Ashley's favourite "beautifying" gifts

 

 

MarcoStefano Volumizing root lift spray

Do you have a friend or relative that is always complaining about their "lifeless, flat" hair? Or I've also heard people describe this as the "drowned rat" look.

Well this is the gift that keeps on giving to those in need of some oompf to their locks.

Just part hair, spray directly on freshly washed roots, and proceed to blowdry - VOILA! - hot sexy volumous hair.

(Just don't spray it on the wall behind you)

www.marcostefano.com

Osis Dust it mattifying powder (by Schwarzkopf)

Most women I speak to tell me they love their hair when it's "day old". This means its been slept on, mussed up a bit, flung around in the wind, and lets face it, who knows what! Want the day old look on freshly washed hair?

Enter- Dust it. This powder is mixed with the palms of your hands and then raked through already blow dried hair.It's lightweight, so you will not forgo your volume, and will add beautiful texture and separation, all while giving that soft matte effect of the so desired day old hair.

Perfect for those ladies who love the look, but just cannot go a day without sudsing their scalps.

Osis Shine Duster velvet shine powder (by Schwarzkopf)

This product is quite similar to the one above, and actually inspired by it. You will still get all the texture you want without the weight, but as the name says, it adds a beautiful soft velvet shine. Enhancing the different colour tones in your hair, this product turns from powder to cream in the palms of your hands. It is used in a similar fashion, distributed into the hair by raking your fingers through.

I will often use some Dust it first, and with the leftover product in my hands, mix in the shine duster. The results? Somewhere between day old texture, and walk of the runway shine!

                "The Croc" Flat iron (By Croc)

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about that curly, frizzy haired person on your list. Oh, you know who I'm talking about. The one who runs screaming if they have to walk outside in the rain, or on a humid day? The one who obsesses over that one curly hair by their temple?

You will be their new best friend. (If you aren't already) The Croc has been by far my favourite flat iron for curly hair. Its titanium plates are the newest in ion technology, which translates to silky, soft, run-your-fingers-through-it hair.This iron can reach up to 450F, but it's digital display allows the individual to control the heat for touch ups. Warn the receiver of this gift - it gets hot!

                            Croc Clips

There must be something in the name. Personally, I may throw a temper tantrum at work if my croc clips go missing. Jaw clips simply will not cut it, I've turned into a clip snob after using these! Especially wonderful for extreme thick hair, the crocs have hinges which allows the clip to expand or lay flat depending on the amount of hair. This means you will never have another dreaded clip fall out of your hair again! A long haired blowdriers dream.

                       Long Bobby pins

The perfect stocking stuffer for someone with mid to long hair. I love using these pins when doing up dos, because they will grab more hair with one pin, so you can use less with out sacrificing the secure grip. I know at home you probably won't be doing your own formal updos, but these pins are also great for throwing up hair in a messy bun, or a half up, half down style. Sometimes only 2 pins are needed!

Sebastian Shaper Hairspray

I think every woman has either used or come across this little gold mine at least once in their life. I have tried tons of different sprays, but this one still takes the cake. Brushable, soft hold if you want it, or if you want a stronger shape, Shaper plus is just as good. The smell doesn't stick to your hair either, so you won't get a perfume/hairspray smell clash. (yuk)

                    Hair Accessories

What a great way to jazz up a do it yourself updo, or day old I don't feel like styling my hair days.  Hair bands with big flowers, bows or feathers are perfect girly gifts for the holiday season. For someone with shorter hair, try sparkly bobby pins or cute clips. Word to the wise: when choosing hairbands especially, make sure the band is quite flexible. Nobody wants the dreaded hairband headache!!!

.....and for the men in our lives

Well most of our men really don't act like they care too much or want to spend too much time on their hair. From a stylists point of view: men care much more than you can even dream. So maybe add one of these products to his stocking, and ignore the groan when he opens it- he'll be singing your praises when you aren't looking.


             MarcoStefano Shaping Paste

I recommend this product for guys who like a lot of hold. If their hair is curly, thick, or bulky in anyway, and short, this is their magic product. Although it has a ton of hold to it, it's also quite movable so unlike a gel, you will not end up with impale worthy spikes on your head. Just make sure you spread the product throughout your hands before you put it through the hair, we don't want white product chunks messing up a perfect 'do!

American Crew Thickening Shampoo

Beware. A gift for the man who's fully aware of his fine hair, and is ok admitting it.

Now that's out of the way, this shampoo provides fullness to the hair, and gently cleanses at the same time. The glycerin ingredient helps retain water and swell the hair strand achieving body and bounce.
He will also love the fresh minty smell of tea tree.



Paul Mitchell Clarifying Shampoo

This is for the male product junkie. Over time, using products, especially mens, which are usually formulated to have much more hold, hair will actually start to get a build up of products that have not been perfectly washed off. Here's where clarifying shampoo comes in. Wet hair, wash with clarifyer. Leave on for 3-5 minutes before rinsing. A deeper cleansing with a clarifying shampoo once a week will allow you to remove all the excess "stuff" on your hair, so it is not weighed down, and will perform the necessary magic the rest of the week.



Ok, so there you have it! My top picks for a beautifully hair-styled holiday season.

Merry Christmas!


-A

Hello everyone,

I'm here to apologize for my lack of attention to this blog. I guess that I started a blog at the complete wrong time. I got married this year, and with all the minor details and attention planning a wedding requires, this blog got lost on the wayside.
So oops! But I'm back now, and I am going to try and pay more attention to you.
Since I am constantly doing other people's wedding hair, I think it's only fair to post a picture of my hair at my wedding. It was a beach event, so I wanted something soft and wavy, and still pinned up out of my face. My cousin is a hairstylist in Vancouver, B.C., and she was there to do my hair and my wedding party as well. How lucky am I? Ask most hairstylists and they will tell you that they probably did hair on their own wedding day - no jokes!

So there they are folks, what do you think? For me, the style suited our wedding perfectly, and kept the hair out of my face in the wind. I'm so lucky to have such a talented cousin!

In other news with my hair, I decided to change colours for a bit of fun. I am now a red head! Definitely takes time to get used to, but I'm having fun with it.

Ok guys, that's it for now, but I am back with all my opinions on the good, the bad and the ugly of hair!

-A

Pink's new 'do

<--- This is Pink's old haircut. Not everyone can pull of a colour like this, but if anyone can, it's Pink! The main thing that makes this look work is the fact that there is some softness in the styling, to balance such a sharp colour.(Or lack thereof)

I heard on the radio today that Pink had a new haircut, and I just had to look it up! They were saying on the news that Pink wasn't happy with it, and said that the woman who cut it "butchered it". Now usually, I take these things with a pinch of salt, because what Hollywood thinks is ugly or "butchered" is sometimes a hair stylist's dream. But this time, I'm sorry that I have to agree with you, Pink. This style is a little bit "bowl - y" looking to me. It reminds me of Lego hair. It's too boxy and sharp, especially in combination with the colour.

Don't fret though, I think with a little bit more texture added, maybe a little bit of mussing up with the fingers, and you've got a much softer, but edgy looking style! Also, hair grows!

Pink has the fact that she looks good in pretty much anything on her side, so I'm sure she will rock this style like all the rest!

-A

A little bit Gaga..

This blog entry has gone completely Gaga. I'm devoting this entire page to all of the crazy hairstyles that the Lady has worn. Some I love, some I hate. What do you think? Comment if you agree/disagree!

This first section is for the hair that I'm "Gaga" over. I either love the style, or just appreciate the creativity!

The use of colour and wigs in Lady Gaga's hair is just never ending. I particularly like the colours in this section.

Love this - the colour makes the overall appearance of the hair texture much softer.

The creative use of the pop cans make this style truly retro.

Classic box bob, fanned out for more drama.



Fantastic use of colour. Great way to incorporate a bold colour without doing your whole head in banana yellow!



Great hat! I'd wear this!



An over the top "Marilyn Monroe" look.

This style can be made less dramatic by making the bow smaller, and placing it further down on the head.

This next section is completely devoted to some of Lady Gaga's styles that I don't particularly love, but are definitely worth looking at!

This is what my fiance looks at when I get mad. (I kid!!)

Unsure of exactly what this is supposed to be. From a hair point of view, this is kind of silly.

While I love the blue tips, the Mohawk spikes aren't really my taste!



Not a fan of a cured meat and hair combo. That's all I gotta say.





If the purpose of this hair was to make her look really ugly, I think they achieved the goal.



Dinner plate on the head??











Why would anyone in their 20's choose to look like they're in their 90's?



Lady Gaga's hairstyles are definitely creative, and I do like to use them for inspiration in the shop.There are many ways to make these looks a little less "in your face" and a little more wearable!

That's all for now, although I'm sure there will be more Gaga pieces in future!

The return of the mullet?

Billy Ray Cyrus

For those of us who are unfamiliar with this "business in the front, party in the back" hairstyle, because
A: You are too young to remember this, ahem, "unique" look
or
B: You have been living under a rock;

it is a style in which the front and side portions of the hair are cropped quite short, and the the back is left substantially longer, most of the time long enough to put up in a pony tail.

AC Slater

You are probably wondering, why has she chosen to write about such a horrid thing??
Recently,  I have had a few cases where my younger male clients have asked me to cut their hair into mullets. My first thought is, do you even know what that is? But when I proceed to cut my version of  a more blended mullet, I am told to "go shorter" on the top and sides. They want the real thing. Seriously?
Seriously. It has come to my attention that many young guys will see this old fashioned do' on someone at school, and the next moment they are sitting in my chair asking for one. Is this a good thing? I really don't know.

David Beckham

Now, all this being said, there are modern versions of the mullet that I find much more appealing. Yes, its true! These versions are less about tripling the length of hair on the back of the head. It is cropped quite short on the sides, a little longer on top, allowing for some movement and styling, and the back is usually just grazing the shoulders. These types of styles can be seen mostly on soccer players, David Beckham being one, but have also been seen on some Hollywood celebs such as Orlando Bloom, or even David Spade. (I kid about the latter!)

Orlando Bloom

Ladies, don't worry I am not leaving you out of this. While extremely popular in the 80's, I would not suggest leaving the house with a fresh, tightly permed, aggressively teased mullet. 

Female 80's Mu-leh

I do, however, love the modern "femmullet". (Of course there is a term for it!!) This version of the style is usually adapted to the wearer's natural hair texture, and is much softer than it's original form. Layered through the crown and sides, it is shorter on the top, but somewhat blended through to the back. This creates an edgy "rocker look" that can either be textured with some hair paste, or softened with round brush styling.

"Femmullet"

Taylor Momsen

A softer version of the modern mullet can be seen on some of Hollywood's stars such as Taylor Momsen from "Gossip Girl". I happen to love this style. It creates tons of movement within the hair, totally collapsing all the weight and bulkiness through the ends.It also adds some style to the hair when pulled up in a pony tail.

Taylor Momsen with pony tail

Although I love the modern mullet, this style is not for everyone. Do not attempt this style if you love the feeling of your thick long hair. It is layered as much as possible, so the ends of your hair will feel a lot thinner. If you love your long flowing layers, this is not for you. This cut tends to look choppy - think rocker, not Hollywood glam.

"Skullet"

In closing, if you are related or know someone who is wearing a style similar to this, please do the world a favor and creep into their room while they're sleeping to cut off that awful tale that's growing out of the back of their head. Even in the 80's, this was wrong.

Yuk.

Also, if there is any inclination that the person is balding, or chooses to shave the top of their head, and leave the back so it is flowing and long, please take my earlier advice of cutting it off. The "Skullet" is also very wrong, and if you are wearing this in public, expect people to scream, point and run away from you.


-A