What`s Trending?...

THIS!  This shot pretty much sums up the time period and era that we in salons are currently bringing back to life.  I know that I included a shot of a pretty Parisien woman smoking a cig,  but come on does anything sum up this period better?!  I mean the pin curls,  the deep skip waves,  the chignons,  and french rolls,  AWW what a time to be a busy little stylist.


The wave of trend right now has taken us into a period that we first saw in the 20`s and then saw repeated in the 60`s.  A period where women were whole heartedly "pin ups",  in every sense of the word they looked perfect and exuded perfection.  The amount of time that was taken to achieve the looks they wore with regularity was very excessive,  and therefore for done in salon for the most part.  It was very common for a woman of that period to have her hair styled on a Tuesday at a professional salon and leave it until that Saturday night.  They would get some serious self life out of there styles because they would absolutely pummel themselves with a chemical shower of spray and setting lotion!  


Other styles common of that period were softer and more natural,  provided you were a woman who already had that texture of hair.  It was easier on those ladies because they were able to avoid the whole step of setting curl into their hair before they styled it.  This is a period that most confident stylists are very happy to recreate because it became the basis of our basic education in styling school.  


Embrace it ladies,  and PLEASE allow me to help you by coming in and having us do the work!  It would be our pleasure.  If any one has any questions they would like answered on how to create this curl by yourself,  or quick ways to achieve these timeless looks drop me a line and I would LOVE to get back to you!

Hair-O-Matic

I think that this is something that most of you have dreamed of having at one point or another. With this great future invention comes some positives for sure BUT also some negatives... I will let you be the judge.
P.S. Great Writing and Direction by Rosie S. Miles!

A BOB is all you need!

So I freaked out when we found out about being nominated for a weblog award in two categories!  I don`t know if you could all tell yesterday that that was the case!  I was truly humbled to even have been considered.  Today though I gotta get back to business,  I`ve got to get back to story telling and question answering because THAT is what you all truly want to hear about!  Lets get back on track here shall we?

Today I wanna chat about bobs,  the most highly addictive and practical haircut of the last 50 years! (If you date it back to the 60`s anyway.)  This cut has become a staple in most salons the world over,  with many different variations and textures a bob is still a bob.  I have a couple of guests that WILL NOT... CANNOT... Ever change. The bob can be funked up to create a trendier, edgier look with colours,  and can be worn a bit more classical and almost parisian influenced with no colour and clean lines.  


I will say this I understand  where you guys are coming from!  And can recommend only this...  ADD BANGS!  Or change the colour every once in a while or I don`t know... Just don`t get stuck in that same  look for the rest of your life!  LOL!  Anyway,  just figured I`d share that thought today,  hope you got a laugh.

Saturday Night Lights, Camera, Askin!!

So here we go again folks! Its Saturday Night!!! So we have questions coming like crazy and tonight I decided to address one that I thought would really help the client who asked it. Tonight we are going to answer a question that I think a lot of people ask themselves. We were asked what the best bang to choose is for a round face shape. Check this vid out!

Top CROP!

YES!!  This summer just won`t quit! Thank goodness!  I mean we are getting away with wearing shorts out there still!  CRAZY!  Anyway,  hopefully you are all enjoying this amazing weather and taking it in for all that its worth.  I have a great question to answer today for a guest who has been quite patient in waiting for my reply!  Let`s get to it!...

"I have short, relatively thick, grey hair. My stylist left my current salon. Because the owner feels “short cuts are easy”, I have been assigned on the last two occasions to new hairstylists. Neither gave me the look I like/asked for: quite short and funky/spiky. I think short cuts are tough to do. My hair likes to grow forward and I have 4 cowlicks to contend with. This last cut gave me what I call a “Caesar-like” look. Can you recommend me to the best stylist Evoke (Eglinton & Yonge) has for short hair? I’d like to take Sara up on her enthusiastic recommendation and thought I would take advantage of your Q&A blog to find the right stylist for me".


I can for sure!  I would recommend that you check out Ergys Tafilica as your go to guy!  He is AWESOME when it comes to creating short, textured looks that have an edge to them.  Ergys is our senior most stylist at the Yonge and Eglinton location and has worked for the company for 8 years now.  He is stylist to Rick Campanelli of ET Canada has  earned a reputation for being and industry leader with his eclectic collection of Trendsetting edgy cuts that set the bar for cutting edge fashion.  A real people person with a penchant for change and progression,  I think you would not only have a great time being in Ergys` chair but also really love the finished product!  Hope that helped and please let me know how it goes Lorraine! Thanks again for your question and sorry for my tardy response!

Saturday Night Lights, Camera, Askin !!!

Hello Everybody! Its Saturday Night!!!!

I hope that you are all gearing up for a great remainder of the weekend. Having said that for me this is just the start! Anyway tonight we had a question come in from Margaret in Toronto and she wanted to know how I felt about hot rollers and whether or not she should chuck hers or continue to use them. I hope to have given her a great answer that will help in her quest for wonderfully full hair that takes 3 minutes to create! Check out this vid...

Colour Your World!

Hello peoples! This is the longest summer ever! YES! Here is hoping it continues....  I hope you have all been taking in the sights and sounds of this year`s TIFF festival in Toronto.  I know I have having already seen two films that rocked!  Anyway I always feel so alive in Toronto at this time of year and feel generally proud to be a Torontonian experience the awesome time that TIFF is.  Having said that I decided that this year I was gonna try something with this whole TIFF Buzz.  We are going to post the look of a celebrity who is currently here everyday that this festival goes on!  Why Not?  Let us show you our favourite looks of TIFF!  Anyway,  keep your eyes peeled for that on our Facebook page!  But for now lets get to today`s question...


"Hi there,  I was wondering how to choose the right colour for my skin tone when going a little darker for fall?"




Well the first thing to assess is your skin tone.  If you are a person with pale skin the last thing you want to do is go too dark!  If you go too dark it will wash you out and make you look more pale and in some cases even slightly older!  Crazy I know!  But true.  What you want to bare in my is that you want to avoid too much of a contrast,  you never want to end up with a hair colour that is too severely opposite you skin tone ( Unless of course you are Kate Beckinsale who can pull off literally anything!)  You always want to try and compliment your natural tone,  so when going darker if you have a lighter skin tone maybe add a very soft Balayage of a lighter complimentary tone that just meshes in.  An example of that would be...

If that is not the case and you have a warmer skin tone (Latino, Greek, Italian etc...)  then your natural tone is going to fall somewhere in and around the darker and warmer tones anyway which will allow you to stay a bit darker while still complimenting your skins glow.  Either way I would have to say that a good consultation with your colourist is ALWAYS the best way to choose and that if you can please, please, please avoid doing it on your own!  And,  don`t be scared to be a bit daring!... adding a soft blended highlight of any tone just brightens the whole look up a bit more!

Saturday Night Lights, Camera, Askin!!

Hey everyone! I hope your all geared up for the weekend and that its already gotten off to a positive start! Tonight on Saturday Night Lights, Camera Askin!! I review a great question I got this week. "What is the difference between Mask and Conditioner?" To be honest that is one that is slightly more difficult to answer in that technically they are the same thing... (Kind of) anyway hope I got to the point as I explain it the best I could! ...Enjoy.

The Right DO 4 U!!!

Hey Guys and Gals!  Ready for the long weekend?  Sad to say the last long weekend of the summer,  But at least it looks like we are gonna have some nice weather.  Anyway I for one am super pumped and ready to get together with my peeps and have a great time!  Anyway,  today we have a question that comes to us from Louise in Toronto!  So let`s get to it!

Hi!

I'm a huge fan of your blog (and your salon - shout out to my fabulous hair stylist Ryan at Y&E).  I've been growing my hair for my upcoming wedding, however afterwards I'm really looking to cut it.  It's not that I don't love the long hair, but with my crazy busy schedule, I never seem to find Me time to actually do anything with it and it ends up in a pony tail.  I find when my hair is shorter, I'm forced to actually style it each morning.  

Today you posted a blog about bangs for round faced people.  I am one of those round face individuals, but instead of the bang question I have a question about cutting my hair shorter. Now I don't want to go pixy cut short, but was looking for more of a just about the shoulder length, however from what I've heard, cutting it just above the shoulder isn't the most flattering look for us round faced individuals. 

Any advice or suggestions?  I know Ryan will give me fantastic advice when I go and see him next, but I just wanted to do my research first!

Thanks,
Louise

AMAZING QUESTION!!!  Thank you for asking it Louise!  Okay so I personally feel as though there are two lengths that are a NO GO for round faced individuals. The first being chin length,  there is absolutely not one cut I feel is worse for a lady with a round face shape!  When you place the emphasis of the cut (being its overall baseline or length) right at your chin (the roundest part of your face shape) you are doing the opposite of what you are looking for.  The other cut which is the on that you are inquiring about Louise is the other.  The reason I don`t love this cut is multi facetted!  In that I generally don`t love the length as I find it boring and for lack of a better term (Mommyish)  I know its a terrible thing to say for all the moms out there,  But try to understand what I mean.  Jennifer Aniston ruined everyone when she coined the look in the nineties!  I just find it a standard everyday unflattering length on most women let alone those with round face shapes.  My recommendation to you Louise is to hit the middle ground,  Not chin length OR slightly above shoulder length but MID NECK LENGTH.  So literally have the sassy bob finish in the mid point of your neck,  with a gradual slope and some mild layering through the bottom to get it to sit nicely under.  AHHH My fave compromise!  Short hair that isn`t too short AND compliments a round face shape!  Hope the Pic above helps make it clear if I have n`t already, and maybe slightly, slightly shorter?  Thanks again for your question,  please feel free to send and others my way at dimauro.jon@gmail.com!

Saturday Night Lights, Camera, Askin!!

We are BACK! With another episode of Saturday Night Lights, Camera, Askin!! This is our first episode in a couple of weeks so I try to go hard on this one and give you curly hair clients something to talk about! In this video we try to get across the best ways to create a smooth natural curl with a diffuser while not being left with the frizzies! Check it out!

Current Crops

Hey Folks,  Hope you enjoyed yesterday`s clip!  That vid had me in stitches and I was hoping it would do the same for you!  Today however we get right down to business and start doing what we do best again...  ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS!

"Hi,  Thanks for taking the time to answer this in advance.  I decided recently that I needed a change and that it was going to come through my hair style.  Wrong decision!  I got butchered at my local hair salon as they cut my hair into a bob when I wanted it shoulder length!  Anyway,  the only plus I can see here is that I have always wanted to try a pixie cut,  what better time then now?!  So,  my question is how do I pick a current and trendy pixie?  I am a little weary because I find that they can often look very dated if not done right.  Any suggestions?"

For Sure!  I have to start by saying that I am sorry about your last experience and hope whatever you do next works out a whole lot better!  Anyway,  IF you decide to go the rest of the way and try out a pixie than all the power to you (there are some great cuts for you between a bob and a pixie!)  I am also very very impressed to hear you say that pixie can look dated!  You would be shocked at just how many people are unfortunately unaware of this!  Anyway,  when looking for a great short cut I have two to three celebs who`s hair I just love to channel because they are ALWAYS current.  One of these is Pink,  who always seems to get great short cuts and push the envelope just enough to appear uber trendy and edgy.  The next is Sienna Miller who wore about three short cuts in a row there that were absolutely AWESOME!  The best however I always save for last and the best in this case is definetly the one and only Rihanna!  I mean she can wear short crops like no one I have ever seen.  I am gonna gather some shots for you at the bottom and recommend that you look through carefully and choose one that best suits your face shape.  If you have a round face avoid cuts that are exposing of your cheeks and jaw line,  if you have a long face shape try to expose them as much as possible! I hope these help and good look the next time round OR... I am located at 2213 Bloor St. West in Toronto! 

An Icon in style... Liz.

I know that people have been pumping out blog entries regarding Liz Taylor like crazy over the last couple of days,  we have lost a real icon.  Liz Taylor in her heyday was a real beauty.  She set new trends in hair and fashion that lots of other celebs only dreamed of.  Liz was around to watch and be part of one of the most inspirational times in fashion and hair.  She was one of the first celebs who was really able to embrace her sexuality and show that on film.  Many stars during that era were pushing the envelope in style and fashion, such as Audrey Hepburn, Twiggy and of course Liz herself. She sported this phenomenal short style early on and it caught like wildfire,  sparking a generation of women to take the plunge and try out short locks on their own.

It didnt stop there either because as time went on she realized that this new form  of exposure worked for her. She really was a sex symbol and could live that out not just in her amazing beauty.  She personified the lead actress and star,  and influenced so many young women in her time.  As she got older (two or three husbands in ; ) ) She started to take on the role of elegance that we have come to see from her.  Liz was always an elegant women but she went from being pretty much a sex symbol,  to be sultry and sophisticated.

 

She rocked out some awesome styles over the years and looked amazing during the 70`s and 80`s.  I was particularly attracted to her look during the seventies.  I mean just look at this photo of her all waved out and smokin!  She really did have some of the most beautiful features we have seen on a woman! Beautiful eyes,  gorgeous cheekbones and of course that amazing hair.  

One last shot to showcase just how great she looked sporting an absolute signature 80`s look.  I think she pulled of a look that a lot of women tried to during that time and failed miserably!  C`mon girls you know what i`m talking about,  tell me you looked good when you hair was styled like this! Well, good but not Liz good. Maybe I have a bias...

Anyway, Liz will live on in our hearts for years to come and be remembered for much more than her hair.  I for one will always remember her in Cleopatra and be in love!  Liz Taylor... an icon the world and hair industry alike will never ever forget.

Jon Di Mauro