Music Inspires Me

I cannot stop listening to Jem’s new CD! It is so amazing and inspiring, I listen to it at work nonstop.

Fun at Vogue’s Art Of Elysium Fashion Show

I just worked on the Art Of Elysium Fashion Show sponsored by Vogue Magazine and it was so much fun! For the show, Vogue picks five of their favorite fashion collections and brings them to Los Angeles. This season we re-created the looks from Prada, Nina Ricci, Carolina Herrera, Calvin Klein, and Balmain.

The show was plenty stressful with 26 models and 5 different looks, but luckily I had a team of 12 amazing hairstylists to help me out.

Oscar Day

8:45am.
Over the past week I've had to keep some pretty crazy hours, some really late nights and some REALLY early mornings...and I even had to work all night last Wednesday, so I'm so glad that I could sleep in on Oscar Sunday so I'm rested up for the big day.

9:00am.
I have a quick espresso and then get my sneakers, ipod, and my dog Theo in the car for a hike. I love to go hiking in the morning before work, especially on a day like the Oscars because it gives me a little time to myself to get some inspiration from the music and the views.

10:30am.
I get home, shower and then have another espresso while I check my kit to make sure I have every product and every tool I could possibly need. I tend to be a creature of habit and use the same five or six products and two irons, but I have to bring everything with me because I know the one time I don't have a wave iron, I will want to use it! I also make sure I have a variety of color and length extensions and lots of accessories for the hair in case I get spontaneously inspired to add some extra glamour to the hairstyles.

11:15am. I'm in the car and on my way to Amy Adams' house.

12:00pm.
I get to Amy's and set up my work space while chatting with Amy and Molly Stern, her makeup artist. I've worked with Amy for a long time, just over 5 years, so I know her hair really well and I know how Amy likes to wear it. I had been to Amy's fitting at Carolina Herrera so I had plenty of time to brainstorm and come up with ideas for hairstyles that would work with the dress. We decided on a modern take on a classic hairstyle called a Snood, which was a very popular style in the 30's, where the hair is parted to one side and rolled over at the nape of the neck.

12:30pm
I start blowdrying Amy's hair, and trust me, she has so much hair! Its long and thick and people always ask if it's extensions, but its all hers! I always use Biolage volumatherapie Bodifying Spray Gel all over and then Biolage smooththerapie Smoothing Serum towards the ends before I blow dry her hair. 1:15pm It takes 45 minutes to dry her hair which is a great workout for my arms, so we decide now is the perfect time to have a champagne toast to our Oscar nominee!

1:30pm
Many of the times when I create an up-do for a client, I like to take their hair and form shapes with it. Sometimes I braid the hair and wrap it up or I do several twists with the hair and pin each of them up. I love to work this way, it is like doing a sculpture with hair, but I don't always get it right on the first try so I have to take all the pins out and start over. With Amy's hairstyle it was on the third attempt that every hair fell into place!

1:45pm
My work on Amy is done, for now (the dress has to go OVER her head!), so I give her fiance a haircut.

2:30pm
Amy is dressed and luckily her hair held up pretty well considering her dress went over her head, so I have just a few hairs to put back into place. I throw in a few more bobby pins and one more go 'round with my Vavoom Shapemaker Hairspray. 2:45pm Amy is ready early so we take some fun photos of her with the glam squad.

3:00pm
Amy is out the door and on her way to the Academy Awards! Because this year some of the presenters were kept a secret, they do not have to arrive to the Kodak Theater until just before they present. Reese doesn't have to be ready for a few hours so I take my time packing my kit and watching some of the red carpet arrivals.

4:00pm
On my way to Reese!

4:30pm
I arrive to her house and get another peak at her gorgeous dress!

5:00pm
We decided to keep her hair very chic and simple so I give her a blowout and part her hair down the middle and then twist it into a knot/chignon in the back.

6:00pm
As we are getting ready we get to watch the Oscars live, so we take a few breaks to see what's happening on the show!

7:00pm
Reese is out the door.

8:45pm
I give Reese a new look for the after parties by taking her hair down and giving it a soft wave with the sides pulled back.

9:15pm On my way home! I need some rest!

Independent Spirit Awards & Academy Awards Weekend!

Amy mentioned that she wanted to wear a very classic 1930's hairstyle called a Snood and I had been very inspired by the hairstyles worn by Tilda Swinton in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button. I went to Amy's fitting at Carolina Herrera and saw the dress and incredible jewelry she would be wearing and knew that our ideas would work perfectly with the dress. I love the juxtaposition of structure and softness in the dress and wanted to copy that in the hair so I created structure with the chignon and softness with the texture.  The end result was a modern, cool version of a classic Hollywood hairstyle. To get Amy's chignon, I sprayed her damp hair with Biolage Bodifying Spray Gel and blow dried it with a large Spornette Mixed Bristle round brush. When the hair was dry I took some Biolage Molding Soufflé in my hands and raked it through her hair with my fingers to create a soft, piecey texture.  I then took all her hair and gathered it at the nape of her neck and looped it into a sideways figure 8 stretching the length of her hairline allowing the ends of the hair to fall over the chignon. Amy has very long and very thick hair so I secured the chignon with lots of bobby pins to ensure it wouldn't come loose throughout the night. For added shine and extra hold I finished the look by spraying the entire hairstyle with Vavoom ShapeMAKER Hairspray.

For the Independent Spirit Awards, I was inspired by Mary Kate Olsen's amazing Balmain dress and wanted her hair to be young, modern and cool without seeming over done.  So I gave her hair a wavy texture by taking 3-inch sections of the hair and a spritzing some Vavoom Gold Heat Iron-In Control and then wrapping each section around a 1 1/2 inch FHI Heat curling iron. When all the hair was curled I took Biolage Molding Soufflé and raked it through the hair with my fingers to give the hair amazing shine and piecey-ness. Next, I gathered the hair from the back section behind her right ear and braided it, securing the hair with a small elastic about 2 inches from the bottom. I then looped the hair up and secured the elastic to the base behind her right ear with bobby pins letting several hairs fall loose. To make sure the hair stayed all day I gave her hair a final spray of Vavoom ShapeMAKER Hairspray.

Behind the Scenes at the SAG Awards!

I styled January Jones & Amy Adams for the SAG Awards – here are my techniques:

JANUARY JONES: 

For the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Matrix stylist Mark Townsend, who works at Sally Hershberger salons in LA and NYC, wanted to give January Jones a gorgeous, modern hairstyle to match her beautiful Andrew Gn dress. He first applied Biolage Volumizing Whipped Mousse to her damp hair and blow dried it with a Spornette Mixed Bristle Round Brush. Next, he took three inch sections of hair and sprayed them with Vavoom Gold Heat Iron-In Volume Protective Dry Mist and wrapped each section around a GHD 1 1/2 inch curling iron and set for 15 minutes. When all the hair was set and curled he took out the pins and brushed out the curls with a Mason Pearson flat brush. The end result was a soft yet modern look that played up January's natural beauty.

AMY ADAMS:

For Amy Adams, as soon as Matrix stylist Mark Townsend saw her beautiful dress, he knew her hair should be in an updo.  He first applied Vavoom Height Of Glam Volumizing Foam to her damp hair and blow dried it with his fingers -- no brushes allowed! When all her hair was dry, he took a dollup of Biolage Molding Souffle in his hands and raked it through Amy's hair.  Next, he gathered all her hair at the back of her head and twisted it into a large, messy bun, securing it with several bobby pins. To make sure the style lasted all night, he finished the look off by spraying her hair all over with Vavoom ShapeMaker Extra-Hold Shaping Spray.

January 11, 2009 - Golden Globe Sunday

6:45am - I woke up early and took my dog Theo for a nice long hike in Griffith Park. I know it's going to be a very long day so once I get home I have a little breakfast and take a shower.

9:30am - I give my kit a quick once over to make sure I have everything I could possibly need to get my clients ready for the Golden Globe Awards and jump in the car to drive to my first client, January Jones.

10:10am - I'm 10 minutes late to January's house (not a great way to start the day) but I'm greeted by January's family and set myself up at her dining table. While pulling out products and irons and rollers, I realize that I didn't pack one single extension cord so I franticly text my friend Rachel who is doing January's makeup today and ask her to loan me a couple extension cords. Luckily, there is an outlet close to where January sits for her blowout! We've already discussed the look we wanted for the day, so it is time to get started.

10:50am - I'm just starting to set January's hair in rollers when she is taken away from me to have a fitting with the seamstress from Versace. The fitting takes about 40 minutes and I start getting REALLY nervous because I am supposed to leave by noon to get to my next client!

11:30am - I get January back in the chair and finish setting her hair.

12:10pm - I take out the clips from January's set and brush out the hair. It falls into place everywhere except around her face, which is the most important place! I go back over her hair with the curling iron and setting spray and reset the barrel curls around her face. I leave the clips in and tell her that my assistant will be over to take the clips out and give her hair a final touch up.

12:30pm - Now I'm in trouble but not too panicked because my next client Amy Adams doesn't live too far away and I already know that we want to keep Amy's natural texture so I won't have to blow dry all her hair (thank heavens!). I drive very quickly, but safely, over to Amy's and curse that a cop is behind me almost the whole way there.

12:50pm - I arrive at Amy's house to a very relaxed and cheerful host. I see her dress and jewelry, which is breathtaking. She is wearing very large, green earrings so we decide to pull the sides of her hair back to show them off. Her hair is still a little damp so I blow dry with my fingers trying not to disturb her natural wave.

1:15pm - Amy's makeup is done and I start enhancing her hair with a curling iron and pull the sides back and secure them with bobby pins.

1:45pm - I spray Amy's hair with spray shine and let it rest for a while. I start snacking on cheese and crackers and chatting with everyone.

2:20pm - It's time for Amy to get in the dress so I keep snacking on those cheese and crackers (thanks Amy!).

2:40pm - The makeup artist and I give Amy some final touch ups and send her on her way to the red carpet. Then we start to pack our kits but we keep snacking too!

3:00pm - I drive home for a short break and to watch some of the red carpet arrivals.

6:00pm - I'm back in the car on my way to get Natalie Portman ready for the after parties.

6:30pm - I arrive at Natalie's and set my kit up while she finishes up her makeup. We all watch more of the red carpet arrivals and gossip about who looks the best (and worst!)

6:55pm - Dinner arrives! Nat ordered vegan thai and coconut for everyone so I dig in and watch the beginning of the Golden Globe awards. Since the show is not live on the West coast, we already have heard who wins the awards, but it's still fun to hear the acceptance speeches.

7:15pm - Natalie is done with makeup so she tries on her party dress so we can decide the best hairstyle to go with it. She's wearing a super cute and sexy Rodarte dress so we decide on a messy chignon for the hair.

7:30pm - I blow dry Natalie's hair and run some Biolage Molding Souffle through the dry hair to give it some texture. I've know Natalie for years so I know what works best in her hair and what shapes she likes so I secure a messy chignon at the nape of her neck and she gets back into her dress.

8:15pm - A few sprays of Vavoom Freezing Spray and I send her off to enjoy the after parties.

8:30pm - What a loooong day! I'm really, really happy driving home because I realize that I've known all three of the women I worked with today for over six years!

9:15pm - I arrive home and grab a bite to eat and fall asleep watching the Golden Globes!

January 8, 2009 - Gold Heat = Red Carpet Ready

Awards Season is under way in Hollywood and I have to say, nothing gets my clients ready for the red carpet like Vavoom Gold Heat Iron-In Control Protective Dry Mist! It is truly a miracle product. For the People's Choice Awards on Wednesday, I used this product to give Reese Witherspoon her gorgeous, shiny, straight hair. I did not need to do any blowdrying or other prep to her hair, I just took two inch sections of hair, sprayed each section with Vavoom Gold Heat Iron-In Control and ran the straight iron over the section - her hair came out so beautiful with tons of shine.

I used Vavoom Gold Heat again on Thursday night, but this time on Amy Adams' hair for the Broadcast Film Critics' Awards. I took three inch sections of hair and sprayed each section with Vavoom Gold Heat Iron-In Control Protective Dry Mist, and then wrapped the section around a two inch curling iron so the ends would have a little movement. I couldn't have been happier with the way her hair came out, it was chic and shiny and ready for the red carpet.

I'm gearing up for a very busy weekend...fashion show on Saturday and The Golden Globes on Sunday. I think it's going to be my favorite weekend of the year!

January 1, 2009 - Happy New Year!

After a long restful break, it’s time to get back to work and this is going to be a crazy week! Awards season officially starts tomorrow with the People's Choice Awards, then the Critics Choice Awards on Thursday and the Golden Globes on Sunday. What a crazy way to jump back into work. I hope I get to do some fun hair for the shows!

November 20, 2008 - Day off

I had an unexpected day off and I spent hours catching up with my best friend, Theo. Here is a picture of us and how we spent our day off together.

November 16, 2008

I feel like I've been working non-stop for about a month and my feet and hands are needing a break!

My clients Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen just released a coffee table book called "Influence" where they interviewed 20 artists and asked what inspires them.  It's a really cool and beautiful book and I've been working with the girls to promote it, doing their hair for book signings and television appearances. It is so great to hear my clients talk about their own inspirations. Mary-Kate and Ashley have inspired me so much over the past six years that we have been working together.  I always get to do fun, edgy hairstyles on them, and just recently noticed that with these young girls I usually seem to reference hairstyles from the 60s and 70s!

November 14, 2008

With so many huge changes going on around us, I haven't been able to keep up with the blog.  I'm sorry.

I had the incredible opportunity to be in Chicago on Tuesday, November 4th when our new president was elected, and the energy in the air was amazing. The news about the passing of Proposition 8 in California was not so inspiring however. To think that some of the weddings I've worked on over the past summer, including Ellen and Portia's, might now be overturned makes me so incredibly sad.

November 1, 2008 - Halloween

I had to work late on Halloween this year and I hadn't planned out a costume in advance. So at the last minute in a clever move, I decided to dress up as myself from 1990.  I think the results came out pretty good because this is EXACTLY what I looked like in the late 80s - early 90s! Just ask my teachers from cosmetology school to describle the way I looked and I'm sure they would agree.  I was picking the extension adhesive off my scalp for days!

October 25, 2008

I'm in New York working with my friend and client Amy Adams. She is in a new movie called "Doubt" so she is here doing press (tons of magazine and TV interviews.)

Amy has the most amazing head of hair I've ever gotten my hands on! It is naturally strawberry colored and super thick -- and will do just about anything you want! We've curled it, ironed it straight, done sleek ponytails and messy updos. Right now her hair is REALLY long (I'm just dying to cut it a bit, and she keeps teasing me about cutting it into a bob). The longer her hair gets, it seems harder to get her hair to hold a curl, which is why I always use my Matrix Gold Heat Iron-In Volume Protective Dry Mist. I swear it's my go-to miracle product for her hair. I spray it onto each section of hair before I wrap it in a curling iron and the waves stay all day and night!

October 15, 2008 - Fall Foliage

I've been working in New York City and did a shoot on location just north of Manhattan.  I was blown away by how beautiful the foliage is -- especially in this age of global warming (it has been 90 degrees in November in Los Angeles!), it was so nice to experience fall and see all the beautiful colors in the trees.

October 1, 2008 - Headbanded

I love a headband! I use them all the time (jenniferbehr.com has my favorite ones) and I even make headbands out of diamond necklaces for red carpet events. I noticed that Gossip Girl is taking this trend to a whole new level. I mean, I was watching the show the other day and every single girl on the show was wearing a headband, even all the extras in the background. I hope we don't go into overkill with this trend too soon, 'cause I have some great hair accessories in my kit that I haven't had the chance to use yet!

September 30, 2008 - Diamonds Are A Hairstylist's Best Friend

For the Prime-Time Emmy Awards this year, I worked with my good friend January Jones from the show Mad Men. First off, I am so obsessed with Mad Men! It has to be one of my all time favorite shows. I buy the season on itunes and the new episodes are automatically downloaded on my computer so I can watch when I'm travelling.

For the red carpet this year, January was wearing this really cool Dolce and Gabbana gown so I wanted to make her hair soft and romantic, but still modern. I applied a handful of Biolage Hydro-Foaming Styler to her damp hair and rough dried her hair, giving it a good scrunch to add some texture. Then I wrapped two to three inch sections of her hair around a one inch curling iron to create pretty tight waves, then raked Biolage Molding Souffle through the waves to break them up a little bit. Next, I gathered the hair in the back and wrapped it into a messy bun closer to her right ear so it was off center (that's a great trick I picked up so that you can see some of the bun from the front).

To keep the romantic feel I was going for, I wrapped diamond necklaces over the top of her head, creating a diamond headband. I also took a strand of diamonds and wrapped them into the bun. I really loved the way it looked and shined on the red carpet!

September 3, 2008 - Heat, Humidity, Hair - Oh My

It has been so long since I wrote on my blog! I think I've been too upset about Charlie not winning Shear Genius to talk hair.

I'm sweating it up on a photo shoot in Los Angeles today. Of course we have to shoot outside in 90 degree heat. I'm sure you all know how hard it is to keep hair in order when sweat and humidity are working against you!

In other news, I'm starting to work out of the Sally Hershberger Salon in LA soon. I'm really excited to get back into the salon!

July 31, 2008 - Just Another Day at the Salon

I did a very long day in the salon yesterday, and man are my feet killing me! And is it me, or is the last client of the day always the one with the thickest, coarsest hair? Thank heavens for my Spornette round brush and Vavoom Gold Heat Blow-In Control... or I might still be blowdrying that last client.

Interestingly, I saw that half of my clients were desperate for bang trims and the other half had decided to start growing their bangs out. Is the fringe trend slowing down?

July 10, 2008  

I came back from Matrix Destination in Las Vegas feeling so inspired! Talking to so many great hairstylists really showed me how much I miss being in the salon behind the chair cutting hair. So when I got back to Los Angeles and recovered from the jet lag from my trip to Tokyo, I started trying to find a way to make my dream of opening a salon come true. Low and behold a location basically fell into my lap, but I just didn't have all my ducks in a row and couldn't get a business plan/ licenses/financing/staff and all the other things it takes to be a salon owner together in time to sign the lease. Sadly, I couldn't secure the space, but I'm not ready to give up on my dream that easy. I know that one day I'll be able to make it happen. I have so much respect and admiration for all you salon owners out there, it takes so much hard work and determination to have a creative space and keep it open! But I'm still going get into the salon more often. I love that feeling of talking to a client and listening to what they want and need from their hair and coming up with the right style for them. I miss talking clients into a change when you know they've gotten into a rut and haven't changed their style in years, or looking through magazines and getting inspired and convincing a client to let me try that cut or style on them. I also miss the camaraderie between stylists and learning from each other, and collaborating with colorists to find the perfect color for clients (trust me, nobody wants me doing their color...I leave that to the professionals!). So for now, I'm going to be joining the kids at Sally Hershberger's new salon in Beverly Hills. I've known Sally for years, I was her assistant in New York for two years from 1998 to 2000 and she referred me to work on the film Vanilla Sky with Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, and Cameron Diaz, which led me to move to Los Angeles. She taught me so much and was so incredibly supportive when I finally left the nest and went out on my own. I cut hair out of her downtown salon in New York and I love it there, so I'm sure I'm going to love it just as much in Beverly Hills.

July 9, 2008  

I'm working in New York for a couple weeks and this morning in particular I had to be work super early, but only for a couple of hours. When I was done, I decided to go for a walk through Central Park to get some much needed exercise and quiet time to myself. I love that I can be in the hustle and bustle of midtown Manhattan one second and then two minutes later be walking around this beautiful reservoir without having to hear car horns honking or construction racket. I had to stop and take this picture of a beautiful New York morning.

June 13, 2008 - Greetings from Tokyo!

My first day in Tokyo and I'm already bursting with inspiration! I saw this beautiful woman in a traditional kimono and I had to snap a picture. Women spend so much time just getting into a kimono and everything has to be tied in a specific way. It's just amazing to look at. Seeing the way these women dress immediately inspired me to come up with new ideas for hairstyles and up-dos. I'm sure I will be creating some of these new styles on my clients soon!

June 3, 2008  

I'm boarding a plane from Las Vegas back to Los Angeles after spending the day at Matrix Destination, and I'm bursting with inspiration! I had the incredible opportunity to sit and chat with hairstylists from all over the country and talk about where we all draw inspiration from and how to take runway and editorial looks and translate them into wearable hairstyles for salon clients.  It was such an amazing experience!  I got to sit in on a few of the classes Matrix was offering and they were fantastic.  My personal favorite was the "Inspire Me" class. I loved that they showed examples of inspiration boards and went around the room looking at everyone's boards. I say it all the time....but I am so happy to be on such a great career path. I love that Matrix put together this event for continued education in such a fun environment. I can't wait for the next one.

May 19, 2008 - BEST. DAY. EVER!

I can honestly say that today has been the best, most amazing day of my career so far! I always say that I am so blessed because I make a good living by doing what I love to do and that I love being a hairstylist. Well today took those feelings to a whole new level. In this industry, I get to be creative and work with incredibly talented and inspiring people, and today I got to work with the one person I have dreamed about styling with since I became hairstylist. I am always asked, "whose hair are you dying to style?" And my answer is always the same. I just finished a photo shoot with my dream client and it was even more amazing and fun than I could have imagined!!! I wish I could tell you all about it, but I need to keep it all to myself and relish it. All I can say is that dreams really do come true, so keep dreaming! If you're dying to learn who my dream client is, check out the August cover of Elle magazine!

April 30, 2008  

Travel. Travel. Travel.

I'm sitting in the Caesar's Palace casino in Las Vegas working on a print and commercial advertising campaign and just realized I'm going to be living out of a suitcase for the next two weeks! I'm in Vegas for five days, then off to Washington DC for two days. After that I'll be in New York for the Met Ball, a day in the salon, and a photo shoot, and then I'm off to Rome for four days for another advertising campaign. I'm so blessed to work with amazing people who have to travel a lot for their work, which means I get to travel a lot too! I know it sounds glamorous (and it is!) But it's also pretty exhausting and really hard on the body, lugging my 80 pound kit from city to city isn't always a glamorous experience. Not to mention, it is almost impossible to maintain relationships and I'm always apologizing for missing birthday parties and weddings, and I'm sure my dog Theo will completely forget me by the time I get back to LA! But because I travel, I've seen some of the most amazing places on the planet! I have short circuited suites at The Plaza Hotel in Paris with my "all too powerful American blowdryer" and I was once questioned by Mexican Customs Officials about why I was carrying 10 pounds of hair extensions into their country! On the plus side, all the time I spend on airplanes is time to myself where I can read, watch movies, sleep and not have my blackberry go off every five minutes. But like I always say...I am so blessed to have this life; I have a great career and I love every day of my life. Hopefully one day I'll be able to cash in all my frequent flyer miles for a great vacation!

April 14, 2008  

I just finished day one of V To The 10th, which is a huge charity event in New Orleans that was put together by Eve Ensler, the woman who wrote The Vagina Monologues. I came down with my all my friends from the Magnet Agency to work in the V Day Beauty Lounge in the New Orleans Superdome. We were providing women displaced by Hurricane Katrina with haircuts and makeovers. It was a hard, long day but it was so incredibly inspiring. I met dozens of women who lost EVERYTHING in their lives because of a natural disaster and they still had smiles on their faces and the spirit and spunk of a child. Today was such an incredible experience in humility and humanity. My only wish tonight is that each and every one of us takes a moment and thinks about all the things we have in our lives that we take for granted and become thankful for each and every one of them. And, that we all find a way to give just a little to someone who is in need, whether it is a dollar, or a handful of hair products that we don't need....drop them off at a women's shelter in your city. Anyone can make a huge impact on someone's life with such a small gesture. Think of all the things you can do to help out.

April 4, 2008  

I had the incredible opportunity to work with the gorgeous Thandie Newton for the Los Angeles premiere of her new film "Run, Fat Boy, Run." Thandie is a rare creature, because she is breathtakingly beautiful and has an insanely smart sense of humor. I'll just tell you the truth...When I work with Thandie I have to be "ON" at all times because she will challenge me and question me, and when she does, she wants answers. She has a wicked sense of humor that keeps me on my toes!

For her premiere, I originally thought that she should wear her hair down and very full. So, I took Kevin Ryan's new RSessionsTools double iron and created a messy, loose curl in Thandie's hair by taking three-inch sections and spraying them with Vavoom Gold Heat Iron-In Control Protective Dry Mist, and then wrapping her hair through the iron in a figure eight around the heating rods. After each section was set on the iron, I gave it a "pull" so it didn't look too set and stayed loose and "cool." I set all of Thandie's hair this way, and when I was finished, I gave her hair a good shake to make sure it would fall in to place (which it did, of course). I was so happy with this look; it was a young, fresh take on a 70's style.

But then, Thandie decided to wear a different dress to her premiere. She thought that a pink Mathew Williamson frock was the right dress for the Los Angeles premiere, and I agreed with her. Unfortunately, down, full hair did not work with the new dress, so I went into action and gave Thandie a fun, loose side bun. It took about 90 seconds to create and took five pins to secure. I have to say that this is one of my favorite hairstyles that I've created because it happened so organically and Thandie just went with it. When I saw the pictures of her on the red carpet, I could see that she was happy and confident with her hairstyle, and that made me proud.

These are the days that I love being a hairdresser!

March 17, 2008  

I'm in Las Vegas for the ShoWest Festival. It's been a whirlwind since the Oscars and I've been traveling so much. I just shot upcoming covers of L'Officiel and Harper's Bazaar, as well as Makeovers for Us Weekly. I had so much fun doing the makeovers and I loved reading their stories. Check out this week's issue of Us Weekly for all the details and photos.

Get the Look: Amy Adams Oscar Hairstyle

I first applied Biolage Volumizing Whipped Mousse to her damp hair and blow dried with a Spornette Mixed Bristle Round Brush. Then I took 2 inch sections of her hair and sprayed Matrix Vavoom Gold Heat Iron-In Control Protective Dry Mist to the hair and curled each section with a 1 1/4" HAI elite Rod Curling Iron. I secured each curl with a hair clip and let the hair set while Molly did Amy's makeup.

After her makeup was finished, I took out all the hair clips and brushed out the hair. Next, I took some Biolage Molding Soufflé in my hands and raked it through her hair to break up the curl and create some texture. It was a completely modern take on a classic hairstyle. The texture is what kept the hair looking fresh and young throughout the evening.

Visit welovebeauty.com for more info on Amy's look and on my favorite hair accessories.

February 28, 2008  

WHAT A WEEK!

Awards season is over and I am exhausted! I spent 3 days working in the Biolage/Elle magazine spa in Beverly Hills getting all the nominees and presenters for the Independent Spirit Awards and Oscars red carpet ready for the big weekend by showing them the fabulous new collection of Biolage Stylers. It was so fun to work with the Biolage team and meet new clients.

Saturday I worked with Cate Blanchett and got her ready for the Independent Spirit Awards (she won!). While Cate was at the beach for the awards, I ran over to see Amy Adams, who I worked with for the Oscars, to take a look at her dress and design hairstyles that would work with the microphone she would use while performing at the awards. Then raced back to Santa Monica to shoot UK Marie Clare cover with Cate.

Sunday was the Academy Awards and I was so excited! First I went with a client to tape Live with Regis and Kelly in the early morning, then made the almost impossible trek to get to the Renaissance Hotel to get started with Amy. With all the road closures and security checkpoints, the corner of Hollywood and Highland had to be the safest place in the country on Sunday! I saw Amy's gorgeous Proenza Schouler gown and knew she needed modern, glamour hair and that's exactly what I gave her!

February 23, 2008  

Awards Season is here and it's been a crazy ride so far. This weekend is the Independent Spirit Awards and The Academy Awards and I'm so excited! I hope we see lots of the glamour on the red carpets.

I was getting my kit cleaned out in preparation for the big shows and had a laugh when I saw that I was surrounded by hair extensions and sewing kits (for the jewelry in the hair).

February 5, 2008  

This past Saturday I trekked up to Santa Barbara for their film festival where I was working with Cate Blanchett. I've worked with Cate for years, and I have to say that she is THE dream client; she knows her fashion and she is such a risk-taker. With her I've learned to be a risk-taker as well and follow my inspirations and believe in them. Most of the hairstyles I've created on Cate were well received and a few were not, but I stand by them all!

For an evening in Santa Barbara with Cate I had the incredible opportunity to work with the hair ornaments from the Chanel Haute Couture collection; feathers made from gold! Just to hold these pieces in my hands was amazing. When I showed them to Cate, she loved them and wanted to use them, just like I knew she would.

Like I said, I've worked with Cate for years so we never spend too much time analyzing how she should wear her hair, we just decide "up or down" and with the Chanel feathers in my hot hands, we knew the hair had to be up to showcase these pieces of art. Cate has naturally curly hair and I just wanted to enhance that texture, so I mixed the new Biolage Molding Souffle and the Shine Endure Spritz in my hands (yes, I have the new Biolage stylers in my kit, and trust me...they ROCK!) and I mixed the products together and then raked it through Cate's hair. I used a half inch HAI Elite curling iron to define some of her curls. Then I really went to work! I took the hair along Cate's hairline and separated it, then took the rest of her hair and just played, trying to find the right chignon for the look I was craving. When I say I played, I really mean I PLAYED! It is such an amazing feeling to just let go and I became an artist and hair was my medium. I twisted and sculpted her hair until I created a shape that I liked. If asked, I couldn't say if it was a French twist or a bun, it was literally a shape I molded and pinned in to place. Then I brought out the feathers and placed them where I thought they looked best. There were 2 feathers, one large and one small, and I knew I wanted them to touch on one side. When I finally found the right placement, I secured them. These pieces were on combs, but they were very heavy (and VERY expensive) so I wanted to make sure they wouldn't slip out, so I used countless bobby pins to secure them, and just for good measure, I sewed the large feather to Cate's head with a flat tip embroidery needle.

When Cate left for the red carpet that night I was almost unable to form sentences. It had been a while since I felt so proud of a hairstyle I created, and that night Cate had given me the chance to feel like a real artist. I packed my kit and enjoyed a glass of champagne, but knew I still had to travel back to Los Angeles, so I said my goodbyes to everyone. When I walked out of her cottage, I saw that it had started raining and initially thought about running to my car, but instead I decided to let the raindrops fall all over me, and I just laughed! I was so high on a creative level that the rain felt fantastic, and I ended up dancing in that rain. There I was with my huge suitcase full of supplies behind me just dancing and laughing in the rain! It was such a fantastic moment and I'm so glad I let myself take it in and enjoy it, I mean....come on, I'm just a hairdresser from a small town in Florida, but there I was leaving the cottage of Cate Blanchett after sewing CHANEL hair accessories to her head! I can't think of enough words to express how much I love my job!!!

January 28, 2008 - Finding Inspiration

People ask me all the time what inspires the hairstyles I come up with, and I never know how to explain my inspirations. Sometimes I get inspired by the dress a client is wearing to an awards show, and sometimes it could be a song I heard that makes me feel a certain way. Maybe because of the new year, but I am busting out of my skin with inspiration right now!!

Last April I took a long weekend trip to San Francisco with friends. I had been to the city before for work, but I never had the chance to get out and see and experience the city. Of course I spent most of the time there eating because San Francisco has some of the best restaurants in the country, so to work off all the oysters, cheese, and pasta we went hiking in Muir Woods and walked through the gardens of Golden Gate Park. While in the gardens I took a picture of calla lilies that caught my eye, but the photo didn't turn out so good so I kind of just forgot about it. Then over the Holidays I was going through my iphoto library and cleaning out photos that I didn't need to keep and I came across it again. It was actually a sad little picture with dull colors, but I loved the shapes that the flowers created, so I decided to play around with the contrast, brightness, and color (features I never even knew existed on iphoto!) Now, I am , by no means a fine art photographer, but I was quite pleased with my work, so I hit the order print button and a few days later a 20 x 30 inch print arrived at my door. The photo now hangs in my living room in Los Angeles and it has been the greatest source of inspiration for me! It reminds me of a great trip I shared with friends, and the flowers have me constantly finding ways to interpret the shape into a hairstyle. This photo is also a personal inspiration for me, because I took it, and worked on it myself. Now that I'm gearing up for Spring looks, I know I will be putting flowers and colored hair accessories in my clients hair, look for the looks at the award shows this season!

January 8, 2008 - Happy New Year!

I couldn't think of a better way to start the new year than by going to New York to shoot the new Biolage Styling ad. I was lucky enough to get my hands on the new styling products a few months ago and I LOVE them! It was so much fun to be on set with all the Matrix team and get to know everyone. I think the ad will come out beautifully; I can't wait to see it!

Today I'm working at the Sally Hershberger Downtown salon, and I'm going to be behind the chair cutting hair all day!

Tomorrow I'm off to Los Angeles to do work on a press junket. Sadly, I will not working on Sunday since the Golden Globes have been cancelled. I'm really bummed about missing out on the award shows, they are my favorite thing to do. Its sad that we might miss out on some of the most glamorous nights of the year. Its crazy how the writers strike effects so many people, including us hairstylists, makeup artists and wardrobe stylists who love making our clients look fabulous on the red carpet.