An outlet for beauty projects. Hair, Makeup, Runway Shows, Photo Shoots... This is where I go to get inspiration, and hopefully, to inspire.
In my next life I want to live my life backwards. You start out dead and get that out of the way. Then you wake up in an old people’s home feeling better every day. You get kicked out for being too healthy, go collect your pension, and then when you start work, you get a gold watch and a party on your first day. You work for 40 years until you’re young enough to enjoy your retirement. You party, drink alcohol, and are generally promiscuous, then you are ready for high school. You then go to primary school, you become a kid, you play. You have no responsibilities, you become a baby until you are born. And then you spend your last 9 months floating in luxurious spa-like conditions with central heating and room service on tap, larger quarters every day and then Voila! You finish off as an orgasm!
—Woody Allen (via thatluciegirl)
(Source: grovegrove)
So, this year, Salon Wars for Array Salon has fallen into my hands. Well, what really happened is that it’s a crap-ton of work, and being a new salon and all it was just more than anyone else really wanted to take on. So, since I’m tenacious and annoying, Ashlee handed the task over to me. Wow, ok, that sounds really vain. I am more like the “Salon Wars Ambassador” than anything else, but you know how I get… Anyway, everyone is as big a part of it as I am, I’m just keeping it all organized (or trying… like I said, it’s a crap-ton of work). We have settled on a theme, and are in the planning stages right now. I know this is only my second year doing this, but it’s a few of our stylists second year and that definitely gives us a leg up. Especially since most of our “competition” is participating for the first time. I have got such a fantastic team to work with. Seriously some of the most talented people I have ever had the privilege of working with, I have no doubt that we will give the 4 other salons a run for their money.
The event is a competition between 5 salons in the Salt Lake valley, and it takes place this year on Sept 24 at Club Elevate. It’s in a club, so it’s 21+, but ANYONE (who fits that criteria) who can come support us is more than welcome. I really can’t wait. This is going to be so freaking fantastic!
Oh lord, this post is a big one. Last week was one of the most fun “hair weeks” I have had in my entire career! Let’s just go day by day, shall we?
On Monday I did my long-time friend Kim’s hair (and her husband Josh’s, I can’t forget him!) for the first time. She wanted to switch up her color (her starting color was a golden, brassy blonde) and add a little funk to her haircut. We opted to go with my 2 current favorites, a long, cool color melt on one side, and super freaking short on the other. She is cute as ever, and rocks this look effortlessly. I still can’t decide if she talked me into doing it, or if I talked her into doing it, but either way, I am glad we did it. After all, what are friends for but to take enormous leaps of faith together? I don’t have a “before” picture of Kim for this post, but I do have an “after”, and as you can see, it turned out quite lovely.
I have Tuesday off, so no hair that day.
Wednesday I did my first “real” dreadlocks (I kind of did them once before, but I did it sort of wrong, I didn’t know what I was doing, no one I knew knew how to do them, and I ended up doing them the hardest possible way). Let me preface this by saying that I am a very confidant and competent hairdresser, so I wasn’t really worried, but doing something big for the first time is always a little nerve wracking. When my client came in, he had super curly coarse hair which is PERFECT for dreading though, so I went from kind of nervous to super stoked. It took Ashlee (of ashleedoeshair.tumblr.com fame) and I about 3.5 hours to do them, and they turned out splendid. My client was super cool, and I can’t wait to watch his dreads mature over time (Dreadlocks start out kind of frizzy and soft, but over time they become more solid and… dready.)
Thursday I took the liberty of attempting to color some leopard spots on my own hair. The front half looked alright, but the back was a hot mess. I had to use my left hand and 2 mirrors and… well, it doesn’t matter how awesome you are, sometimes you just need help. SO… I went to work and they all laughed at me, and then the fantastic Tonni (of tonnidoeshair.tumblr.com fame) fixed me up and made me look radical!
Friday was slow, it kind of sucked.
Saturday was a really busy day, but I didn’t take any pictures.
Sunday I didn’t work, but it was one of the owner’s birthdays, so the salon went tubing down the Weber River, and it was SO MUCH FUN!
Anyway, that was my awesome week in a nutshell! I am very inspired, and can’t wait to do more bitchin’ hair this week!!!
Miss James of Bleubird Vintage is oh-so-adorable in one of ModCloth and Dear Creatures collaboration styles for the fall. If the design receives enough votes through ModCloth’s Be the Buyer Program, it will be put into production and sold on ModCloth.com, so cast your vote now!
I would probably murder for this getup.
This post is a bummer.
I chopped an adorable sister missionary’s hair off today, and gave her a cute pixie that totally fit her and brought out her beautiful eyes. We took before and after pictures, as it was quite the transition. Then my phone pooped out on me and when i restarted it, it had deleted the last 20 or so pictures I had taken. So… I guess just trust me that it was a big deal and that she looked absolutely stunning in the end. Sorry Sister Kiss, I am as sad as you are. And if you are reading this and have pictures, let me know and I will post for realsies.
Sometimes you have kind of a shitty day, and then you do some amazing hair and everything is ok again. My work is my vice.
In my line of work, you meet a lot of people with a lot of courage to do a lot of different things to their appearance. You’ve met Jenny, one of the most aesthetically courageous people I’ve ever had the awesome pleasure of “beautifying”. Now meet Alexis. This smart, beautiful woman is working on her PhD, and is just overall one bad ass mama. I have cut and colored her hair a few times, and every time we do something more ballsy than the time before. This time, we (she) decided to take it as far as possible, and made what I believe is the gutsy-est hair move a woman can make. We shaved her head*.
While it may not be the biggest money-making service in the salon, I think that shaving heads is one of my favorite services to perform. Especially if it involves a beautifully shaped head like Lex’s and someone taking a huge courageous leap. Nothing is more fulfilling to me than someone being terrified of what we are about to do, but doing it anyway (and totally rocking it)! It turned out beautiful, and I am so glad she let me be a part of this!
*Actually, she pretty much shaved her head herself. As this was a HUGE liberating move in her life, I let her take the clippers to her own head. And I must say, she is a natural!
