Stop What You’re Doing and Check Out This Makeover
Destin, Fla. resident Holly never felt like she could part with her long hair—her father had ingrained in her that women must have long hair in order to be pretty. But Holly’s hair consumed her, and her waist-length locks had also been compromised by a previous mall salon dye job gone wrong.
Avantgarde Salon has long been known for its gorgeous makeovers—the Florida salon has won multiple Top Salon awards in the Emerald Coast area, and this year—up against 13 other salons—the stylists at Avantgarde were looking to take home the gold for a fourth time.
So they approached Holly, who is a security guard at a nearby gated community, asking her if she would be up for a transformation. Holly had been hiding her botched color in a braid for years. “The mall salon wouldn’t correct her color, and she didn’t have the money to get it fixed,” says Avantgarde colorist Sara Pestella (@saramay_24), “so she was stuck with it.”
Holly agreed. “She said, ‘You know what? I’m getting married in November, and it’s time to get rid of this long hair,’” shares Sara. “She said, ‘Do whatever you want!’” And with that, Sara, cutter Jeremy Hartfield (@jeremyhartfield) and makeup artist Amanda Maus (@amandaemaus) got to work.
Jeremy making the exciting initial chop!
Dramatic cut? Check!
Aveda Color Formulas
Formula A: Aveda Enlightener Powder Lightener + 20-volume developer
Formula B: Aveda Enlightener Powder Lightener + 30-volume developer
Formula C (root shadow): 40g 6N + 4g Dark NN + 40g Deposit Only Liquid Activator
Formula D (toner): 40g 10N + 40g 0N + 7g Pastel Violet
Application
1. Sara first applied a full heavy highlight using Formula A.
2. She then teased, weaved and foiled the Mohawk section using Formula B, painting the sections that were long enough in between the foils.
3. Sara dried the hair and proceeded to paint just the ends (again, teasing, weaving and isolating in foil) using Formula A for added drama, then rinsed and shadowed her roots using Formula C for a more lived-in look.
4. Sara toned using Formula D, then blow-dried.
Note: at this point, Sara decided she needed a little more depth, so she went back in at the root with just 5N.
Holly waiting for her highlights to process.
The entire transformation took about eight hours!
This makeover took Jeremy and Sara about eight hours from start to finish. “We finished around 2 a.m.,” says Sara. “But when we were done, Holly was so excited. She feels beautiful in her own skin, and thanks to our owners Deke and Joseph, she gets to maintain her look for a whole year, free of charge!” Oh, and as for the Top Salon prize? “We won!” says Sara. “That’s four years in a row now!” Congrats, Avantgarde!
All done!
One more before and after…AMAZING.
