Hji hearts . . . carey's pixie crop

Up-and-coming actress Carey Mulligan has started tongues wagging with her Golden Globe nominated performance in her recent movie An Education.

And it isn't just her acting that's got her noticed, her neat crop has made her a style star on the red carpet.

With her long locks, Carey was just another pretty actress with a pedigree in British dramas such as Pride and Prejudice to her name. But her sassy new crop has enabled Carey to up her game, starring in bigger productions while getting her style noticed.

Reminiscent of classic styles such as Mia Farrow's Vidal Sassoon crop in Rosemary's Baby and Jean Seberg's do in The Jean-Luc Godard classic À Bout de Souffle, Carey might even make her own mark on the movie map in years to come thanks to her modern take on the look.

The length is a little longer than the original pixie crop, softening her features and giving her a little more hair to play with and re-style. Carey has even worn the cut quiffed up with lots of volume for an on-trend, 80s feel.

Neil Smith from Barrie Stephen Hair, Anstey, Leicester "Carey is looking brilliant. Her new crop is such a young and playful style which complements her look perfectly.

"The colour is lovely too, the addition of copper lowlights against her chocolate tones make the hair appear thicker and adds texture and interest to her cute choppy crop."

Expect to see more of Carey over the coming year with upcoming films including a remake of Brighton Rock.

Her cute crop is a little softer than the Victoria Beckham version and now that Posh is growing her locks, it's time for another short pixie style to shine.

Says Neil: "Bang on trend for this season, Carey is definitely a style icon to watch in 2010."

See more pixie crops on the image gallery

See more celebrity hair HJi loves.