Joico International Creative Director Damien Carney recently had the esteemed pleasure giving Joico Senior Vice President and General Manager Sara Jones a makeover before she accepted her City of Hope Spirit of Life award in Las Vegas. To get the look, Damien created a vertical parting and worked diagonally to create a short, fitted nape to complement the neckline and natural growth pattern of her hair. “The hair becomes progressively longer towards the occipital area—the longest internal length,” explains Damien. “The length from the occipital continues to the side area, cut just below the ear to expose the cheekbone and nape. The hair is graduated in the side areas working towards longer internal lengths.” Sara’s existing layers were kept intact for internal softness. Scissor over comb was used in the nape area to refine and control the hairline. Damien maintained the fringe length, but graduated it to soften the edges. To style, Joico Smooth Cure were his products of choice. He misted on Smooth Cure Thermal Styling Protectant and blow-dried with a Denman brush, wrap drying to smooth and lightly stretch the hair. He avoided creating excess volume, which he felt would cause this look to appear dated. “The overall look is fresh and modern and beautifully enhances Sara’s natural texture and bone structure. She looked simply stunning for her special evening!” Watch how Smooth Cure can change your client’s life!

Melanie Mills, Emmy-winning former Department Head Makeup Artist for Dancing with the Stars, shares several makeup tips to help clients look flawless this upcoming holiday season. When prepping a client’s skin prior to a makeup application, Melanie recommends placing eye collagen pads and an ice-chilled cloth to the face for 30 minutes to tighten the skin and to create the perfect canvas. To begin the application process, she suggests spraying a toner to tighten up pores and prevent the skin from getting oily. When it comes to applying foundation, Melanie gets the job done right by using a brush and a damp Beauty Blender to blend and seal it. “I take HD powder from Makeup Forever and use a puff to press into the t-zone to seal in the foundation. And to really lock in the look, I use a sealer mist all over face,” says Melanie. Win a FREE Bio Ionic® Iron and KeraSmooth™ Treatment!

Taking a trend and finding a way to make it your own is an important part of your job. That’s exactly what Davines Artistic Director Angelo Seminara did with his “Flamboyage” technique, an updated take on balayage that uses special meche strips to blend tones in a spontaneous way. To create this look, Angelo took a central rectangle section from the crown to the front of the head, combing the section forward and placing a small meche strip close to the ends of the hair. Next, he placed a long meche on top of the section, pressed lightly and lifted the strip. The hair that remained attached to the strip was colored with 40g. L’Art Decolor Bleaching Paste + 60g. Activation Source 30vol. (He applied from mid-lengths to ends, diffusing the product gently near the re-growth to avoid creating harsh lines.) Next, Angelo took another section below the first and repeated the same method. He allowed the color to process for 5-20 minutes, checking visually, before removing the meche strips with warm water. Finally, he shampooed and towel dried the hair and applied 20g. Finest Pigment Gloss + 60g. L’Art Decolor Yellow toner + 20g. Finest Pigment Copper, checking visually to obtain the desired tone. Watch exclusive video step-by-steps of the Flamboyage technique!

Every season, we scour the fashion runways with the hope of spotting brilliant new ‘dos and inspiration. And we spotted quite a little gem at the Dolce & Gabbanna show during Milan Fashion Week, where Redken Creative Consultant Guido created a classic twist inspired by Italian actress Sophia Loren. “We pulled the hair loosely back into a French twist and it looks a bit as if the woman was dancing all night,” Guido explains. “It’s effortlessly gorgeous.” To create the look, apply Thickening Lotion 06 to damp hair and rough dry without a brush (to maintain natural texture) until hair is 90 percent dry. Next, apply Tousle Whip 04 Soft Texturizing Cream-Wax throughout the front of the hair to enhance natural movement and let it air dry the last 10 percent. Beginning at the nape of the neck and working upwards, backcomb the hair for added texture. Finger comb hair back away from the face and pull hair back into a French twist, securing with bobby pins. Make sure to keep the hair loose around the face (not pulled back too tight), so you can see the natural movement of the hair texture. Finish with Fashion Work 12 Versatile Working Spray. Check out 5 fashion week hair how-tos from Guido!

The countdown to the holidays has begun! Are you getting ready? The holiday season is the time most businesses stand to make a bundle, so let’s get ready to retail! Here are three places you shouldn’t forget when promoting holiday-centric products and services:

The shampoo area: It’s a client favorite (love that scalp massage!) so why not use it for merchandising? One idea is to place a gift-wrapped promotional item next to an unwrapped version.

Bathrooms: Many people don’t realize the value of this area. Here you have guests’ undivided attention, so create displays reminding them that your salon is the one-stop shop for the people in their lives. If they’re shopping for teachers, favorite aunts, friends, this is the place (the salon, not the bathroom) to find what they need.

The reception desk: It’s your guest’s first and last stop. Be sure to place colorful product display trios and gift card holders in this important spot. Speaking of which, check out Macadamia Oil’s New Haircare Set!

Telogen Effluvium. It’s not as exotic as it sounds; it’s the term for temporary hair loss. Knowing the causes of thinning hair can help you better serve your clients that suffer from the all-too-common issue. According to hair nourishment experts Viviscal Professional, the top seven causes of thinning hair are: genetics, over styling, hormones, health issues, poor diet, prescription drugs and stress. Celebrity stylist and Viviscal spokesperson, Martino Cartier, offers some helpful tips for consultations with your thinning hair clients, starting with what not to do. “Don’t mention her weight, don’t ask her age and don’t suggest that her hair is thinning! That is a major fear for women of any age.” So how do you get her to talk about it? “Simply, ask questions” says Martino. “For example, ‘What don’t you like about your hair?’ Or, ‘What are you not happy with?’ Remember, she will tell you because she trusts you and wants you to fix it.” When she does confide in you, be sure to let her know she is not alone. Want more tips for clients with thinning hair? Register now for the FREE Webinar “Tips and Tricks for Working with Thinning Hair” with Martino Cartier on October 18th!

As we move into the fall/winter season, the most common question for colorists worldwide is, “What are the new tonal palettes for the season? And how do I change my client’s look without it becoming too complicated or even too ordinary?” Goldwell Art Director John Simpson suggests taking the tones of what would be considered “avant garde” and translating them to a classic, wearable placement to add a unique, unexpected finish to your color. “Blondes can be enhanced with beautiful icy grey instead of the traditional white. Think apricot blush against a warm golden base, or reds that have a salmon pink rose radiance versus the usual electric violet or copper. And brunettes that have blue violet mauves and even accents of petrol-like green.” The placement, John explains, is minimized and lives within the interiors instead of on the surface, and can be exposed with the hair’s movement. “Don’t think always just brown, neutral, gold and ash!” he says. “Get creative and instead think turquoise, milky blueberry, acid green, electric marmalade and subtle rose.” Learn 11 creative fall formulas from John Simpson!

Cool clients who want to capture their confidence and turn heads require edgy, rocker-inspired color services, like this “Tomboy Chic” look from L’ANZA. To get the look, first create three small triangular partings on the top of the head; the first above the right eye, directly on the part line, approximately 1½-inches from the hairline; the second directly above the left eye (opposite the part) approximately ½-inch from the hairline; and the third parting approximately 1-inch behind and between the two previous triangles. Once the partings have been created, tie each of the other three sections into a ponytail, winding the elastic band downward about ½-inch. Apply 10g 8AX + 10g 9A + 40g Demi cream developer to the bottom 2/3 of the ponytail, using the edge of your color brush to create a diffused line. As you approach the elastic, do not separate or saturate the hair. This will help diffuse the color into the base color. Next, apply 10g 1N + 20g Demi Cream Developer to the bottom 1/3 of the ponytail (over the gray formula), using the edge of your color brush to create a diffused line. Wrap strand in foil. Repeat for each ponytail and allow to process for 5 minutes. Cut the elastic band and rinse. Get the cutting how-to for this look!

The celebrity-driven color look of balayage is exploding (think Jennifer Aniston, Gisele, Sarah Jessica Parker and nearly every model in the Victoria’s Secret catalog). Nancy Braun is undoubtedly the foremost authority on this freestyle color technique. “Balayage allows hairdressers to be more visual and artistic,” she says. “It places them on a different level.” Ready to start painting? Here are three tips from Nancy to get you started: 1.) Placement is always dictated by the cut, so if you plan to balayage your client, always cut the hair first. 2.) When placing highlights, remember that the hairline and part areas are crucial—this is where women want to see light. You might only place one or two highlights in this area, but doing so gives the hair “sparkle” on top. 3.) Be conscious of the “money piece.” This is a highlighted section one-to-two inches behind the hairline at the part that contrasts with the base color. It’s the focal point of the highlight design that draws the eye and really “pops.” Learn 7 more balayage techniques!

With the leaves changing and clients considering a change of their own, Matrix Artistic Designer Franco Della Grazia recently shared a few of his fall color predictions to help prepare you for the season. According to his forecast, cool ash brown shades are going to be extremely popular for brunette clients, especially those who want to darken things up without a red reflect. He also feels henna services will be a big request, so make sure to familiarize yourself with this service since more and more clients are adamant that their colorist use ammonia-free, peroxide-free haircolor. Do you have a client with a disheveled bob? Consider taking her to the end of the spectrum. “A delicate, soft black end result is a look I see repeated each and every fall,” he shares. “It looks stunning on a disheveled bob because both are strong and sleek.” For a soft, smokey black, use 1 oz. 3N Color Sync + 1 oz. 4A + 2 oz. 9Volume Color Sync activator. The end result will enhance the cut and keep your client looking on-trend. Get 8 more fall color predictions!