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!

Feeling Generous?

This Holiday season I would like to give you ladies and gents out there something to think about, as gifts come in many forms....

YOU Have To Chill Out!!!

What is it with you ladies out there?!!  I mean we have had over a year and a half of style that has included body,  wave,  curl,  and overall big big hair and still we iron!  I mean I would understand the fascination if we were still stuck in the late 90`s / early millennium addiction to start flat hair but we as stylists have progressed!  It seems to me that ladies of all ages (Yes,  that`s right it isn`t just the teeny boppers)  are absolutely addicted to damaging their hair.  Don`t mistake me here because we as salon operators are more than happy to sell you all the products in the world to help fix the damage but why make it easy on us?


As an example I have a guest ( Who will remain nameless!)  who has an obvious addiction ( her hair is double processed blonde and has started to chemically cut itself :( )  to the heat.  She irons daily,  and when I let her know that her hair cannot take this abuse and is breaking in various spots her answer is simply " I just can`t stop Jon... It`s not an option".  I for one find this extremely difficult to understand given all the irony I have used with her such as " That`s okay you can take your highlights home in a doggy bag today" or the clever " Hey check out this peach fuzz" .  I know that those are harsh things to say to a guest... I get it,  BUT,  The problem is that I actually truly and whole heartedly care and am scared for her.   Anyway I can rant all day on this the point is when your hairstylist (who sees an average of 9 clients/heads of hair a day)  says its time to stop... it`s time to stop!  Please share your thoughts below or don`t BUT,  if you know a junky smarten them up at least! 

Who Needs Heat Anyway!

Okay I have to say that I am truly very impressed! I have never ever seen anyone use socks to do this! Never mind the fact that she used socks for a minute (although for me that is tuff to do!) She is soo clever! I mean I would love to say something silly like " Oh yeah we have been using this technique for years!" But That would be bull crap! This my friends is innovation at its finest because she understands that all you need to create any wavy shape in hair is something to wrap it around and a way to let it sit there and dry. I was really taken aback by this girl, please check her vid out! SOOO cool!

Saturday Night Lights, Camera, Askin!!!

Hi Everyone!! So, the idea behind Saturday Night Lights, Camera, Askin is to answer peoples questions on hair in video form. Well, tonight I am going to take a step back and let another lovely lady we know very well take the stage. This lovely lady`s name is Julia Darby, and she is a great client of ours at our Bloor St. Location. The reason I am handing over the mantle for this week is that we recieved a question I can answer however I would need the time to put a video together correctly. Why do that when Julia has already done such a fabulous job?! So having said that, this is the question I recieved from Melanie... "Hi Jon, Hope you are well. I have a video request for you... could you show us how to do a glam old Hollywood kind of look? ". Here it is then, lets get to it!

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!!

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!

Taming your Curlies!

Hey Guys! Hope you are all doing well out there and that all you peoples who were complaining about the HOT weather are happy now! ;(
What is it with this Rain?! Anyway I feel like this was a great week in the salons so far as even though the weather has n`t been at its best we have been pretty busy, so thanks to our fans and those who make what we do everyday so rewarding! Anyway without any further adieu here is today`s question!


" Hi, I was wondering if you guys did Afro- Canadian hair at either of your two salon locations? I am in the market for a new stylist and love all the great things I have heard about you guys. Is there anyone who is a specialist with this type of texture working at either of your salons? Thanks"


Yes! At evoke our stylists are trained to cut hair for shape, which means that we all have a strong understanding of how to create a strong shape that grows in well and that is easy to self style. A lot of salons are coming out now and claiming to be specialist in cutting curl, but at evoke we are of the mind that if you have a strong grasp of geometrical cutting you can truly work on ANY hair texture. I personally will say that the tighter and curlier the curl the more fun it is to work with! Anyway, let me save you the terminology and technical talk because it`s only us stylists get catch a rush on it! Check out this AWESOME makeover that Ergys Tafilica was able to do out of our Yonge St. Location, I am sure that this will help you gain some confidence in just what it is I am talking about... Check it Out!

Good Bye Frizz Monster!

Considering that we have some warm weather finally I knew it was just a matter of time until all the ladies who have curl realized that... straightening right now is useless! (haha) Now trust me I am aware of the fact that this is quite painful for all of you out there that have an issue with your curls. I get it! But at the same time there is nothing you can do, any form of curl you have WILL form in humid weather. You can try all day to straighten but if I were you... I would save the energy. So anyway here is the question I received, hope it enlightens...


"Hi my name is Lisa and this question is one I know you have been asked before! I know because I am not the only girl out there trying to straight hair out of crazy curls. Unlike some ladies I am okay to wear my curl as long as it is smooth and frizz free, so my question is... Can you help me get frizz free curls?!"


Alright, I could try and explain OR just let Nicola Dupont our featured artist today out of our Yonge and Eglinton shop do the talking with her hands!

Shampoo For U

Alright!  Hello everyone, hope you had a wonderful weekend that was full of sunshine and happy times! Anyway today we have a question from Nicole in Brampton, who is curious about shampoo.  Here it is...


"I am curious about shampoo and knowing how to pick it?  I mean I have colour treated hair that requires A LOT of moisturizing.  Is there anyway to know what is right for me?"

So... YES!  The key when picking shampoo is to remember that most major product manufacturer`s today are building colour protectant agents right into their shampoo`s.  In the old days,  you would have to make sure that whatever you chose in the way shampoo and conditioner had a higher PH balance,  allowing for the cuticle layer to stay a little more sealed during your shampoo experience.  Nowadays most manufacturer`s are building all their shampoo lines this way... ( or at least most of their lines).  So therefore most shampoo`s you would buy in PROFESSIONAL establishments are already colour safe.  If I were you looking for a new shampoo,  I would buy the one that offers the most moisture and just confirm its colour safe!

Holy Tangles!!!

So today we have a question from Molly in Uxbridge, Ont...

Molly wanted to know "Is there any advice you can offer me in regards to tangles!?  I cannot seem to catch a break here!  Every single day I find myself in front of the mirror for at least 25 minutes brushing them out! Hopefully you can help me out here" 


Okay I can definitely help you out here, its very simple.... You should be using a comb!  Sorry to come across forward but I have been doing this for a while now,  and am astonished by just how many guests are unaware of the damage they create brushing wet hair!

The first rule of combing your hair out damage free is to NEVER brush.  The second is to use a good leave in conditioner.  Personally I love the sprays, they are light, effective, and easy to use.  Always make sure that you start to comb your hair out in the bottom area.  Clean out all of the tangles in the bottom and give the rest an area to escape from.  You will find that taking small sections and working from the bottom up is the best way to get in and out FAST!


Hope that helped,  and feel free to continue sending me your queries at dimauro.jon@gmail.com!
Thanks!

Curly Hairstyles For 2011

Here is a peak at a couple of new looks that will be hot this spring and summer for curly haired Women.  I believe that we will see the graduated curly bob make a serious comeback.  The graduated bob has never really left completely,  but the curly version of it has been on hiatus since the late 80's. This curly bob has been given a very cool update.  No longer are we searching for height and big volume in this look with perms and over refining.  Most women sporting this cute look are trying to allow for their own natural flirty wave to form.  I for one love the change,  and feel as though these natural looks are youthful, playing, easy, relaxed.... great on all fronts!

There are also great short cuts coming for curly hair.  This blonde pixie above is a look we should be seeing a lot of very soon.  More and more we are embracing the natural curl and allowing to form with really very little work.  With both of these looks we are applying a small amount of light curl cream to wet hair, ensuring that you have covered all the hair and then.. just not touching it! Allowing the hair dry in its natural state is imperative.  When dry,  you will see that the curls are defined and grouped together smoothly.  Great look, easy to wear, humidity friendly, and no work to style.  Enjoy these retro looks, dress them up,  wear them out! They Rock !!!


Jon DiMauro