AVEDA ROADSHOW..... THE RE-CREATE COLLECTION

RECREATE...... to create anew.

Tuesday 27th October at 24, Soho was the launch of the "Re-create" collection for AVEDA. Working for an AVEDA salon, it was great to see the AVEDA Artistic Team at work, presenting works from the collection, and also hairstyles influenced by the collection. Having learnt the collection a few months ago, which quite a few of my clients are already sporting the styles, it was a great opportunity to see the greatest hairstylists AVEDA have to offer at work. The hair cuts and colors are extremely wearable while being individual without looking 'try hard' which unfortunately so many hairdressers get wrong. From the quiffed "Morrissey' gents do, to the graduated "Sling" bob, and my personal favourite the "Chic Shag".

AVEDA is a brand that stays true to its mission of providing a sustainable, natural based luxury cosmetic brand that thinks about the world around us. And while it does this, it sets trends and continues to gain respect in the fashion/beauty world. I love AVEDA, and I love RE-CREATE.

INTRODUCING KELLY MATTHEWS

PEOPLE WATCH

FAVOURITE SAYING: "Loves it"

HAIR ICON: Bridgette Bardot

STLYE ICON: Juliette Lewis and Marilyn Monroe

PRODUCTS CANT LIVE WITHOUT: Hairspray, Aveda Shampoo and Mascara

OCCUPATION: Visual Merchandiser (Window Bitch)

COIFFURE CULTURE LOVES YOU KELLY MATTHEWS.......

"THE DOLLYKNOT"

The hottest hair trend of the moment. As seen on the catwalks of LFW, The Times Style magazine, even GMTV have mentioned this fresh and contemporary up do. One would assume that the name comes from the resemblance to dolls hair. It is simply a bun on the top of your head, that translates into a classic style which screams individuality and confidence as it is unique without trying too hard. Its also a style that can be easily repeated at home by the untrained individual. It can be messy or really preened and sleek.

All you need to do is sweep hair up to form a mega high ponytail on the top of your head. This is the main step that needs to be adhered to. The hair cant be too low, otherwise it will resemble the classic bun. This more contemporary version must sit on the top of the head, almost so it looks like it is balancing perfectly like a book. Always use some hairspray to assist in holding your hair in place. Once secured, twist your ponytail and mist with some spray. Start wrapping the hair around itself to make a bun. Secure the end of your ponytail by tucking underneath the lowest point of the bun and secure with some kirby grips. DONE.

You can customise the 'dollyknot' depending if you have a fringe or not. For the most dramatic, slightly 80's influenced finish, team with a blunt box fringe (personal favourite). You could also leave some hair down around the face to soften the look if wearing all your hair up off your face is too much.

Bring some power dressing to your next day in the office or even a night out. Its HOT.

"LETS TALK ABOUT THE ULTIMATE FOUNDATION"

I am constantly reading about new foundations that have come onto the market, and i must ask are they really needed? The foundation and cosmetic industry is a huge money spinning game, with all women (and some men) constantly on the hunt for the 'ULTIMATE' foundation. I do believe that its great to keep up to date with new products on the market, although having perfect skin comes from 40% product and 60% application skills. By following my foolproof guide below, you will understand how models and celebrities always look so fabulous. They either have a makeup artist doing the work for them, or they understand the basics of good makeup application.

Having trained with MAC Cosmetics, and gained buckets of experience in the fashion/beauty industry, I think its about time that understanding makeup comes a lot easier. To start, foundation is a product made to even out skin tone and give a NATURAL appearance. This is achieved by using the rule, 'less is more'. So all you need to do is get a foundation expertly matched to your skin so that the color sinks straight into your skin. If its too warm, that means its orange, and if its slightly pale, it will be ghostly. I swear by AVEDA inner light tinted moisturiser to even out the skin tone and provide a perfect glow to the face. A light coverage foundation is all you need, as the secret comes with my next step, concealer. Having a concealer with a medium to full coverage is best for the skin. This is what you next apply to any areas on the face that need extra assistance to look flawless. Concentrate on blemishes and also the t-zone area of the face. Build the product up in the areas that need the help, as this way the rest of your skin will still be fresh and natural looking. Make sure to blend the concealer into your skin so that its not obvious that it is there, and finish with a light powder to set the products onto the face for maximum wearability.

EASY..... If Kate Moss can do it, you can too. She is human you know!

TO WIG OR NOT TO WIG

I love wigs! They offer such an escapism. You really can be whoever you want to be just by popping on a wig. You dont have to go through the heartache of changing your hair color and then a few weeks later realising that you want to be back to your original color. I feel that celebs like Lady Gaga, Lily Allen and Alexandra Burke of xfactor fame have really got it right. I find it so funny that for some reason its only when someone becomes "successful" that they start having the guts to play around with wigs. We (normal people) should definitely latch onto the trend of wigs and start having a good time with it too! Take Lady Gaga for example, yes love her or hate her, you cant fault her for having a great time with her image. She truly knows how to express herself through her image. We have bow hair, black wig goth gaga and porn platinum gaga. Also Lily Allen with her platinum overgrown bob wig, its good. VERY VERY GOOD.

Now i do want to put a slight downer on the subject by stating that its very important to have a good wig, and this usually means $$$$$$. We all remember Britney with her cheap drug store purchased synthetic wig after she had a run in with a not so friendly pair of clippers. This wig, not so good. It did definitely give her an image, a crazy "i just shaved my hair off" one. If thats the kind of look that you wanna go for, then do it, although i would just like to remind you that its not the best look. Its very "hens night abroad". Why not check out your local Afro hair shop and check out the wigs they have instore? Or even just surf the web and find a supplier. A wig purchase is an investment, that if you pay the right amount, and maintain your purchase, the cost will be worthwhile.

Personally i dont have any hair as i lost it all as a result of androgenetic alopecia at the ripe age of 19. I might just have a go with a wig. There are some days when i wish i had some hair to play around with, and if i listen to what i preach, i could just do that. What you think????

THE QUICK GUIDE TO HOT HAIR COLOR

OK so you want to have hot hair??? EASY i believe i have come up with a fantastically simple way of identifying what color hair one should adorn that will provide the all important image they want to exude.

1- BOLD COLORS

We start off with three shades for the most dramatic impact and personality. These are Platinum Blonde, Ginger (any shade of) and finally Black. These 3 shades of hair color can show a real individuality and guts. Most people with fair skin can pull off any of the above, although it just depends which shade you personally feel most comfortable with. Its simple really... porcelain skin, black/ginge/platinum, and a bold lip color... your officially very cool and on trend. It doesnt matter if its summer or winter you will always be at the front of hair fashion with these shades.

2- ANY SHADE VARIATION IN BETWEEN

Now if its 'natural', beautiful hair your after, then you slot into the color shades inbetween these 3 main contenders. A softer shade of blonde, a natural glossy warm brown, or a dark brown to match your natural tone. These shades which take up a majority of color services are the ones that most people that dont really want to put out a strong image, but a 'natural' one will adorn. We have highlights that dont look like highlights, warm shades of brown that look lightened by the sun, and also deeper browns for a shine that you can only otherwise see in a Pantene advertisement.

I would never want to sound like i only like completing dramatic applications of color, although i do think that what you want to look like to other people has a huge impact on what hair color/cut you have. Its a vanity thing at the end of the day.

WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE???????

GINGERISM

Noun/Slang

Definition- prejudice or discrimination against people with red hair.

GINGER MINGE, FIRECROTCH, FANTA PANTS, RANGA, GINGER..... the list goes on and on.

Why is it that in the UK people are slightly obsessed with making people with ginger hair aware that they have ginger hair??? Why is it a reason to scream across the street at a stranger "GGGGGGGGGIIIIIIIINNNNGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEERRRRRRRR"????

I too have a slight obsession about ginger locks, but in the opposite way. I do believe that it is the ultimate color for one to adorn. This began for me very early in my career. Whenever i had the oppurtunity i would happily slather shades of titian, copper and red on my waiting victims/client. I even remember convincing my mother that the colour i turned her hair was 'copper' not 'orange', when in fact it was the brightest that orange could get. The problem was that my darling mother actually loved it, it was only her Gingerist attitude taking the better of her.

So what i have done is a collection appropriately named 'GINGERISM' to challenge the prejudice towards redheads and celebrate their beauty. I have known that the trend of ginger hair has been approaching over the past few seasons, as its only natural that when humans feel negatively about something, that negativity eventually turns 180 degrees to shine a new light on the subject at hand. Find an extract from my Press Release below.

Ginger hair has long been the object of ridicule. But now, as trend-setting beauties like La Roux’s Elly Jackson, Florence and the Machine’s Florence Welch and Girls Aloud’s Nicola Roberts embrace the shade, the colour is enjoying a red-hot revival.

Danny Puoplo’s debut hair collection ‘Gingerism’ challenges the prejudice associated with redheads and instead celebrates their natural beauty. Each of his eight images illustrates a different take on the trend – from Beth Ditto’s new orange crop to doll-faced Lily Cole’s naturally fiery red mane.

“I believe that ginger hair is the ultimate hair colour as it portrays a contemporary powerful image,” he says. “Not only is it bright and youthful, but it’s also one of the most individual looks that anybody can wear. It can scream or whisper to your heart’s content and it is incredibly fashion and fresh.”

“Each of my looks began by assessing my model’s skin tone in order to combine the perfect shade of copper to her look. Using Aveda hair colour, I was able to perfect both intense and softer shades of ginger. I teamed the hair colours with equally strong emphasised shaped cuts and lots of curls, which gave volume and height to my ‘80s power-dressing inspired silhouettes. Anybody can take an aspect from each look and use it for their own hair, which keeps my collection commercial and very on-trend.”

So there we have it... Very soon i will feature the images and discuss why they are relevent to the professional hairdresser and also the non industry trained fashionista.

So please keep posted, and until then challenge your own views on the topic. At the end of the day, its only the color of someones hair..... and lets face it, its hot.

COIFFURE CULTURE LAUNCH!!!!

Welcome to the launch of COIFFURE CULTURE. The space where i am able to explore current hair and makeup trends that creatively inspire and impact the way i work and live my life. Having worked in the industry for the past decade, i have always been intrigued by the way trends are developed and how they are filtered down into commercial reality. This is my way of exploring these trends, predicting whats more to come, and also keeping my creative flame alive in hair and makeup.