1/2 (Vaguely) Personal. 1/2 Motivational.

The path to success is really just a long, bumpy road full of potholes, gridlock & terrible drivers. It's basically Dufferin Street during rush hour.
I have never been a patient person. Always finding where my mother had hid my birthday/Christmas presents weeks in advance, sneaking a bite of dessert before dinner had even been served. Heck, I even remember trying to shave my hairless, 3-year-old legs (and failing miserably.... My God! The blood!) because I "wanted to be a grown up".
When I want something, what I really want is to find the quickest shortcut possible. To cross through the tunnel instead of having to dig my own. Unfortunately, the older & more experienced I become, I begin to understand that isn't always a viable option. Sometimes the only choice we have is to throw on that crappy old t-shirt we found at the bottom of our closet & get our hands dirty (metaphorically speaking, of course).
I would be lying if I said that lately I haven't been discouraged. I chose to take a great professional risk with an unforeseeable payoff. I left an environment I was finally beginning to feel comfortable in, in hopes of greater future advancement. Which, in theory, would be a very smart, humble & strategic move.. But my greatest struggle seems to be adjusting to a new & undesirable timeline. The rational side of me understands that these situations take time to break themselves in, & that a positive attitude goes a long way. Yet the typical, impatient, only-child in me wants to 100 meter dash towards the finish line. I want to do anything & everything. Every project. Every client. I want to prove my capabilities & shine like the beautiful diamond I know I am. But the hardest thing seems to be surrounding yourself with people who won't hinder your development, who will instead work with you to push your limits & abilities. Someone who is genuinely interested in your growth, with no ulterior motives. No games.
So is it a blessing or a curse to want everything so deeply? Does being impatient do more harm than good or does it motivate us to work 10x harder? Lately I've had to remind myself that sometimes it's necessary to take a step back in order to propel ourselves towards our full potential; but I also understand that without that true, burning passion & drive to succeed, we won't ever get there. And if we leave it up to other people to make our dreams a reality, we may as well be wishing on a star or throwing pennies into a fountain. Failure is inevitable. You will fail many times before you reach success. But what's also inevitable is that with hard work & determination (& one Hell of a thick skin), you can have all the things you've ever dreamed of & so much more. You just have to keep reminding yourself. You are good. You are capable. You are valuable. You will come out on top.

Fall 2014: Hottest Hair Colors

Autumn is arguably one of the most popular seasons, and for good reason. There's something about the smell of the crisp leaves, the cooler temperatures and the beautiful colors all around, that inspire a sense of change in the most positive way. In honor of this new season, I have decided to dedicate this blog post to 2014's most popular Fall hair colors. Whether you're looking to make a drastic change, or just enrich what you already have, this year it's all about versatility, while maintaining a natural-looking, cost-effective style. These references have been gathered from a September post published by Harper's Bazaar online, one of the world's leading beauty & fashion resources. 

Rose Gold

Wheat Blonde

Bronze

Dark Highlights

I'm baaaaaack.

It has been 2 years since my last post. I will admit that since originally starting this blog, life in Toronto has proven itself to be more of a challenge than I had originally thought. As a young professional trying to break ground in this industry, I don't think you are ever fully prepared for the challenges you will face, most importantly finding the right fit. It has taken me some time and 2 different environments to develop the plan I have now set forth going forward in my career. I have learnt that branding is one of the most crucial aspects in building any business. It is of the utmost importance to identify and develop a brand that you are proud of. I have learnt that in any environment you will be placed in, there is always going to be opportunity for conflict & encounters with those of whom you do not get along. But in order to move forward, you must overcome these challenges & never lose sight of your ultimate goal. I have learned that for every negative influence, there will be 10 supportive ones, eager to nurture & develop your talents.  I have learnt that your attitude is literally everything, & most of all I have learnt that without passion there isn't much of a point. I've been broker than broke. I've eaten nothing but Sidekicks for dinner, for weeks on end. I've had moments where I've seen the light (and the cash). I've been torn down by those who promised to help build me up & my ego has taken more blows than a box of Kleenex. But at the end of the day, I am hopeful. I am determined. I am motivated. I am successful.

(and I'm blogging again)

Product Endorsement: UNITE EUROTHERAPY

One of the best product lines on the market today has to be UNITE EUROTHERAPY. I was introduced to this line about two years ago by my stylist, and have yet to find anything that trumps it. UNITE's hair care collection is free of parabens, sulfates, gluten, DEA and MEA, and is 100% vegan. Not only does the whole line smell amazing, but it provides tons of shine and leaves your hair feeling great. Highly recommended.

AWARDS:
2010
behindthechair.com
Favorite Boutique Company

2011
behindthechair.com
Favorite Boutique Company

2011
Self Magazine
Best Conditioner for Color Treated Hair: BLONDA Condition

2011
Details Magazine
Best in Grooming: Texture Paste GO247

Instagram: unite_hair
Twitter: @unitehair

The Lowdown on Celebrity Inspired Lowlights

"Multidimensional color is definitely in right now,” says Amie Breckenridge Goltz, Director of Field Education for Scruples. “It adds a third dimension to the hair and creates a really natural finish when it’s done right!” And the key to doing it right, Amie adds, is choosing formulas within 2-3 shades of your client’s natural haircolor. “This keeps the contrast minimal and the overall effect from looking too artificial.” Here are Amie’s tips for selecting the right highlight and lowlight formulas to create amped-up yet natural-looking multidimensional color on your clients this season.

“First off,” Amie says, “don’t overuse your foils. I believe less is more and using placement that follows the head shape by slicing off the top of the head and down to the round of the head, as well as using a pinwheel pattern, will result in the most natural looking effect.”

 

Cool Blondes
Inspiration: Carrie Underwood: “Her color has an icy cool look, which can be created using Scruples ILLUSIONIST Brilliant Crème Highlights and HYPNOTIC Single–Step Crème Lowlights,” says Amie.Use this formula:Base color: ILLUSIONIST 9AV minus the accelerator powder with a 20 volume developer to break the base and create an expensive blonde on blonde effect
Dimensional color 1: ILLUSIONIST Highlights 9AV Bombshell
Dimensional color 2: HYPNOTIC Lowlights 9NA Cashmere
 

Warm Blondes

Inspiration: Sarah Michele Gellar: “Her color has a much warner feel, which can be created by using Scruples BLAZING HIGHLIGHTS Toner Infused Gel Color System and SHADOW LOWLIGHTS Filler Infused Gel Color System,” Amie explains.  Use this formula:Base color: HIGH DEFINITION Custom Mixing Gel Color System in a Level 6 Neutral Blonde (8G and 4BV)
Dimensional color 1: BLAZING HIGLIGHTS 8G Warm Golden Blonde
Dimensional color 2: SHADOW LOWLIGHTS Nutmeg (6NA +7GR) and Brandy (4GN + 7GR) underneath


Cool Reds
Inspiration: Florence Welch: “Her cool red is a perfect example of a great red on red, which can be created by using Scruples ILLUSIONIST Brilliant Creme Highlights, HYPNOTIC 
Single–Step Creme Lowlights and TRUE INTEGRITY Opalescent Colour Creme Colour System,” Amie says.Use this formula:Base color: TRUE INTEGRITY 4RR
Dimensional color 1: ILLUSIONIST Highlights Scarlet 4R and Firestorm 5CR
Dimensional color 2: HYPNOTIC Lowlights 6RR Passion
 

Warm Reds

Inspiration: Amy Adams: “Her warm soft red is a gorgeous example of natural dimension, which can be created using Scruples BLAZING HIGLIGHTS Toner Infused Gel Color System and SHADOW LOWLIGHTS Filler Infused Gel Color System,” says Amie.
Use this formula:
Base color: HIGH DEFINITION Level 7 Strawberry Blonde (8G + 4G + 6RG)
Dimensional color 1: BLAZING HIGHLIGHTS Warm Copper Blonde (6R+8G)
Dimensional color 2: SHADOW LOWLIGHTS Amber (6GN+7GR) and Paprika 7GR

 


Warm Brunettes
Inspiration: Emmy Rossum: “This is a great combination of warm brunette shades,” notes Amie, “which can be created using BLAZING HIGHLIGHTS Toner Infused Gel Color System and SHADOW LOWLIGHTS Filler Infused Gel Color System.”Use this formula:Base color: HIGH DEFINITION Chocolate Brown (1N + 6RG)
Dimensional color 1: BLAZING HIGHLIGHTS Chestnut (6R+ 6A)
Dimensional color 2: SHADOW LOWLIGHTS Espresso 4GN
 

Cool Brunettes

Inspiration: Megan Fox: “This cool deep brown/black is very hot right now,” Amie says, “and it can be created using Scruples HYPNOTIC Single–Step Creme Lowlights as either an over color on lighter hair or to take someone back to a beautiful cool brown in a single step.”Use this formula: Base color: Not necessary
Dimensional color 1: HYPNOTIC Lowlights 4NG Nightfall and 5NA Dark Desire

Hair: Thoughts & Feelings by Vidal Sassoon

"Mary Rector asked me to write a page. She said, “Inspire those young hairdressers,” and it dawned on me that even we older ones have a youthful approach to our craft. So, let’s wander through time and I’ll share some experiences.

In the ‘60s, my colleagues and I inhaled the vigor of London where high energy was the norm, ideas were eclectic and elastic, and we stretched them to the limit. Inspiration owes much to a gut reaction to any given situation, and I am constantly elated by the efficacy of hair as an art form, and by the part so many of us have played in bringing this about. So, let me relay a few stories of the evolving excitement of the past 66 years.

I was apprenticed at 14 to Adolph Cohen. The address was 101 Whitechapel Road, in the heart of London’s East End. Above the door outside the salon were the words: Adolph Cohen, Hairdresser and Wigmaker. The year was 1942. World War II was on and the German air force was very busy rearranging the streets of London. People slept in bomb shelters supplied by the city, and each morning we would awaken and wash as best we could. I would often buy breakfast from the street vendors and make my way to the salon, joining other apprentices in training. The boss was a strict disciplinarian and would inspect our shoes, the creases in the boys’ pants, and our fingernails. I failed miserably to live up to his expectations. But he taught me that discipline was a very necessary inconvenience. It was a troubled time, which brought out the best of human nature and the quirky British sense of humor.

One day in the salon, I was assisting the boss with a perm, and in those days a portion of hair was wrapped in a rod and each rod was then placed in a machine that weighed at least half a ton. Once the customer was imprisoned in this machine, she could not move. In each cubicle was a notice that said: During an air raid, you are permed at your own risk. The air raid warning sounded and the boss ushered all the staff down to the cellar, including the clients that were not being permed. Eventually the “All clear” came and each of us went upstairs to look after those clients that were being permed. The golden rule was: During an air raid, turn off the electric switch. I had forgotten to do that. Panic set in. This lady who had come in for a long-hair curly look suddenly had very short hair. The rest of her hair was still in the machine, having been burned off. She looked at herself in the mirror with wide-eyed horror. The boss came in and tidied up the total mess I had made. She kept staring at herself, but said nothing. Strangely, the short look suited her bone structure. And as she got up to go, she looked at me and said, “Not bad for wartime, son.”

Many years later, in the ‘60s, I had what was for me one of the most pleasant experiences. A regular client, a businesswoman with the most gorgeous figure and bone structure, married a gentleman of means who would not allow her to work. A year later she came to see me with a very troubled look. She had put on much weight and was very unhappy about herself. She said, “Vidal, I think my marriage is in trouble,” and we discussed the situation. She said, “Please give me a different look.” I said, “No. What I am going to do is phone Weight Watchers and Mary Quant, the brilliant fashion designer who invented the mini. You’re going in to see Mary and she’s going to make you something not for now, but for three months’ time.” During those three months my client would come in repeatedly and ask, “Am I ready yet? Am I ready?” I’d say, “No, you’re not ready yet.” But Weight Watchers did a superb job of slimming her down. After three months, she came into the salon. I looked at her with a sense of satisfaction. “Now I can carve a shape into your bone structure. I can see those bones.” I cut her hair, Mary Quant gave her that new look, and I went about my business. A couple of weeks later, whilst working in the salon, I was tapped on the shoulder. I turned, and there was the husband of this once-again gorgeous looking lady. He said, “Vidal, I want to thank you. I lost my wife but found my old girlfriend.”

With all the extraordinary adventures that happened to me in the ‘60s, nothing was more gratifying than that moment. I don’t know if I could get away with that today. But for me, the working of hair was architecture with a human element. Even today I see people as shapes, bone structures, and as animated subjects for the scissors.

If there was a personal influence, it was Bauhaus. Bauhaus was a movement of artists and artisans that started in Germany in 1919, and was expelled by the Nazis in 1933. After the war, Bauhaus came back into prominence and still functions to this day. Its headquarters now is in Dessau, Germany, and was built by the great architect and teacher, Walter Gropius. I wanted my 50th anniversary in hair to be at the Bauhaus. In 1992, Gerald Battle-Walsh, who was, and still is, the manager of our German salons, met with the Bauhaus committee. They had to decide whether what we did related to Bauhaus principles. Because of our architectural shapes and the way we were cutting hair, we were accepted by them. And on my 50th anniversary, we did a major show with live models and videos for the European press. It was a day of enormous excitement, for philosophically we were being accepted by architects, artists and others. There were many more moments of pure passion. Hair became not just a way of making a living, but a way of life.

It must be obvious to you by now that I had a superb team, and we enjoyed every moment of the adventure. There is so much to tell about the great fashion names we worked with in Paris, Milan, New York, London, Tokyo…I could go on, and I will, as it will all be related in an autobiography that I am writing at this moment. In fact, I had to stop work on my book to write this article. My aim is to inspire the young—who have no idea how much creativity and strength they have within them—so they feel the pride of developing new ideas, for it is important that we all do credit to this wonderful craft."

Tip of the Day: How to Grow Out a Pixie

I've never been a huge fan of the Pixie cut and personally feel that only a very small percentage of women can pull it off. But, there is (almost) nothing worse than the look of what used to be a short, trendy style in its awkward half-grown, half-growing out phase. The trick to looking stylish and not (let's face it) awful, is by keeping your 'do fresh and interesting throughout the growing process.

The November issue of Allure Magazine features Rodney Cutler as an expert, in the article, "Hair Guide: How to Grow Out a Pixie"