S52 blog

To curl or not to curl – TIGI answers the question with its Catwalk Curlesque curl collection.

TIGI presents the ultimate product line for hair stylists looking to add moisture, shine and to ultimately enhance your clients’ curly and wavy hair. Featuring marine ingredients such as kelp, algae, cucumber water, seaweed and sea fennel to (re)create natural, free-flowing curls.

The collection also features 7 new styling products as part of its Prep it/Work it/Perfect it style building system, which includes everything from shampoos, conditioners, amplifiers, mousse and serums to build, maintain and ensure the longevity of those newly stylized curls.

TIGI’s Catwalk Curlesque curl collection will be available in professional salons in April 2010.

See the products, and the continued collaboration between Catwalk, Anthony Mascolo and Christopher Kane, at work in this video. (Note: You first need to download the video to view it.)

It’s a given that everyone is allowed to get a little starstruck one night of the year (also known at the Oscars). And while we can all agree that the Oscar looks (hair included) often fall on the conservative more often than not, this year I generally kept an eye out for how well the actors in question pulled the whole look off.

The talk of the town for Oscars 2010 this year seems to be frizz control (or the lack of it) among the sea of buns, where apparently bigger is better. And under a less deft hand, the slightly mussed up version of the bun sported by the majority of actresses could easily became a hair no-no which was the case with the usually stylish Sarah Jessica Parker sporting a sloppy, overdone chignon and Jennifer Lopez wearing a frizzy, almost unfinished looking, updo.

On the other side of the spectrum, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Elizabeth Banks both show how accessories can complement and accentuate a well-executed bun so major kudos to both of  them.

But hands down the standout look of the night was Sandra Bullock. Bullock kept the frizz at bay as she looked every bit the Oscar-winning actress with her long, sleek side-parted look.

Sandy, here’s to you keeping it classy. – Subha Arulvarathan

Brit designer Gareth Pugh is well-known for his futuristic/otherwordly fashion creations, but for his most recent show at Paris Fashion Week this esthetic extended to nails as well. (Can I just add that I LOVE how nails are being used as a fashion accessory more and more each season?)

Check out these AWESOME nails with dangling chains… aren’t they just totally over-the-top? It’s obviously not a very client-friendly look, but I’m hoping the manicurist, Marian Newman, who came up with this concept competes! Stunning! What do you think? Creepy? Cool?

For those of you salon owners who are having an issue with no-shows (or are looking to prevent this from becoming a big issue) there might be a solution for you.

Global Hair Limited, trading as  Headrush Hair Salon, was a busy salon struggling with this very problem. To cut down on the number of no-shows amongst their approximately 4,700 clients  (which was on the rise) and to reduce the standby time for their stylists (which further exacerbated the loss of revenue) the salon decided to enlist the help of TextMagic.

According to the salon, the number of no-shows was reduced by about 70% (especially if this was because clients had forgotten the date or time of their appointment). It also helped take customer service to another level as well by providing a way to promote unique salon promotions.

With the increasing use of SMS as appointment reminders across various industries, I’m not surprised that salons have now started to embrace the idea as well. –Subha Arulvarathan

Minx is used to the limelight nowadays with big-time celebs swearing by the line to help make their nails pop. Minx’s latest high-profile exposure is via music videos with Fergie sporting the special edition Hologram Minx nails for the Black Eyed Peas’ new video “Imma Be Rocking That Body” and Rihanna wore Fuschia with Yellow Moon Minx nails for her latest “Rude Boy” vid.

LA-based manicurist Kimmie Kyees was behind the two looks. As always, you can visit www.MinxNails.com for more info. –Subha Arulvarathan

For those of you who are tech-savvy, OPI will be launching a new app for iPhone and iPod Touch.

OPI’s innovative app is a free way for you to try over 200 OPI nail lacquer shades virtually. Modeled after a version of the company’s popular Try it On Colour Studio, you can also customize the ski tone on the app to visualize how the colour of your choice would appear on your hand before purchasing.

Upcoming features will include an accurate depiction of finishes such as shimmer, crème, sparkle, frost, suede and matte, a salon locator (with map) and a personalized “drawer” to store your fav OPI lacquers. This app works with all versions of all iPhones and iPod Touche with software update 3.1.3.

You can call 1-800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com for more info.

–Subha Arulvarathan

Yes, you heard me right. Kelly Osbourne, the wild child of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne and lately of Dancing with the Stars fame, debuted a new lavender look in a photo she uploaded to her Twitter account. As she divulged to celebrity blogger Perez Hilton on Twitter, she accomplished the look with the help of bleach and then an old lady rinse. She claims that the new colour was inspired by Lady Gaga innovative style.

Don’t know if I’m liking this look, especially compared to the peroxide blonde bob that she was able to glam up and punk down. –Subha Arulvarathan

We love getting out to trade shows to meet with our readers but since we’re Toronto-based, the majority of staff only attend this city’s Allied Beauty Association show. That said, we had a blast this weekend, meeting old readers, getting to know new readers, hearing your feedback and connecting with some cool new educators and platform artists that we hope to introduce you to in future issues.

Look out for some fun ABA-related posts this week with some great pictures. But in the meantime, we want to know: Did you attend the Toronto ABA? What was your favourite part? Tell us in the comments!

It’s that time of year again. Vancouver-based AG Hair Cosmetics has announced the winners of its 10th Annual Best Canadian Celebrity Hair Awards, and honestly it didn’t come off as too much of a surprise. After surveying more than 525 hairstylists from across the country Rachel McAdams, with her long, layered, wavy locks, was selected as having the sexiest hair on a Canadian actress while Ryan Reynolds won the honour for Canadian actor.

As revealed in the Vancouver Sun, Reynolds’ carefree layered look in particular took a stylist an entire morning to achieve all morning to cut using only scissors.

In honour of the Vancouver 2010 Games, however, the awards sought to recognize the best ‘dos among Canadian Olympic athletes. Although the athletes in question went home empty-handed, pairs skater Jessica Dubé, with her soft, “girl-next-door” look, and long-track speedskater Jeremy Wotherspoon with his carefully styled hair.

As Jami Symons, celebrity hairstylist and AG Hair Cosmetics’ artistic director, explained, “The Canadian athletes use their low-maintenance, au-naturel hairstyles to show us what the true meaning of sexy, no-fuss hair is all about.” (quote from the Vancouver Sun)

Do you agree with these choices? – Subha Arulvarathan

Okay, so maybe I have been interning at Salon Magazine too long, but when I was watching the women skate their long program yesterday, there was something that caught my attention. While there was no doubt that Yu-na Kim was pure elegance on ice (and highly deserving of her gold medal) and Joannie Rochette was the epitome of grace under personal adversity (and most deserving of her bronze medal), I couldn’t get over the fact that there was little to no originality when it came to the hair department.

While the costumes and makeup varied dramatically from skater to skater, one thing that all the women had in common was the severe ballet bun. As the night progressed, was it wrong that I hoped for a dramatic statement in the lines of Dorothy Hamill’s wedge?

While I understand that the rigours and the technical demands of the sport rarely allow for this (and could potentially lead to serious injury),  I do hope that one day the fine line  between athleticism and (hair) artistry can be reached.  –Subha Arulvarathan