The 500,000 salon pros who monthly visit behindthechair.com are the experts in identifying the “best of the best”… also known as the winners of the 2007 Stylist Choice Awards.  To award the winners chosen by you, we threw the hottest party of the year at the Hard Rock LIVE! in Orlando, Florida.  Over 2,000 of the industry’s finest, including product company VIPs, 50 platform artist icons and thousands of behindthechair.com salon pro members, all gathered to hear the winners live and then dance the night away! 

Were you one of the lucky 100 to get a photo taken with Vidal Sassoon?  Click here to download your photo now!

Highlights from the show included very special guest Vidal Sassoon, who started the night with a presentation for Hairdressers Unlocking Hope, a campaign he and BTC’s Mary Rector-Gable created to build homes with Habitat for Humanity in the hurricane-devastated Gulf region.  His moving speech resulted in a standing ovation from the crowd, especially when Vidal and Mary invited representatives from every company involved in building homes for Hairdressers Unlocking Hope, including John Paul DeJoria and Jim and Cheryl Markham, to come onstage.  That’s when Bruno Mascolo presented Vidal and Mary with an $85,000 check, locking in TIGI’s commitment to build a home this November. 

Adding more excitement to the night was the Tabatha and Tyson Showdown, as the two sparring contestants from Bravo TV’s Shear Genius went head-to-head for a hairdressing showdown live during the show.  They each were given four hours to complete a three-model collection, and the nominees for Favorite Platform Artist including Robert Cromeans, Nicholas French, Sam Villa, James Morrison, along with celebrity hairdresser Ken Paves and Vidal, served as judges for the showdown.  After a long deliberation, Tabatha was chosen as the Stylist’s Choice for Shear Genius.  With her edgy Sassoon-inspired cuts and bold color, her collection was truly incredible.
     
Redken hit it big once again, snagging awards in several categories. For seven consecutive years, Redken Fifth Avenue has been awarded Best Overall Professional Products Company.  And, this year’s award for Platform Artist or Educator of the Year went to Sam Villa, Redken Education Artistic Director, demonstrating a huge win after Robert Cromeans from Paul Mitchell has won it the past six years. Redken also had a win for Demi-Permanent Color with Shades EQ, one for Permanent Color Line with Color Fusion and finally, Favorite Advanced Academy for the Redken Exchange. PureOlogy took home two SCAs – one for Favorite Color Protecting Product and another for Favorite New Shampoo or Conditioner with NanoWorks.  The crew from TIGI had to make room in their suitcases for three shiny awards including Favorite Makeup Line, Favorite Styling Product and Favorite New Styling Product.  Matrix V-Lights earned the SCA for Favorite Lightening System, ending Wella’s 5-year winning streak; Paul Mitchell joined the winner’s circle with wins for Favorite Shampoo – Super Skinny Shampoo – and Favorite Product You Simply Can’t Live Without – Super Skinny Serum. Once again, Farouk captured the prizes for Favorite Blow Dryer and Flat Iron- Farouk CHI, plus won for Favorite Conditioner with Biosilk Silk Therapy.  Click here for the complete list of winners.

A virtual “Who’s Who” of beauty industry artists came to celebrate and participate in the festivities.  Presenters included Vidal Sassoon, Ken Paves, Anthony Mascolo, Robert Cromeans, Angus Mitchell, James Morrison, Zak Mascolo, Daisy Duchens, Tabatha Coffee and Tyson Daniel from Shear Genius, Richard Thompson, Phillip Wilson, Dennis Ratner, Teri Donnelley, Jim Markham, Sandra Yu, Shauky Gulamani, Linda Yodice, Leo Passage, Donna Maggi, Kurt Kueffner, Michael DeVellis, Nicholas French, Kevin Givens, Carnette and Maurice Burnett, Wayne Woodruff, Carmen Wenthold, Angelia Polsinelli, Chris Baran, Suzanne Sturm, Sam Villa, Patrick O’Keefe, John Allan, Paul Brown, Dwight Miller, John and Lotte Davis and Brian and Sandra Smith.

VIP’s from top beauty companies, including: TIGI, Redken, Paul Mitchell, PureOlogy, Farouk, Joico/ISO, Matrix, Kenra, Haircuttery, Nioxin, AG Hair Cosmetics, HairCuttery, JCPenney Salons, Beauty Alliance, Beauty Systems Group, among others, also attended.

Basically, if you weren’t there, you missed one hell of a party, but next year’s 8th Annual Stylist Choice Awards will be another one for the record books.  Congratulations to all the winners for making products stylists love to use, and thanks to all of our presenters and special guests for making the night a blast!