NEEDLE AND THREAD

 my oh my this was a fun tool to stumble into a couple years ago while watching artists on stage at a IBBS LONG BEACH HAIR SHOW. like I don't give enough praise to all things kevinmurphy.com.au  this once again has my singing...well more praise.

it was designed primarily for putting hair up but not limited to just sewing hair... as seen in this post showcasing my last creative shoot and  used the sewing kit and played with the hair as well my DIY hair pieces using twigs and branches and beads and berries....oh my

its really is another tool to use as an artist who likes to work with different mediums on their canvas

my canvas being my model Mackenzie and her long thick straight hair 

 

 

                                this is what the sewing kit looks like-a kinder surprise for stylists

 pins would not have had the durability because its almost impossible to secure a hard bulky accessory that doesn't naturally lay and bend on the head...this gave me ability to go in and really secure not only her crown braid but the accessory as she would be moving as seen in the finished image below

 

  

 

 

 the kit provides everything you need..needle and thread based on hair color -theres 3 colors to choose from. the rest is basic sewing 101:

  

THIS IS ROUND 2

quite possibly 3rd or 4th change of looks by this stage of the shoot??

what is so unique about sewing hair or the accessories into the hair is that I can remove by simply undoing and the thread slides out of the hair without disturbing the fabric of the design. 

removing bobby pins out of an updo once in place.... is a bitch (pardon my French)

 I was able to remove her braid and twig piece as seen abouve and create a completely new look sewing her hair up as well connecting the new hair piece of branches and berries that would not have held up with bobby pins...

   

 the images( and the day we had shooting in general) was quite simply spectacular

 

 

photo credits:MICHELLE GIER PHOTOGRAPHY
make up: SHEA BROWN

PURE ENLIGHTENMENT

don't we all wish we had the clues to that state of being?
that said I am in no way any professional in the "spiritual guidance towards enlightenment" department..  HELLO?  always this too shall be related to hair.
I love the freedom to have different tools for creating
there is no one way to paint just like artists using acrylics

hairstylist are artists
hair is our canvas
balayage is an open freehanded artistc form
seamless effortless blondes
multi dimensional shades of color

PRAVANA pure enlightenment balayage kit

the lightener is a blend of active ingredients with aloe keratin  rice flour and clay allowing the product to harden and creates a shell around the hair
nourishing ingredients work together to preserve integrity of hair
no more bleeding swelling or movement
moist on the intside crisp on the outside ..like my choc chop cookies
now I want cookies

heres a sampling of just one of the many ways you can apply , as well as the end results. this was done on previously colored hair in salon

before:8 week new growth. mid to ends previously colored

 

I was able to apply her regrowth color and then go back in and balayage the rest
pretty cool paddle huh

 

you can see I worked diamond shapes upward towards crown

the darker base color and the balayage lightener manage to live in harmony together while processing

a smile says a thousand words....

such a natural and soft outcome

 

                                                                       CHEERS

BALAYAGE BASICS

IM HAVING SO MUCH FUN WITH PRAVANA PURE ENLIGHTENMENT LIGHTENING POWDER
FREE HAND IS MUSIC TO MY EARS. SIMPLE AS THESE 2 BOWLS AND PADDLE(ONE WILL HAVE TO  VISUALIZE DEVELOPERS AS THEY DID NOT MAKE IT INTO PHOTO)
FORMULA 1:LOW
FORMULA 2:HIGH

 

  

STARTING WITH FORMULA 1 AND ANGLING BRUSH FOR DIFFUSED  LINES, CONTINUING DOWN AND SWITCHING TO FORMULA 2 AND FLAT BRUSH FOR MORE CONCENTRATION OF LIGHTNESS

THE END RESULT IS VERY SOFT BABYLITES CLOSER TO TOP OF HEAD AND AROUND FACE, THEN SEEING BOLDER PANELS OF BLONDE TOWARDS ENDS

SOMBRE!

 

TRIBAL GODDESS: CREATIVE PHOTOSHOOT

 

TRIBAL GODDESS IN ALL HER GLORY

 

 

 

THIS WAS NEW FOR ME MAKING AND EXPEREMENTING HAIR PIECES....WHO KNEW YOU COULD HAVE SO MUCH FUN WITH FEATHERS AND A GLUE GUN

 

SWITCHING GEARS FOR THE 2ND LOOK..WE WENT DARK AND EDGY BUT STILL FEMININE
DRAMATIC HAIR AND MAKE UP



THERES THAT CROW AGAIN...MICHELLE CAPTURED MYSTERY IN THIS IMAGE
 

 

TOTAL IMPROMPTU WHILE RUMMAGING THRU HER BEDROOM CLOSET, I SPOTTED A SETTEE AND AN  IDEA WAS BORN.WE TOOK GILL COMPLETELY OUT OF HER COMFORT ZONE FOR A QUICK BOUDOIR SHOT





THESE LAST ONES CAPTURE THE SPIRIT OF GILLIAN AND THIS IS WHERE SHE CAME ALIVE, COMPLETELY IN HER ELEMENT
NO PERSUASION NEEDED TO GET HER INTO THIS ROLE




 

I KNOW I SHOULDN'T PICK FAVORITES...BUT IF I HAD TO...THIS IS ON MY SHORT LIST
CHEERS

MODEL:GILLIAN WHITE
PHOTOGRAPHY: MICHELLE GIER PHOTOGRAPHY
MAKE UP: SHEA BROWN

 

 

 

SNEAK PEEK: TRIBAL GODDESS

I feel I honestly capture who my model Gillian is when I say TRIBAL GODDESS...this amazing woman is a friend. a wife. a mom. a healer. an entrepreneur. an artist...and all around a pretty zen and zany cool chick.  

her glorious home and sanctuary where she practises and teaches 

 with WWW.LOVEENERGY.CA is the perfect setting...

both her and her lovely home were exactly what I was looking for when I came about this "tribal goddess" theme

 

so I invade yet another client's headquarters for a creative shoot

this is some of our fun before,

                                     scenes on location, the prep work going into the shoot...

 

 another great collaboration with myself, M ICHELLE GIER PHOTOGRAPHY and SHEA BROWN at the Hair studio in okotoks with make up.  love you guys!

started with natural curl enhanced with a small cone barrel iron and roughed it with my fingers
KM EASY RIDER was used for curl defination

 

no outfits were needed as Gillian had enough clotthes for a village of costume designers

the solarium where we started out and also her place of practice and teachings
I never want to leave this space...

ryan, her husband was a total sport and was eager to play reflector assistant 

 a lil game we like to play called "spot the wine glass" 



Shea and I doing what we do best 

this was prepping for our 4th and final look...Shea broke out the wild colors!

just a few more bobby pins

heres a peek at the look and feel of this shoot
stay tuned for the end result....


cheers

 

A FINE BALANCE

 

its hard to to accept what is ...we are blessed with thick hair we want less hair, we have thin hair we want more, we have curls and go to great lengths to straiten it into submission... you get the jest

Nicole has lovely healthy smooth sleek ..and yes.. thin fine hair.

yet she craves texture volume movement edge

 

 herein lies a fine balance between giving texture and thinning

you cannot get all those things on her check list without "removing" some.

I call texturizing "removing with purpose"

this style had purpose

so in a bold (she's family so I get to experiment) decision, I pulled out my thinning shears, yes I

said thinning shears...and did the entire cut with only texturizing shears.

im hooked.

 her fragile fine straight hair came to life. 

bold cut. bold color.

now that's a fine balance

 



yes my hands were really that stained

 

 

GET BENT

 

 

 

 

never without out a few hundred ideas streaming in and out of my creative brain, I took an opportunity to take and post a few pics of a friend and her hair, while working on a completely separate hair idea.

poor Tiffiny?

such a good sport 

so this is a seguay from my original plan to capture some natural beachy waves  waves using DIY braids ...that's now a whole other story.

stay tuned for that

 

i'm really liking the transition from the big sexy and very polished (nothing low maintenance about that)curly and wavy hairstyles  into a more natural state of bend and movement.

so these next few images are really about a QUICK  and  EASY method of creating a different look, a subtle shift in where the bend is sitting around face, forward movement, using a large barrel curling iron. 




using a large barrel iron a, take vertical sections starting at eye level (mid way down section of hair) and roll the curl forward towards face..which is opposite of what you've been seeing the last few years in curls. leave the ends to be as is
essentially curling the mid-section of hair only creating slight bend that sits at eye level



let the curl drop softly around face and have it cool in this formation

 

taking my DOO-OVER AND STRETCHING THE CURL gives the hair a bit of grip as it relaxes into wave rather than curl
essentially building in the "lived in " look

 

power to the spray.....

smiling pretty in under 5min of prep work

such a great result that is simple and ideal for a fresh take on waves!

CHEERS