2002 FOX
Cr: Carin Baer/FOX - all rights reserved).
Instantly dress up the look with hair snaps or magnets, beads or a
light amount of sparkly gel. A spectacular and edgy look.
If you get tired of wearing your hair down in twists you can also
do what Portia does for court appearances and neatly wrap her twists
and waves into a beautiful twisted chignon that rests at the back of
her crown. |