Side Swept Fringe-Bangs

Add a touch of flirtiness to an eye-grazing side swept fringe (bang) that gently sweeps to one side in a peek-a-boo style. A side swept fringe can compliment almost any haircut-style or length and calls for a great deal of attention to the eyes, and for some who are crazy for fringes and want to move away from the trendy heavy bang this is a great way of growing them out. And whether its cut from short to long, thinned out or simply pushed to the side with styling products a swept fringe is a sexy alternative for a new style or a helpful growing out period and always in fashion.

Friday Fashion Spotlight: The Black Eyeliner, Cat Eye

The cat eyeliner is a vintage make-up trend which seems to be making a statement this summer, black eyeliner with a slight upright curve at the corner of the outer eye and pale lips is a wonderful option for this seasons makeup picks, focusing and enhancing the eyes. There are a variety of eyeliners you can use to achieve this look like eyeliner pencils, liquid eyeliner, gel eyeliner, kohl and eye shadows. This alluring feline cat eye is a retro style which takes us back to the 1950’s made popular by silver screen goddesses like Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Loren, which was called the “sexy eye”. It is a technique that has never left, and the cat eye seems to come around every few years making the makeup trends lists so this summer go for a subtly sexy or a striking dramatic eye luring in the attention to the mirror of the soul.

Hair & Hair Color Challenge #13

HCC Email/Question

Hi HCC
My challenge is; I have a client who is about I’d say 80% gray and 100% gray in the front hairline, I have been coloring her hair for the last 6 months using 2 different formulas which is working on her gray hair, but what is happening is that the front part of her hair (hairline) is creating a very dark halo which I have tried several times to prevent by adjusting the formula. Nothing is working I have even gone up at least 2 to 3 levels lighter and still there is this almost level 3 banding, is there anything I can do to fix and prevent this from happening?
Suzanne

There can be several reasons why dark bands are created; 1/ the grey in the front hairline can be more porous then the rest of the hair, 2/ individual has a high content of sodium in their system which typically comes out through perspiration, 3/ skin care ( moisturizers) 4/ makeup, 5/ hormones.

In any case there are a few tricks you can try to alleviate this challenge, however the first thing one needs to do is remove what is already present ( cleanse) which means remove some of the hair color on the hairline. Without doing this and continuing to color this area the results will not change, think of it this way when we want to paint a wall that already has paint on it the first thing we do is use a primer so the old paint does not come through, darken or dulls down the new color, so by removing some of the dark tint on the banding will enable you to apply fresh hair color. Once this is done you must make sure there is no overlapping when the hair color is being applied, you can apply a barrier cream on the out-growth the next time the client comes in for her hair color, and this will also help. Keep in mind that makeup as well as some moisturizers can cause front hairline banding in which case I would ask the client to be careful not to get any on the hairline. Ask the client if she workout that day, you can’t believe how many times I have had this exact situation and discovered that the perspiration was the culprit (salt), so my recommendation is always have them wash their hair after a workout if they are going to get their hair colored that day.

Avant-Art Hair #1

Friday Fashion Spotlight: The Cocktail Ring

Making a style statement with a big colorful and dramatic cocktail ring is the latest trend in fashion forward accessories. These fabulous baubles are showing up on many hands and not only worn for cocktail party’s but simply as just a ring on a casual day. The cocktail ring was premiered in the speakeasies of the prohibition era; the fashionable and daring females of the 1920s would wear rings with giant fake jewels to showcase their gorgeous gowns and their illegal cocktails. In the 50’s and 60’s a new name was given to the cocktail ring – dinner ring which lady’s would put on when they were attending a special dinner party or out for dinner at an expensive restaurant. And for the longest time the cocktail ring was only worn with a gown used as an accessory for those occasional events, it also disappeared out of fashion and very rarely seen. Today the ring is a fantastic statement of style and a popular trend, it can literally make wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt smashing with a small detail like a cocktail ring.

Footwear for the Service Providers

When it comes to shoes, comfort is of utmost importance particularly when your job is in the service providing industry, waiting, retail, hairdressing etc. And like all young people I would wear the latest shoe trends to work where I would be standing for 10 to sometimes 14 hours a day behind my chair coloring people’s hair. I quickly realised that if I was to survive in the hair business with no health issue i.e. varicose veins, lower back pain, leg pains and maintain good posture I needed to change my footwear. So 25 year’s out of my 30 year career I have always worn comfortable shoes, either sneakers, flats, or my beloved Birkenstocks which up until a few days ago were my favourite. A couple of weeks ago I was introduced to an Israeli shoe brand called Naot by my very chic & wonderful friend Wendy who always wears the best of everything, she was wearing these fabulous bronzy sneakers which I loved, she insisted that they were the most comfortable pair of shoes ever. She was right! Naot shoe-sneaker is an unbelievably comfortable stylish shoe, and as a hairdresser who’s constantly searching for style with comfort benefits in my footwear I am thrilled I found them.

Seems that the shoe industry is finally starting to offer more options for comfort foot wear that are stylish and clever using high tech materials that have thinner support insoles, some shoe companies have even created pressure point insoles. So today there is no need to compromise style for comfort with shoes any longer, there are so many fantastic choices out there and as for anyone who stands on their feet for their job I highly recommend going shoe shopping and get those feet into a great pair of comfort shoes, believe me it will feel heavenly with a little funky style.

Inspiration # 4

Face Art