Bangs

I need some major bang help. If you read my blog two posts ago, you learned of my much anticipated haircut. I'm still loving the cut, no worries! But I've got to figure out these bangs. If you have bangs and you know how to rock them, you're the expert I need to talk to!

This is the photo I used as inspiration for my new cut:

And this is what my new hair looks like:

Now, I obviously have a little of my hair pulled back in this picture, but you get the drift. I was a little nervous to cut as much bang as Kerrington (SYTYCD) did in picture #1. I've never made a commitment to my bangs in that manner. But on the other hand, I'm afraid I didn't cut enough. How do you find a happy medium between mega-bangs and "are those bangs or an accident?"

Am I not styling them right? I've tried a flatiron, blowing them dry with a round brush, etc., but I still end up pulling them back. I want to learn to wear my new bangs confidently. Suggestions? Help??