Step Into Spring

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Metallic makeup, bold graphics, python print sneakers—fashion this spring is rough, yet refined, and a blooming madness of color from head to toe.

Let’s travel from the bottom up and begin with my favorite subject—shoes! Confidently walk with spring in your step because walking never felt so good.  A trend from the ‘80s, low-heeled pumps are anything but boring.  Find your stride with no fear of blisters as you strut your stuff in pointy-toed stripes, and sunlit orange heels.  Or step into new neutrals of tan and beige found in everything from gladiator sandals to peep-toe mules. Go nude with confidence!  It’s the perfect color to accessorize sophisticated crop tops, and high-waisted skirts in vivid blues, or classic black and whites.    And if that isn’t comfy enough, treat your feet to the sporty, yet elegant, thick-strapped sandals worn with everything this season.  These playful platforms are kicking up tennis-inspired pleated skirts, and silk board shorts—the new pencil skirt!—even on a date night.

Another daring trend is the art-inspired prints that have made their way from museum walls to t-shirts and the easy wear dress. This is the season to make a statement!  Whether you’re into a frenzy of florals, or tribal-touched graphics—express yourself loud and clear this spring.  Jewelry designers also joined in on the fun with bold gold cuffs, rose gold watches, and geometric ensembles in bangles and chokers.  Be assured, subtle is not the intention on the fashion runway.  New nail polish colors: Petal to the Metal, Spin the Bottle, and Conquer the World, command feisty, fierce, and fearless!

Now, let's move up to two more of my favorite subjects: hair and makeup.  The effortless braid is still on the beauty forefront.  Looking towards spring and summer, this undone look pairs perfectly with the blossoms of tropical flowers on mid-length skirts, or floor-length tribal dresses.  This season, hair trends are sleek and straight, or romantic and wavy; however, ombré is pushed aside to make way for blondes with obvious regrowth. Bold two-toned color dominated the catwalks with rooty contrast; and if you’re really daring, sport your red hair with black-tipped ends, or your platinum blonde with a punch of pink or violet.  For those of us still loving our ponies—not to fear!—ponytails are hotter than ever.  Casual looks call for textured ponytails, and evening elegance is flattered with the slick and sleek pony.  (The key factor here is using hair product:  texture spray and mousse, or smoothing lotion and shaper—the right product will make or break the look!)

The final touch is to flatter these styles of the season with a fresh face.  The popular BB and CC creams are the perfect foundation for a season of dewy fresh no-makeup makeup statements.  Natural looking glows are accented with orange and fuchsia pink lips; shimmering limoncello gold eye shadows have you fantasizing about the shorelines of Sicily; vibrant pastels on lids with a hint of pink-plum or antique rose on cheeks embrace budding springtime color; and the iconic cat eye is still as classic as an Audrey Hepburn movie.  Whether you’re sitting by a fountain in Rome, or getting ready for a night at the Oscars, the cat eye is a beauty staple that will never cease to be popular.

Hence, let the winter be gone, and the colorful cheer of springtime put a bounce in your step.  It’s time to get the season started!

Beauty is...

~Sunday, November 17, 2013

Operating in the beauty industry for 28 years, I am no stranger to the fact that beauty is usually perceived as a characteristic of a person’s appearance.  However, with the season of gift giving upon us, I want to share the flipside of my profession: The priceless gift of beauty that lies beneath the surface, in the eyes of a hairstylist.

Beauty is greeting a client with a smile as they walk through the door, both of us mutually happy to see each other.

Beauty is hearing the words, “I am so glad to be here—do your magic!” and, “This is my favorite part!” many times a day.

Beauty is being there to listen when someone needs it the most (thankfully, this works both ways!)—sharing the tragedies, as well as the triumphs that life brings upon us; and exchanging the “great news” about the kids, grandkids, parents, nieces, and nephews, expressing genuine joy for their achievements with each other.

Beauty is updating each other on recent events: learning of ideal vacation destinations to add to our lists; reviewing the new hot spots in town (to shop and eat!) along with which new movies are a must see; sharing the bliss of a new kitchen remodel with—finally!—enough storage space, which always includes exchanging tried and true recipes from our family kitchens.

Beauty is knowing I have a vast clientele where I can find the answer to a question—on every subject known to man—when I need a helping hand.

Beauty is the thrill of reinventing a “new look” for someone, and looking at a satisfied customer’s reflection in the mirror, who then voices, “I love it!!!” completing my day with personal pride in a job well done.

Beauty is the value of making someone feel beautiful before they walk out the door, smiling from the inside-out, beaming with confidence—and ready to “saddle up” with reins in hand!—and bravely charge ahead into the wild wild west!! (Okay… my nephew was recently cast as the lead role in a western melodrama, so I couldn’t resist that last bit.)

Many thanks to my clients for the endless moments of beauty at its finest, as seen from “behind the chair.”

Hail to the Queen

~Sunday, August 18, 2013

When it comes to fall fashion this season, it’s all about girl power.  With a modernistic mindset approach to clothing, hair, and makeup, styles are edgy, yet strong and confident—all at the same time.

The grunge look is first in line: Rock ‘n’ roll leather and pleather leggings and skirts are paired with army boots; key fabrics of camouflage and cheetah prints are found on easy pullovers and sweaters; and thigh-high boots and chunky platforms are designed for the no-fuss woman wearing spontaneous textured bobs and shoelace knots in her hair, as if doing her hair was an afterthought.  These women are hardcore, very cool and chic, but a bit masculine at the same time.

There also seems to be an infatuation with all things royal this fall: English tweeds and turtlenecks; fabrics in rich jewel tones of emerald green and purple are covered in opulent gold embroidery.  Yet, makeup and nails still follow the “unfussy” trend in understated neutrals and nudes.  Even my mom pulled a quick one on us the other night, showing off her green jeweled talisman—she periodically rubbed between her palms for good luck— as we played a few rounds of cards after dinner.  And, of course, she royally kicked our rumps!  (Did I mention the Bank of England just designated female novelist Jane Austen as the new face of the 10-pound note to replace Charles Darwin?—sorry, Charlie—fierce femmes are making headlines worldwide!)

Another bold modern twist this fall is lingerie is making its way out of the bedroom.  Not everyone can rock this style like Madonna; however, it can be pulled-off in moderation.  Silk pajama pants can be paired with playful-print pullover sweaters (I spoke of earlier).  A black lace cami top can peek out from underneath a dress or a jacket—it’s all in the attitude.  When “confident” and “sexy” is calling your name, just go for it (without breaking the law!).  And if you’re really feeling sultry, another ultra-feminine makeup trend this season is the iconic 60’s cat eye look.  Always original, Gucci takes it up a notch by using burnt cranberry and rustic bordeaux eyeliner for a reinvented cat eye.

Without question, the empowerment of beauty prevails this season.  So as you take on one of the fall trends of 2013, I leave you with this approach:  Damsels in distress, we are not.

Frizz and Fright!

~Sunday, January 13, 2013

Has your hair turned into a paranormal experience this winter?: Standing on end for no apparent reason with a possessed behavior of its own!?  Fear not, for there are remedies to help calm your dry, electric charged strands. 

Let’s first look at the reason why this is happening:

Turn up the heat!—yeah, you know it!—baby, it’s cold outside!!!  Cuddling on the couch with your innamorato to Dean Martin on a cold winter night is the upside to the chill of the season—the downside is what it does to your hair!: battered, dry, static-frizzed locks.  Our blow dryers are set on hot and high; showers are scalding and lengthy; we’re wrapped to the extreme in wool scarves and hats.  Combine this heat and friction with dry weather and moisture starved hair and—poof!: static electricity.

The first thing you can do to rescue your hair is ask yourself when was the last time you invested in a new blow dryer or curling iron.  I know what you’re thinking: “Bah!  That doesn’t make a difference.”  Well, you may want to step out of your scrooge shrug for just a minute.  Believe it or not, there are new styling tools in the hair industry made with materials such as tourmaline, as well as ionic properties, that moisturize your hair, not dry it out.  These blow dryers actually break down water into small molecules that penetrate into the hair instead of simply attacking your hair with hot air.  Another helpful switch to neutralize dryness is using a moisture-based shampoo and conditioner during the winter months.  I reach for my hydrating line of products on all of my clients when I shampoo their hair this time of year.  (I know their central heat is upped to high at home!)  My last suggestion in sealing every last drop of moisture into hair is to use leave-in conditioning balms and serums as the final step when styling hair.  If your hair is fine, only use these leave-in conditioners from the mid-shaft through the ends, (or you’ll be cursing me for making your hair flat and greasy!).

These suggestions should help make your winter “do” a lot less frightful.  So relax, turn up Dino and Frank, and cuddle on the couch with buttery smooth locks full of luster: That’s amore!!

Shimmer and Shine

~Sunday, November 25, 2012

It's time to stir some creativity into the spirit of the holidays.

One of the things I love  most about my career as a hair stylist is it is a constant world of change.  If you told me 26 years ago highlights would be purposely placed four inches away from the scalp, and hair straighteners would make hair look shinier and healthier, I would have said, “No way!”  In the days of old, the first choice for holiday nail color was red—and now?—you can choose emerald green and it’s perfectly acceptable.  Perhaps you’re tired of the classic pink and white French manicure—fast forward to 2012 and every fashion magazine is sporting dark burgundy nails with gold-dipped tips: Color at its finest!  I love it!!! 

I say don’t stop there!—decorating the house is my favorite part of the holiday season.  There are so many wonderful hues of red and green to choose from: You can pair burgundy with olive, plum with kelly green, raspberry with chartreuse—the possibilities are endless.  You can apply these color ideas when choosing wrapping paper and ribbon for gifts as well.  (We’re really talking fun now!)  And let us not forget the beauty of a white-winter wonderland.  The simplicity of winter-white paired with glistening gold is striking against a rustic dining room setting.  Picture a gold table runner, with a large glass cylinder filled with pine cones as the centerpiece, and the soft glow of lit white candles making the gold runner dance around the pine cones, (and don’t forget the music and glass of wine in your hand).

I’m feeling relaxed and festive just thinking about it—how about you?

Glamour versus "Gusty"

~Sunday, October 7, 2012

At a glance, hair trends this fall dictate both red carpet styles, as well as wind-swept tresses—any which way you want them to dance around your ponytail, retro-bun or braid. 

Let’s start with red carpet:

If your inner “Hollywood” glamour is reaching out to you, one of the biggest trends is a low, side part—with shine and sleekness to the extreme!  Whether your hair is tied back, or loose and wavy, products are a must for these styles.  If cinching hair back use lots of gel in wet hair and make a side part; comb hair down from the low part and comb hair back at sides, then secure into your ponytail, knot, or twist.  Now, grab your hairspray and spray away to lock it in!

Going for ultimate glamour?  Plug in your large-barrel curling iron and ready yourself for a little more prep work.  Apply a generous amount of medium-hold gel to damp hair, (preferably a product with lots of heat protectant), and blow dry hair.  Separate hair into four quadrants (from crown of head), and starting in the back, working from the bottom up, take sections only slightly larger than the barrel of your iron and curl each section under and horizontal to your partings.  Use the same method for your front sections as you curl up to the low, side part;  apply a shine product and continue brushing through hair until a wavy, elegant finish is achieved. I personally love this look very smooth at the crown and tucked behind the ears for a version that is a playful and fun—day or night. Lastly, hold the look with hairspray.

Next, let’s get gusty:

These styles are straight forward with no fuss required.  The only thing needed is a haircut with a few soft layers to frame your face.  Picture what your hair looks like after a long frantic day: unruly strands without any designated place to go are usually falling out of your ponytail, or have escaped their way out of hair clips.  Or better yet, picture yourself in a sporty convertible with your hair down (or it could be in a high ponytail—but I’m picturing windy, wild, and enjoying life with your hair down!)  Whether you are the ‘long frantic day’ person or the ‘enjoying life’ nonconformist, look in the mirror as the afternoon approaches, and— voilá!— you have the look!

But, of course, I’m here to help you achieve this look first thing in the morning.  As you cinch your hair back into a ponytail, let a few strands fall down from your hairline (usually not below eyebrow level).  These strands shouldn’t look like big clumps; rather, they should look disheveled and a bit frizzy.  Even if you left a little too much hair out, you can always use a hair pin to hold some back. (It’s actually a big fashion statement for hair pins to show these days!)  Once again, my favorite product now comes into play: hairspray.  The only way to maintain the frizzy, blown look is with  firm-hold hairspray. In fact, I usually don’t use bobby pins, but lightly tease strands back towards my ponytail and then blast them into place with my spray.  (If you want to get really wild with this, hit the fringe off to one side with your blow dryer on its low setting, and use your hairspray simultaneously.  I used to do this to keep my bangs standing on end in my “glam rock” stage in the 80’s!) 

The best part about glamour versus gusty is the versatility of use for both daytime or evening- especially if you make a small investment in an assortment of hair pins and clips.  Just pick what mood you’re in and go with it!

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Color Your World

~Sunday, September 23, 2012

I love color!—in any texture, shape, or form.  Even though I specialize in coloring hair during the week at the salon, I see and think 'color' every minute of every day and in all aspects of life.  I can’t teach you how to color hair, but I can teach you how to color your world as I do.

Have you ever wondered why red and green pair so perfectly at Christmas time, or been mesmerized by the beauty of a perfect sunset over the ocean (while sipping a glass of wine in your lounge chair at the beach on vacation and everything is pretty perfect at that moment anyway)?  The simple fact is: opposites attract; and this is also true with color.  If you look at a color wheel, red is opposite green, blue is opposite orange, and yellow is opposite violet.  This is all you will ever need to know to apply the laws of color in everyday life and make your surroundings a pleasurable experience.  At home, I painted my living room walls apple green, and sit here writing this blog on my red leather couch.  (By the way, black and white are the darkest and lightest hues of all primary colors combined, which is why they go with everything!)  I could go on forever on this subject, but I’ll let you absorb what you’ve learned for now.

When I revisit this subject, I’ll share more fun examples, and perhaps you will have already started experimenting with it yourself—so have fun and start coloring!

Icing on the Cake

~Saturday, August, 11, 2012

If your hair stylist hasn’t given you guidance on which styling products to use on your hair, you are most likely completely lost and complexed, as you stand in front of shelves, and shelves—from floor to ceiling—of tubes, pumps, bottles, sprays, and canisters, in every shape imaginable to man and alien.  I think I can narrow things down for you.  It can also vary by haircut, but normally your hair-type is what matters the most in making the right selection.  These are my simple, fool-proof choices to achieve success: Curly hair behaves its best with cream-based gels and smoothing serums, and fine hair will achieve its fullest potential with mousse and liquid gels.  All the other products you see on the shelves are icing on the cake, which can be a bit tricky to choose on your own without guidance from your stylist; however, can really make the difference in your hair looking good or looking great.  These products impart the finishing touch, of shine and separation, to really “show-off” your personalized haircut.  Last but not least, I cannot live without hairspray!  Hairspray is formulated as either light-hold, or hard-hold; and as a flexible spray, or a finishing spray.  Whether you are looking for fullness, or control, hairspray will get the job done—any day of the week, month, or year in my book!

Before You Reach for that Blow Dryer

~Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Protect during your run too!

Even after twenty-five years, my clients still break the steadfast rules I’ve taught them!  And I always know when they have been cheating by the condition of their hair: dry, dull, and lifeless.  Now, I impart the same set of rules to whoever else will listen to me. So, before you reach for that blow dryer, have you applied any heat-styling protectant to your hair?  If the answer is no, DO NOT PROCEED!  You can damage your hair to the point of no return by not protecting it from the heat of the blow dryer.  The same rule applies to flat irons. (Not to mention, your hair will straighten and remain straight a hundred times better when using the right product.)  Even if the feel of styling products in your hair is not to your liking, there are many leave-in products that are weightless, and still have built-in heat and UV protection.  I don’t use or sell to my clients products that don’t have built-in protectants, and most likely, the products you already use do as well; however, if in doubt, ask your stylist!

Squeeze Gently

~Tuesday, August 07, 2012

Your hair should now be conditioned and happy, so let’s go over combing out and styling wet hair.  Let me first ask, “Are you one of those clients that towel dry your hair with enough friction you could spark a fire?”  I’ve cringed many years watching this frantic towel-drying method take place.  Can you imagine what your beautiful angora sweater would look like if you dried it that way?  Trust me, your hair doesn’t like it either. The first change you can make is simply keeping your hair wrapped in a towel for a few minutes.  There are great microfiber towels especially great for longer lengths of hair.  Otherwise, gently use your towel and squeeze the water out of your hair. 

If your hair still has tangles at this point, a little spray of detangling leave-in conditioner can make a huge difference; then, using a large-toothed comb, or a paddle brush, comb out your hair gently.  Many brushes can cause tension and breakage when your hair is still wet and fragile— resist the temptation to grab anything in sight!  A large-toothed comb and paddle brush are the only tools I have ever used and will continue to use on my clients to detangle; and I made sure they were using the same thing at home by giving them my favorite detangling comb as Christmas gifts last year (with much joy!).

Plump-it-Up

~Saturday, August 04, 2012

After spending twenty-five years in the art of hair beauty, I thought it would be fun to put into writing my hair “dos” and “don’ts” that have stood the test of time.  I have seen many products come and go.  There have been bottles, sprays, tubes, and pumps; however, the key elements to successful hair remain the same no matter what shape or form they come in.  So, I hope you enjoy this knowledge I share with you, as much as I have enjoyed learning it in a profession I have an infinite passion for.

I must start with the biggest misunderstood product and misconception in the industry; a phrase I have heard so many times, my ears and mouth are on “auto-pilot” when it is received and responded to: CONDITIONER WEIGHS MY HAIR DOWN— absolutely untrue!  It can actually give your hair more body if using the correct one.  Mainly people with fine hair think conditioner is their enemy.  Believe it or not, if you use a conditioner concentrated in protein, it will plump-up your hair and give it extra body.  Whether it be keratin, wheat, or soy protein— give it a try.  You might be pleasantly surprised.  The best thing to remember is:  When your hair is healthy, it is happy, and will respond to everything else you do to it very kindly.

Now let’s cover coarse hair.  Those of us with curly, coarse hair do not want “plumping” anywhere remotely close to our planet system—let alone our hair!  Thus, to my fellow curly-haired clients and friends, moisture is your friend.  It can be found in many forms: avocado, olive and argan oil extracts, or calming ingredients of geranium and shea butter.  Whatever the form, curly hair will always need more moisture-based conditioning than fine hair, whether it is chemically treated or not.  

Chemically treated hair, brings us into deep conditioners.  The rule of thumb is once a week it should replace your daily conditioner.  The same rules of protein versus moisture apply based on your individual hair type. There are a couple of exceptions:  Curly hair with highlights, and curly hair that has been chemically straightened.  The strength of your hair has now been altered and you need to compensate for this by using a deep protein conditioner once a week; and on a daily basis you should use a conditioner with an equal amount of protein and moisture.  There are a multitude of companies with product lines specifically formulated to straighten and smooth hair—these will most likely fall into this category.