It’s been a long time, and my color’s drab.

It needs a little love and I’m wearing it down… I want Ombre… can I get Ombre today?

I lost a ton of cur-rr-rlll, it needs to be real BIG… I want to have it all!

I really want a new hair cut… I need a new tone to pick me up.

I have this blouse that’s turquoise… can we match it? Please hurry up! …oh, and do you have yellow lip gloss? Wait… What?

It is a true pleasure to share my three main intrigues that keep me inspired every single day! The love of Fashion, Finish and of course The Fabulous! Let’s take a trip in the “Now” of these three big F’s and find out the what, why and how. Ready… Set… “Falling Forward” Anyone?

The Fashion

My hair’s a little worn.. I haven’t been around. You know, I really don’t mind that the crown is brown… What if we try “Ombre?”

The embrace of “Ombre” and “Hair Painting” have been some of the most requested techniques by many colorists, this shadowed diffusion of color is more than “grown out” color though, it is truly an art form of knowing your tools and painting the canvas. There are many ways to approach this, though I prefer to isolate in a compact foil method and work in a diagonal diffusion from high point at the face frame to a diagonal low toward the back.

Have fun and put detail onto every canvas. Some of my favorite ways of accentuating any-and-all traditional canvas’s is by working on and in the rounds of the head. You can utilize a simple diagonal slice or weave in a “U” like section on most, from bobbs to length, to enhance any shape. Also the chess board concept from GOLDWELL’S Play Strong 2011 collection of placing interlocking squares on the rounds of the parietal and front drop of the fringe is brilliant. Inside of the squares, you may take diagonal,vertical or horizontal slices to move color according to the layers of the haircut.

My favorite “Trick” right now is to isolate curved “V” like sections on the 4 rounds of the parietal 2 at the occipital, then 1 on the fall of the fringe:

• Take approximately a 1.5  inch open V at the rounds, taking a curve section to a point , just above the occipital, repeat on the opposite side of crown, then again in the front creating the V point to just behind the ear.

• At the top fringe fall, clip the shape to have the openings at the recessions and the curved point fall where the comb lifts off of the head.

• Within the section, you may slice or weave on a diagonal, or my favorite, a mixture of both from point to width of the section.

Another way is to make them isolated block colors for the season. This gives you a new spin on the ever craved “Ombre!” The art of gradation and diffusion which provides color movement from light to dark. The space is minimal, and provides the subtle contrast of color movement needed for the season. Add more or less to give the perfect color placement with purpose! Don’t smother… showcase your work!

The Finish

I sort of lost my cur-rr- rll. Should I buy more weave!?!

I know that in the past few posts, I have written about the new crave of the perm or texture-building services, and have had an amazing response. Though what I love is that, at first, it was more from the new youth wanting bouncy, wavy tresses, but it has sort of taken off with the masses! Just recently, I been shown pics of a young Julia Roberts in her “Pretty Woman” days. I thought, “hmmm? I wonder if it’s the hair or her boots with the safety-pin closure? Or maybe it’s that one-piece peek-a-boo dress!” Lol!  But seriously, it made me think that this translation of the look has definitely been updated for the natural bundles of bouncy waves.

To get the look:

• Create the best round brush blow out with a medium sized brush. When complete, instead of teasing the hair, try a micro-crimping iron ( my favorite is from Sam Villa). This creates weightless beading to the hair which allows volume that lasts for days! ( I don’t think that people are shampooing their hair at all anymore!)

• After, use a full-sized curling iron or wand, in 1 inch vertical sections to the mid length. This sophisticated street look gives new identity to the “Pretty Woman” finish.

• The trick, versus back-combing so much, is to slide your fingers palm in at to the scalp from underneath. Once at the base, shake – not pull, shake. This will separate the curls and make the ombre color flirt through! .

We have completely borrowed from the 80′s, 90′s and 70′s in upcoming fashion for sure! What’s funny to me is that many women are snapping, glueing and sewing in weave (Get It Jessica Simpson!) to make the hair even fuller. I love me some giant hair, but I must admit, the head tap to get at the itch makes me giggle! … “I want it big and tal-l-l-l!”

The Fabulous

OK, the Fabulous is everything that all we do, so… the Fabulous is YOU!

Do I want it Dark? Or Bright? The color palette of hair, fashion and face have become wildly vivid for the winter into spring of 2012! This exciting electricity is allowing us to bring excitement and purpose into everything which is design. In the hair, it’s strategic color placement that is a perfect accent to the darker base.

In fashion, the brights against the darks create the sexy movement of a dress that melts into a deeper shade at the base to tip ( kinda like ombre, hmmmm?) Start living in color and embracing everything you see around you. I think you may be surprised once you let your eye wander deeper into design and color! Also, if you visit the fashion stylings of Dior to American Apparell, you will see it has come to life! … DIOR… WERK!

The Face

Lip and shadow colors reminiscent of the late 80′s, loads of liner against vivid accents, and it’s even in the nail polish shades!

The pallets, made of yellows, acid greens, blue turquoise, marmalade orange, soft rose, and lilac. Sounds intriguing – yes. Have fun and paint every canvas, make it special, make it fun, but more than anything, make it you! You got to get your paint today… D-D-D-Dancing in the Dark! Oh, and no worries… with all that bright color… I’ll see ya girl! Lol! Oh and PS, they are not done with feathers!

Who’s taking us into the fall/winter with their new vibrant beats and rhythmic chants? It’s of course Miss GaGa slowing it down a bit but keeping it sexy ( I don’t get the video’s meaning, but it’s hot! Maybe I’m old? Oh, I hope not!)

Madam Adelle, belting it out as always giving us a hybrid GaGa/Whinehouse with Etta James feel ( the club mixes… so sickening!) and the girl that sings the G6 song! Love her, but I don’t really know what she’s saying! (Oh my, I may be getting old… I’ll just google it!)

I hope that you enjoyed, and I can’t wait for you to visit again next month for another dip & a trip! I am fortunate to be able to view the world, as I am sure most of you are, a bit differently! Finding beauty in everything I see and everything I do! I crave the inspiration from the 3 F’s and this gives me my interpretation of what I want to put into hair! I tell myself every day that… “Life is not a dress rehearsal… live it , love it, create it!”