ShineForth Salon is now OPEN!

The idea for a new home brewed in my heart for about a year, as I struggled with the joy and gratitude for being busy and yet feeling I was unable to deliver my full attention to my clients.  I felt distracted by the "salon" environment, which has become the norm out in the world.  I wanted to create beauty, in a place of beauty, without the usual hubbub of a salon.  The idea of moving had to happen, my soul needed it.

Opening Night

A colleague showed me pictures of his new, beautiful studio in Southern California and said he never looked back, going out on his own and working alone.  And that meeting is what cinched it for me.

I knew enough that it would have to be a case of the right place, right timing, and then leaping!  So I kept my eyes open, and then I saw it.

Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, CA, is where I worked 15 years ago.  The street has changed in a good way, with more going on, more youth, and yet classic restaurants like Bay Wolfe still thrive on the street.

I am happy to be in my new home, as we continue working on the last details.  Thank you to all my clients who have made this move with me, who continue to support my dreams, and who give so much!  I want to give to you even more than what you expect because I can.  And a special thanks to the clients who purchased services ahead of time to make a move possible. 

Thank you to one of my best friends, Mary Anne McKearnie of MA Designs, who designed the space and gave her time as a gift!  I love my new home.

We will have a Grand Opening in the Fall, so stay tuned.

Mad for Love

Nikol Elaine, my favorite local makeup artist, and I met up with many hip, fun entrepreneurs in the wedding industry. The event, Mad for Love, provided a small venue for brides to meet up with local vendors in a more accessible setting.

Meeting brides is always a fun endeavor. Nikol and I shared our expertise and handed out business cards. I also found meeting the other service providers to be exciting and beneficial.

So if you are planning a wedding, feel free to reach out if you are looking for a dress, caterer, florist, or photographer.

Wedding Photo Shoot

Photo shoots are an excellent way for me to exercise my creativity. I love the camaraderie on a shoot, where "the team" is working on a common goal of getting fabulous pictures. The purpose of this shoot was to create a series of bridal looks.

The team consisted of photographer Kristina Varaksina, beautiful designs by Joseph Domingo, Makeup Artist Chloe Rainwater, Model Lindy Castro, and flowers by 7 Victoria Street. Great group of inspired creatives! In bridal looks, detail is everything.

'For this series, I began with the looks that were the softest in texture to allow me to build the hair up with products as the day progressed. This shoot was ALL DAY!

I worked with L'Oreal Professionnel products, beginning with Volumetry and Volume Envy Mousse. Second look, I used some Infinium hairspray.

Third look, more Infinium hair spray, and the use of pins.

Styling at Ma Jolie Salon in San Ramon

Ma Jolie Salon in San Ramon hosted L'Oreal Professionnel and invited other salons to participate in this Hands-On workshop led by Sean Metcalf-hair colorist at Grasshopper Salon in Sf, and yours truly got to style these waves.

It's incredibly satisfying to educate in the field and help other hairstylists strengthen their skill set in styling. Here we used various texture-building products on dry hair, then we protected the hair against the heat of the curling wands and irons and sprayed in the sets with Infinium #3 and #4.

I love the flexibility of the L'Oreal Professionnel styling products for photo shoots and weddings. These products are classic, but we used them differently than you might think or how the directions say to use them. "You can break the rules when you know why you are breaking them," I always tell my students.

The vibe was friendly and welcoming at Ma Jolie. since we colored the hair, we had the opportunity to start the styling with a blow dry. As you can see in the photos, with long hair, it is essential, so I can dry accordingly with round brushes in the direction we want the hair to go. From the get-go, I could build the texture and smoothness from the beginning and establish where the partings would go.

I finished the hair using the curling iron, parting the hair in sections following the direction of the fall of hair, pinning as we went along. I finished by spraying the hair, and then I let the hair cool down so that it would hold better.

I pinned hair in place for the up style, and because of the set with an iron, it held much better. 

Overall, it was a fun and enjoyable day.

Wedding Hairstyle

Styling hair for weddings can be tricky. A bride usually brings in a photo that may or may not look like the same texture as her own. From there, it's my job to recognize her hair texture and be honest about what it will or will not do. Of course, working with a client who respects this honesty is always easier. Managing expectations is part of my job.

I always focus on what I can do. For Candace, who has lots of hair, it was essential to find a way to dress up her hair so that it felt gorgeous and would stay put.! I brushed L'Oreal Professionnel's Mousse Volupt́é into the hair to create a texture of hair that would hold. Then I sprayed Infinium #3 on each section, used a curling rod, and pinned the curls.

I wanted to create an elegant hairstyle that, that night or the next day, could be taken down and have lots of body in the hair.

Beauty

I read this story this morning, and this woman's story touched me deeply.  Her words remind me of why I do what I do for a living, and have for the last 30 years.

Behind the Scenes at SNOW 3

SNOW 3 Another white fashion event!  January 28th, 2012- We were cooking backstage with 36 models, irons, back brushing, pins, and plenty of L'Oreal Professionnel Densite, Mousse Volupte, and Infinium #3!

Thanks to Scott Smith, Heather Jassem, Aviva Morger for their assistance, and expertise.  Thank you to Cari Borja, and Julie Schindler for their lovely designs.  And a great big thank you to Joseph Domingo, and all the others who made this event go smoothly.

Beyond Chef Wear by Daniel Sudar

Christophe Tomatis Photography

On December 4, 2011, Daniel Sudar debuted his chef wear line at San Francisco's Mercury lounge. I felt honored to participate in hairstyling the models for this show.  Not only is Daniel humble, but a great talent! With only two years, officially, in the design industry, he is off to an amazing career. Why shouldn't chefs look fabulous as they create their tasty morsels?  Makeup Sara Dashty

Cari Borja Designs Photo Shoot

Tear sheets were laid out for me.  Each of the three models, which included Cari,  needed to look different from the other.

I set up at 9:00 am, and started on the task of styling hair and applying make-up on our first model, finishing at 1:00 pm.

Cari's Designs are feminine, fanciful, and flirtatious, so we played with the idea of keeping the hair simple, casual, and approachable.

Cari's ease, charm, and adept storytelling skill made me realize she has crafted her life into one that is creative, and full, and that she is doing none other than what she is meant to do. How fantastic to be a part of the endeavor.

www.cariborja.com

NAHA Awards 2009

Just got back from Las Vegas.  I attended the NAHA awards ceremony at Mandalay Bay. I saw beautiful images of hair by some of the greats in the industry, like Vivienne Mackinder, Lucie Doughty, and Maureen Anlauf.

I felt inspired by these hair artists who are driven to execute their work to the level at which they do, and who then want to pass on their knowledge to those who are hungry to know.  I would love nothing more than to take a walk with a few of them, and hear about their creative process, see what they notice in their surroundings, what do their dreams reveal about their work.         

I sat in the audience, sometimes sad that there were not a more enthusiastic applause for the hard work, and hours of combing, teasing, and polishing hair that these stylists have spent on their creations.

And yet, the number of students present left me remembering the early days of my career, and wanting to be at every hair show possible.  They couldn't have chosen a more high caliber event on the West Coast.

Diana and I, the owner at Keter Hair Salon, shared in our mixed feelings of overwhelm, awe, and humility at the idea of even trying to compete next year.

Another Dee Conway Shoot

This time we shot with Trina. What a fun model...by the end of the evening, Trina was just warming up, she could have continued long past sundown. Dee, followed and calmly suggested her own ideas as well.

 April 18th. Amtrak station in Berkeley, blocks from Keter Hair Salon. The chill left me hugging my jacket shut, in between holding up the reflector for Dee.  Trina was playful, and able to accomodate Dee's gentle instructions of laying down on the tracks, sitting and standing on them, between trains.

A few onlookers stood around, but basically we had the place to ourselves.  I think our shots worked.  As usual, Dee is a complete pleasure to work with, and always so prompt in her delivery of images.

 Make-up by Pheakdey Bun.

Audacity of Change- An Inaugural Fashion Benefit

In order to celebrate the election of President Barack Obama, we thought what better waythan to express it through nonconformity in a fashion show.

Girl Talk Band set the tone for the evening, and gave generously by playing melodic blues, latin, world jazz.   We were quite fortunate to have Angie Coiro MC our show, also giving her time for the cause.   She added flare, fun, humor and a feeling of generosity.   Denise Pate of Destiny Arts gave a brief introduction to the great work the organization offers in the Oakland schools.  To find out more about the great work Destiny Arts offers, check out www.destinyarts.org. 

Our sixteen models represented our coummunity; women of all ages, backgrounds, and body type. The show felt global as the first models walked to the chant from the Nicherin Daishonin Buddhism out of Japan, wearing masks that we had made, shedding them as they left the room.  They then sashayed to Gypsy Jazz. 

What I enjoyed most about this event was the gathering of creative people.  In the salon that day, there was a feeling of excitement and love of our craft, not to mention pure creativity as the stylsits, and owner of Keter Salon came together to contribute to something larger than the everyday at the salon.  

Our stepping out to the community was met with the community coming to us...130 people filled the space, standing room only.  At the end of the day, we raised some money, Giselle Shepatin gave generously as well.  She sold clothing before and after the event, and donated a percentage of her sales to the cause.   She also offered beautiful, handmade scarves as gifts for the raffle.

I want to thank some of the Fourth Street merchants in Berkeley, CA, and the people listed for their donations:           The Nail Lounge      GirlTalkBand - www.girltalkband.com      Angie Coiro      Peet's Tea & Coffee      Bette's Diner      George's      Bare Minerals      The Vivarium      Patrick Gilligan      Lori Cheung - www.theportraitphotographer.com      Marcia Walden Skin Care      Dee Conway - Photography      Earl Crabb - www.humbeadenterprises.com      Cordelia DeVere - www.renegadeart.com      Molly B Clothing Store      Castle in the Air      Scarlett Garcia      Cafe M      Another Planet      Simma Leiberman      Dana Argenzana      Stacy Appel

Audacity of Change

This year has been all about the visual. I coordinated an Inaugural Fashion Benefit, called the Audacity of Change, for Destiny Arts in Oakland, California, Giselled Shepatin, and Keter Hair Salon.  I had six weeks to plan an event I had dreamt of doing for years.  Giselle Shepatin sat in my chair one night, and we talked about new ways for her to market herself, and so I suggested she come to the salon and have an event...before I knew it, I volunteered to create a benefit.

Thank you friends, loyal clients, and coworkers for all your support! 

The Hair Left Behind

I think of all the thousands of heads of hair I have cut in my career, and all the hair left behind, and the clients who, walk out the door with a bit more bounce in their step.  I think of all the things I could do with the millions of strands that fall to the ground.  I imagine how heavy that pile would it have accumulated into one massive hair ball, or creating walls, tunnels, out the door and onto the street.  I could stand the piles up, side by side, the difference in textures, and colors would be as disparaging as the clients who have sat in my chair.  Some piles would be 1/2 inch by 1'', some would me 5" deep, depending on the client.  If I could flatten out the piles, I could make squares, like a quilt, connecting their lives.  I could create a time line with the squares from when I began, til' now, building a path laid out into infinity.  If I could stack the flattened squares, I would stand on top and feel how tall these clients have helped to make me feel.  If that quilt of hair could float, it would surely buoy me a long ways out on a turbulent ocean, and keep me safe.  If these piles could tell the stories of the clients that leave the salon, carrying on in their day, and into their lives, as a new person, in their new look, it would be a very interesting story.  If I could jumble the pile up, mixing, tossing, like a summer vegetable salad, I would have a very colorful, unique, wondrous, and very deep mix of personalities, experiences and preferences.

http://search.creativecommons.org/freeparking

Will This Haircut Make Me Look Thin?

Yes.  A client did ask this very question the other day, albeit, with humor in her voice.  We laughed.  The question made me pause.  As a hairstylist, I am asked many things or am considered many things, some of which are spoken and not spoken.  Sometimes I am seen as a magician, who performs daring acts of color combinations, or haircuts that make one take a second look. No, I don't pull rabbits out of hats, and I don't disappear in front of the mirror or make lines disappear on the face. But yes, I can make someone look thinner with a haircut. It's all about the shape of the head, and of the haircut.  What type of hair, the texture, the condition, and the client’s willingness to let go of the concept "more hair is better", are all elements to consider before I cut.  Different line designs accent different features or facial shapes, or they can completely drag them down.

In general, when someone has a broad, square shape face, I am going to go in and soften the face by cutting a nice, layered haircut, how short the layers depend on, again, how much hair a person has, or texture.  I am not talking about bulky, fat layers, but square layers, more shaped around the face.  The length can be mid-length, or shorter, again depending on hair type and texture.  If a shorter length is desired, I would go in and do round layers quite short, leaving some hair in front of the ear, but shorter above the ear, leaving some hair on the neck.  In front, I tend to cut asymmetrically.  It works to offset a long, and or broad face.

If a client has a round face, I would tend to want to elongate their look and take hair away from their face, by creating an oval shape in the perimeter.  Then graduate into round layers, and a bit more movement  Again, this is very general.

If a client has a heart-shaped face, I would tend to do bobs, shorter, more dramatic looks, unless they prefer length, too long is too much of a drag on the face, but some women want it anyway.

Although I don't do facelifts or weight reduction, a great haircut can make a dramatic change in someone looking more alive, taller, chic, and definitely thinner.

The $30,000 Pyramid

"So, what do you love about your hair?  What don't you like about it?  And when did you last get your haircut?"  I asked to begin the consultation with Leslie, a new client. Through Squaw Valley Writer's Conference in "07, I met a group of women writer's from the Bay Area.  Some of us have remained in contact, some have read at the readings I've held at the salon, and a few have even become clients.  One of the writer's that I had become a client, referred her friend Leslie.  Her curly hair was lovely, and way over due for a cut.  The longest layer on top reached to about her chin, sagging her beautiful face down "I'm one of those annoying clients, who wants to keep some length, but feel it's too heavy up here,"  she replied, pulling at her hair on top.  "I just got it cut six weeks ago.  That isn't very long is it?"

"No, it isn't, not for curly hair." 

"I feel like always leave with the same haircut."

"What attitude do you want your hair to have?"

"Ooh, that is a good question.  I've never been asked that.  Hmm.  Well, what do you think I have?"

"Long hair."

"Yeah, I feel like I look like a hippie, but without the hippie."

"Do you want to move into something a little more edgy?"

"What does that mean?"

"Edgy means to me a stronger shape."

"What does that look like?"

"Okay well, let me get my hands in here.  I think if you brought the length up to shoulder length, then took this hair away from your face a bit, slightly off center, then layered out this top, we'd be getting somewhere. I want to round out it out, so that you don't have a pyramid shape, and I'll do some dry cutting."

"Sounds, good.  Yeah, I've had the $30,000 pyramid quite often."

"You are funny." 

"Well, you come up with all kinds of names when you've had this kind of hair for a long time."

She removed her glasses, which was as slight discomfort, because she could not say anything. And so we cut, and cut and cut.  I asked at one point I asked if she would like to put the glasses back on.  No, she said, she was enjoying not seeing.  Then product instruction, then I twisted the hair and diffused.  Her hair looked fabulous.  Bouncy, full, sassy.   

I unwrapped her, she reached for her glasses, and as we spun the chair around, she exclaimed, "Oh wow.  I love it." She remained in the chair a bit, wanting to take in her image a bit.  We laughed about her looking for reflective surfaces to gaze in, on her way home.  We agreed it was a transformation.

http://search.creativecommons.org/photogirl7

http://search.creativecommons.org/Neil Carey's photostream

Hair Can Undo It All

Over a bottle of Chardonnay and a seafood platter at the Martini Oyster Bar in Sonoma, three of us couples talked about everything.  We laughed so much that my cheeks hurt, and my eyes watered.  One couples are a husband and wife team that are clients of mine.  I commented on the fact that Joanie is a dream client.  She is a client of Julie Schindler's as well, she knew exactly what I meant.  Julie is a wonderful fashion designer and designs most of what Joanie wears.  They have known each other for a long time now.  And what we love about Joanie is her ability to trust in, and pull forth the best work of those who provide a service for her.  She loves to turn it over.  When I pull off the cutting cape and she goes to the dressing room to change, I wait to see the finished look.  She walks out looking stunning every time.  Why?  Because she dresses, and her hair always looks good. There are people whom I have never seen dressed in their best, and yet they may wear great hair.  But then, some dress well but never make changes to their hair.  We all agreed that the hair can undo it all, the hair is the crown and glory. It must come down to fear.  Fear of looking good, fear of not looking good, fear of change, fear of attention.  I know women who can spend thousands of dollars on a wardrobe, per season, and who refuse to dress when they come into the salon. They wear sweatpants and Uggs.  But not Joanie!  She is confident in who she is, and she doesn't need approval from anybody... but she receives more positive feedback where ever she goes.  When she walks into a room, people look, because everything is congruent.

Every designer I know works very hard and deals with quite a bit of stress, every designer needs to find what they love in what they do, and not waste time doing all the other stuff.  Julie loves designing for Joanie because she is appreciated, and Joanie wears her clothes with ease.

Julie's designs are fabulous!  Classic with a twist;  beautiful fabrics, lined slacks, interesting shapes, detailed finishing.  Julie has class, and provides quality fashion, for a modest price.  She, unfortunately, doesn't have a website yet. The success of her business manifested through word of mouth.

I wished I would have brought my camera with me.

Nymph in the Woods

We had the clothes, shoes and jewelry, location, and a wonderful model.  Everything went as planned.  Racheal arrived on time, and we met up with Dee as scheduled.  Then the fog cleared, giving us some sun highlight in all the right places.  We decided to go with two looks, complete with dress, lipstick, and hair changes. I even needed to let go of the updo concept I had prepared, because what was happening with the hair in the moment was lovely.     Shooting with Dee Conway was the most pleasurable experience I've had doing hair and make up on location. She has an amazing eye, she is flexible, she goes for what she wants with a light hand. She is creative with her direction, spontaneous, and unafraid to say what she is loving.  She could have walked off into the sunset with Racheal, clicking away.  I should have let her go down into the meadow.  Buy by then, Racheal was getting cold, we had shot for three hours, and I knew we had captured some beautiful images. 

Some things are worth doing, just to do it.  This shoot brought me so much pleasure, it was truly satisfying.  The vision of Racheal, in the woods, looking exquisitly beautiful made me teary eyed, and grateful for the opportunity to create beauty.  

 For more about Dee, photographer extraordinaire.  www.deeconway.com   

Thank you Dee, Racheal, and Cari! 

                 

Past Lives

Once in awhile you meet someone who reminds you that there is such a thing as past lives lived, and maybe you come back together to continue the dialogue.  I had met Laura in the salon I worked at in downtown Oakland for 14 years.  She was a long time client of Joni's.  Laura is an artist, and we all had met working for the Personal Style Counselors, or PSC, in Oakland back in the 80's.  Laura would select color palettes for our clients.  After a client received their "harmonies", they would walk down the stairs to our salon, Kay's Collective, to have their hair done by the likes of Joni, myself and fourteen other stylists.  All this to say that Laura and I knew of each other, and then, eight years ago, she sat in my chair.  This is when we began to explore our connection. 

Laura is an artist who truly sees color, and has a deep respect for the canvas, the paint, and her relationship to the craft.  Her paintings capture a light essence, and yet her technique shows the depth of her understanding of the medium.  Her paintings delight me with her use of color, they are magical and inspirational, and yet I feel if I let myself gaze longer I can enter into the painting, and go many places.  After the birth of my daughter, I decided to take a painting class with her, and loved every minute of it.  I met Delfina Piretti there, and other delightful women.  And so, in our exploration, we not only share PSC in the past,  but now the desire to create beauty.

She not only is a wonderful artist, but a beauty, on the inside and out.  She works in the are of Transofrmative Arts.  She coaches, she speaks, as well as creates her own art.  Her list of accomplishments go on to astound me.  She has a great ability to drop down into pithy conversation, and on the other hand, we can laugh, and do.  As time goes on, we realize more and more, and appreciate the fact that, indeed, we have known each other a long time.  I have tremendous respect for Laura for many reasons, one of which is how she is determined to live a life that contributes to those around her. 

                                                    

Check out the interview with her, she shares her ideas on Color.

We did her makeup and hair last week and took these photos.           

To find out more about how talented, and how much this woman offers up to the world, check out her new website www.whitebirdrising.com

Thank you Laura, I look forward to discovering, and remembering our dear connection and how this thread will weave our lives together.

Museums

I stand in the very three foot area that my favorite hairstylist has performed her craft for years.  It's as if I stand in her own personal museum.   Not because there are artifacts of hers hanging around me, or relics of her hair do's that line the wall behind me.  I feel as though her energy surrounds me, encourages me, reminds me of the creativity that abounds. I just need to tap in to the resevoir that has lived here long before I have arrived.  And, I believe she will haunt us to be kind to each other, to draw upon each others strengths, and let the small stuff fade away. It will be interesting to see how the energy shifts however, how the group of stylists reconfigure around her not being there, and being with what is.  Who and what will fill the space. She doesn't leave town till next week.  So, we will go have breakfast at one of my favorite places, La Note in Berkeley, and then go to SFMOMA to visit the Freida Kahlo exhibit.  Two weeks ago we visited the Annie Leibowitz exhibit at the Veteran's Memorial.  I was so impressed with the vulnerability I experienced in viewing her work.  My only regret is that we didn't explore our relationship outside of the salon before this.  I will cherish every moment as we take in the art, talk and share time with one another.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I'm busying myself not only with writing one of the most challenging stories of the book project so far, but I'm preparing for another editorial shoot on Sunday.  I called Savanna yesterday in search of size 10 heels.  Dee Conway the photographer and I will work together, which I'm really looking forward to.  She has a creative eye, plus she is funny as can be.  We have a great model from Rabaat shoe store, Rachael, who once modeled in Europe for a period of time.  We've come up with the concept for hair.  

                                                         

I sped around town yesterday, looking for jewelry, leggings, and shoes. I didn't find shoes.  Kind of critical. I can spend 100. on a pair, but do I want to for the shoot.  I don't want to fall short of a fabulous shot, just because of the shoes, they are pretty important.  We are going for romantic and feminine, perhaps a bit of a period feel to it.

Maybe I need to hunt earlier next time, instead of waiting till the final week. We have a fabulous dress, loaned to us by the talented Cari Borja, a designer in Berkeley, CA. Check it out.  This loan is a very generous offer.  Thank you Cari.  To see more of her designs, check out:   www.cariborja.com

                                                                                                       

A museum of Savanna's haircuts?  Not a bad idea.  She gave me this latest.