Fashion+Color=Hair

Fashion is ever evolving, every year we see hot new trends dazzle even the plainest of plain jeans. Have you ever noticed colors in fashion and colors in hair go hand in hand?  This spring we are seeing more color than EVER! From floral prints,  to block coloring, to ombre.

 

Color blocking as you may well know is a rerun from the 1960’s. It has become a huge trend not only in fashion but also in hair. We see this in hair through color paneling or what we call “color blocking”. That is where you have a natural base color such as a warm golden brown and you accentuate that by adding a block (usually around the face or underneath on the sides) of a fashion shade such as a vibrant purple, beautiful blue or even a fire engine red! Or you could stay with natural tones and put a vibrant blonde block with a chestnut brown base, there are various options, it all depends on the person and what their lifestyle is and how funky they want to make it.

Ombre is another favorite trend for the spring, we see this in fashion from your skinny jeans to your hair. The idea is simple you start with a darker color and gradually fade into a lighter color (blonde) or vice versa. In hair, it’s a great look and it means less maintenance for the client! They best way to achieve this look is to choose your base, whether you want it to be darker or lighter.

What it Takes for Editoral Fashion Shoots

When you look at a magazine cover or a picture of one of your favorite stars, we all think how beautiful she looks or I wish I could look like that. But do you ever wonder what it really takes to produce that finished look. People think fashion and hair are so glamorous but the truth is it’s long hours and a lot of hard work to come out with a finished product that everyone will love.

At dsparada we love this type of editorial work, being a celebrity editorial stylist himslef, Don Stacy knows how to achieve these looks and trains his whole staff at dsparada how to accomplish this as well.

Don Stacy working his hair magic

When compiling a shoot it takes months to gather all of your models. These models are usually picked for particular attributes that will go along with the look that you are trying to achieve. You may have to do some minor changes and more than likely you will always have to color or cut their hair (after hours at the salon of course) so the day of the shoot everything can flow smoothly.

Photoshoots typically start between 6am and 8am with coffee in hand. This gives everyone a chance to get their blood flowing and their equipment set up. When the models arrive its show time. You must make the hair look perfect, this can mean every hair in place or even whimsical, like the messy styles that are over taking the runway these days.

Whether its curling or setting pin curls in the hair this process can take a while and you can only use minimal product so it does not show up on camera. There’s a major difference between products that are designed for camera ready hair and product that are not. You do not want to see any product residue on the hair when it is shot, the same applies for make up as well.

Applying Makeup

Usually the hair is styled or set first and then the model is off to get their makeup done. Makeup artists are very careful not to disturb the hair while applying makeup, depending on the look it should take between 15-25 minutes per model. Next it’s wardrobe time! The models get changed into what the designer has picked for them based on their body shape and size. The hair and makeup should always coincide with the outfit. The final finishing of the hair is always last just before the first shot goes off.

Picking out the perfect wardrobe

When the photographer takes the first shot, it is your obligation to look at the picture and see how the hair is laying, if there are spaces in the hair it is your time to fix it so it does not show up on camera, usually the photographer will help with this by telling you what needs to be done. It’s very important that even though you are probably working on your next model you keep you eye on the model that is being shot to make sure the finished product is magazine ready.

Jen Cooper applying the finishing touches

In closing, photo shoots are a lot of hard work, but that being said…when you see your work published in the latest fashion magazines you know it was all worth your while. Stay tuned on our Facebook page for the final photos, coming soon!

Goldwell: Closer to Stylists, Closer to Hair

In the salon, we carry four amazing product lines! One of which is Goldwell; we also use their color as well! Goldwell’s products are made specifically for color treated hair, and they are so affordable for the great quality you get out of them!

The lines of shampoo and conditioners we carry, deposit pigment into your hair and help keep that color fresh and vibrant! There are three specific kinds; one for blondes and highlights, one for normal to fine colored hair, and another for thick/coarse colored hair! We carry the shampoo, conditioner and an awesome leave-in conditioner.

Another type of Goldwell shampoo and conditioner we carry is the Kerasilk: Rich and Ultra-Rich. We use this on the shampoo bar, and we find it gives incredible moisture to the hair! This is my favorite out of the Goldwell shampoos and conditioner, it makes my hair silky smooth, and the conditioner is actually a treatment, so you can leave that in for about 20-30 minutes after you shampoo to give yourself a little deep conditioning treatment!



As well as their shampoos and conditioners, we carry quite a few of the Goldwell StyleSign products! Two of the max-hold hairsprays, a great volumizing mousse and tons of other styling products! They give so much texture and volume to the hair, it’s ridiculous! You’ll love it if you ever try this line – which you should!! They also have thermal heat protectant sprays, as well as smoothing and straightening serums.
Now remember, all of these products are color-safe and affordable and then on top of that, they protect against high amounts of heat?! Goldwell is just incredible!

Next time you’re in the salon, ask your stylist what Goldwell products best fit your hair type and what you’re looking to get out of it; snatch the product(s) up, and fall in love!! I definitely have! My hair used to be a mess, and now it’s so manageable!

You are definitely welcome! ;)
-Caitlyn

New Year, New You Hair Contest!

Are you tired of that same look you have been sporting forever and a day? Want to try something new and exciting? Why not start off 2013 with a brand new look?

Dsparada Color Salon would like to be the one to help you make that change! We are hosting our New Year, New You Hair Contest for our clients, new and old, to change what your current hair style into something more exciting…into the NEW YOU!

The Details:

WHEN:  Schedule your “New You” Hair Appointment in January.

All entries must be submitted by January 31st. Voting will end February 7th. Winner will be announced February 8th. 

HOW TO ENTER: You must have your “New You” Hair appointment within the month of January to qualify for the contest.
You can enter one of two ways:

1. Let our receptionists snap a picture of you sporting your new ‘do at checkout.
2. Email dsparada@att.net a photo of your new hair style after shortly after your appointment.

The photos will then be uploaded to our Facebook Page, in an album titled: New Year, New You Hair Contest.

HOW TO WIN: The photo that receives the most likes and shares will win the ENTIRE Beth Minardi line including shampoo, conditioner and ALL of the styling products that go with it! Tip to winning: get ALL your friends and family involved!

All you have to do is come in and have your hair done! Beth Minardi is one of the top colorists in the nation who just launched an amazing line full of great essentials to help keep your color in tip top shape.

Glamorous Photo Shoot By Don Stacy

On November 19th, I had the honor of participating in one of the many photo shoots dsparada holds. At first I was nervous about being a model for Don. I’ve never had professional pictures taken before, and all I could think of was please don’t let me make the duck face or look like a goofball on film! After a couple minutes behind the camera, I loosened up and it was actually really fun! Our nighttime receptionist, Caitlyn, was a model as well! We took some fun pictures together. (you guys get to see the pretty film, but maybe we’ll post some outtakes, they were definitely funny!)

Caitlyn and Christine. Hair by Don Stacy

There was a lot of preparation behind the scenes by the stylists. Don and the staff hand picked models that best suited their aesthetic. The stylists looked for specific attributes in their models; hair length and texture, skin tone, facial features, and a willingness to do whatever the stylist decided to do with their hair! (The last one narrows down the field quite a bit!) All of the models involved were incredibly professional and I would bet that a few of them would have a chance at being on ANTM (Americas Next Top Model).

Hair by Don Stacy

Overall the experience was incredibly inspiring, especially as a young woman working her way in to the hair industry! I can’t wait to be the one behind the chair creating my vision, instead of being the vision.

Be sure to take a peak at all the final photos from the shoot on our Facebook!

Love,
Christine from dsparada

What Really Goes on Behind The Chair

When all you guys and gals come into the salon for your appointments, you probably just see me as the girl behind the desk doing exactly what she’s supposed to be doing, but I’ve been extremely curious the past 3 months I’ve been here, as to what really goes on behind the chair! I’ve never worked in the hair industry before, so all of this is very new to me and also very interesting!

Of course Don and Arturo are amazing at cutting hair, so it’s always a mind blowing experience when I watch them from afar; all the minute details, the sections, the angles – everything necessary for a great haircut.

Arturo cutting and styling one of his clients

But everyone here specializes in color, and trust me, just from watching them mix and apply color and trying to listen into all that technical talk, it is not something that is easy to come by, and I’m a fast learner! The formulas, all the different shades and hues – So. Many. Colors. To say the least!

I never really knew what actually went into the whole process of coloring hair, it’s more than just applying the color! You have to consult with the client to understand what they want, and also let them know what you think would look great on them – then you actually have to formulate the color and get the precise amount of each shade to produce a product that will look great on the person in the chair. The process of applying the color isn’t an easy job either. There are different ways of applying it and foiling hair, and the stylist has to perceive which way will work best for the color, the cut, and the client!

Check out my new do by Don Stacy

Each and every one of the stylists at dsparada, make sure this is all done correctly, and that’s what makes all our stylists so high quality! They don’t just slap some color on your head; they actually care about their clients and love what they’re doing! So even as the receptionist, I have a much greater appreciation for what they’re doing for all of you that come into the salon!

Hope to see all of you soon at your next appointment or dsparada’s Christmas/Birthday Bash!

Love — the evening receptionist, Caitlyn!

The best part of the holidays? Holiday Hair Up Styles!

I can remember as a young girl my mom would take me to the salon as she got her hair done for our big Christmas Party. Then one year (I was around 8yrs old) I went with her and a woman called out my name & told me to go with her. Mom looked at me and winked, so off I went! I had my hair pulled back into a version of a French twist suitable for a young girl.   Little did I know this was the start of a lifetime romance with traditional holiday style and glam.

Vicki working her magic on a holiday up style.

As years went by every “Christmas Party” salon trip was with my mom. It became as big of a tradition as my parents’ Christmas Party. Every year a new stylist got to tackle my long, thick hair. Then I reached high school & I thought that I could go without my mother, after all it’s just hair, right? Well those were the worst three up styles I had ever gotten done and mom made me wear them. Ok, lesson learned!

When I went to college Mom and I were back to our old routine with the two of us sharing the day of beauty together. And now we had the DAY SPA!!!! A FULL DAY of beauty. Everything from a massage, mani/pedi, hair and make-up. Oh yeah that was the way to go! Then I got married, but the mother-daughter tradition lived on.

Shortly after that the biggest thing to happen to my holiday hair transpired. I WENT TO BEAUTY SCHOOL!!! Talk about putting a “tease” in an up style. The fun was just about to start!  I was put in charge of doing my mom’s hair and my hair for the party. My mother became a saint over those first few years of my career because let’s face it, my up styles were less than good (they pretty much sucked) but my mother wore all of them with pride because I had done them. Only a mother’s love! I would love to share some of the pictures from that era but that is “classified information.”

Years have gone by and many a bobby pin has passed through my hands. Now the up styles are lovely. Many have been high fashion. But my favorite will always be doing that special style for the woman who wants to turn heads as she walks through the door of a friend’s Christmas Party.

So this year when you are picking out your very best holiday outfits don’t forget the hair and let the girls at dsparada color salon bring back that little girl excitement for each one of you! Treat yourself to a wonderful holiday style. You know your mother would approve!

*this one is for you mom. I love you – Vicki