Lately we have seen many female stars getting bolder and bolder with their hair choices. This is encouraging as the definition of beauty becomes broader and broader. This week, Dianna Agron of Glee fame shocked us all by donning a pink hue to her usually blond tresses. This color was most likely achieved through the use of a vivid semi permanent like the Pravanna Vivids we use at Emerson Salon. These products are better than Manic Panic or Special Effects colors because of their added chromasilk protein and shades formulated with botanicals and plant derived pigments.

Most hair must be pre lightened with bleach prior to applying a vivid color and this process can cause damage. The chromasilk helps to fill in the damage and aid the hair in feeling healthier. Dianna also just cut her hair into what is now being dubbed a “shab” which is a play on combining a bob and a shag. A bob is a haircut just below the ears or down to just above the shoulders. A shag is a haircut that has lots of texture, layers and movement.

Weeks ago, I did a post on pop star Katy Perry’s process to get her hair lighter. She had to live with “ginger” locks for a few weeks while on the way to blond hair so she could eventually apply the subtle lavender color you see here. Lavender is a difficult color to achieve as many vivid lines just have concentrated colors and not pastels. If I were to try to achieve this color on a client, I would bleach it to pale yellow and then create a custom color, coupling light pink with a dot or two of violet.

Last but certainly never least is the Queen of Bold- Lady Gaga! Her array of wigs gives her many options for her appearances and concerts. Here she wears an eccentric teal bob but for a few weeks we saw probably 4 or 5 different versions of teal- long, short, super high beehive, whatever! I even have a client who rocks the electric blue like Gaga and loves how it looks! She is in every 5-6 weeks to have the vivid shade refreshed.

Whatever your style you can add as much boldness as you want! Add a streak or do it all over! Book today…

Post by D’Arcy

When one of my clients told me that Woody Allen had another movie coming out, I had to do some research. I hadn’t seen a recent Woody Allen film in awhile, though I have always enjoyed his movies.
Midnight In Paris, written and directed by Allen, stars Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams. It is, of course, a romantic comedy, about a family traveling to Paris for business. Owen and Rachel are cast as a young engaged couple who confront the “illusion that a life different from their own is better.”

Post by Lancer

Post by Lancer

Jessie J’s color is simple and straightforward. She is brought down to a black color that has a bit more blue added into it. I usually caution people against dying their hair black, as a good rule of thumb is to stay within about 2-3 shades of your natural color (though there are always exceptions!). IF you’re contemplating having black hair, ask yourself if it is really Black that you want, or if you just want to be noticeably darker. The black color really works for Jessie J, since she rocks a dark eye make-up palette and makes sure to use a proper foundation to avoid looking washed out.

Here is her video for Price Tag! Enjoy!

Think this look is for you? Call or book online with us today to set up a complimentary consultation!

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This March we look forward to the film version of the heralded book, Water For Elephants (starring Robert Pattinson of Twilight, Reese Witherspoon of Walk the Line, and Christophe Waltz of Inglorious Basterds.) It is set in an extended 1930′s flashbacks of an older man who recalls his earlier life as a circus vet following his parents’ death. Reese plays a circus performer, the abused wife of the ring leader who falls in love with Pattinson.

In the film, Reese’s haircolor is a fabulous shade of buttery blond that mirrors the era’s starlets: Jean Harlow and Mae West. In real life, her hair is more modern and multidimensional with subtle medium and highlight gold tones. In order to achieve Reese’s movie look from your usual dimensional blond, we suggest the following:

- Reveal to your stylist your detailed color history to the best of your abilty.( If your hair is all natural than the light is green to go!) This will arm the professional with the knowledge of what previous damaged might still be on your hair and the appropriate measure to keep it in tact without breaking (ie, gentler formulations and/or conditioning treatments.) If you have had multiple overlapping applications of bleach highlights, your hair might not withstand another bleaching session regardless of whether its been colored over. The damage on your hair stays on your hair until it is cut it out. Bleach creates explosions and subsequent holes in the hair that can never be permanently filled in by synthetic haircolor.

- Use the correct support products to aid in avoiding color fadeage, breakage and moisture loss. Moisture in your hair is essential to manageability, strength and appearance. We recommend Blond Shampoo and Conditioner by Alterna Caviar. It uses the highest quality ingredients to balance color and condition for blonds. We also love styling with the new shimmery Bamboo Silk-Sleek Brilliance Cream which uses Shine-Amplifying Organic Indian Gooseberry to enhance luster and appearance.

-Pre-book regular color maintenance with your stylist every 5-7 weeks. You invested in a wonderful look now maintain it with root retouches, regular conditioning treatments and trims.

This film looks absolutely stunning and so can you if you sit in one of our chairs. Come on in!

Post by D’Arcy

The follow up sequel to the 1982 cult sci-fi classic, Tron, is releasing December 17th starring Jeff Bridges, Olivia Wilde, Garrett Hedlund and directed by Joseph Kosinski. The film follows Kevin Flynn’s (Bridges, who also plays his younger self/avatar Clu) son Sam as he looks into his fathers mysterious disappearance. In the process, Sam is sucked into the technological world himself. There, Sam meets his father’s computer program/confidante/protector, Qorra (Wilde.)

Qorra’s haircolor is a dark black hue which blends into her form fitting costume with its illuminated, flowing lines. This look can be achieved through permanently coloring all over, color correcting the hair darker, or through using a fade out demipermanent (lasts 6-9 weeks: will leave a stain due to the depth a black hue.) We recommend using the newly reformulated Luxury Wash ( for thicker color treated hair) by Kevin Murphy to extend the life of your color with the finest quality natural ingredients (including jojoba, linseed and mango.) Style with Antigravity which holds the style but adds an additional bonus of aiding to balance oil production at the scalp.

Stay on the style grid in real life and book an appointment with an Emerson stylist today!

Post by D’Arcy

Lady Gaga recently debuted her new controversial video for her bonus track, Alejandro, from her Fame Monster album. The big apple alum has swept the world with her catchy dance hooks, outlandish fashion and performance art shows. From her fashion to her ideas, Lady Gaga pushes the envelope even more with this Steven Klein directed video. It features some references to fascism in addition to using some religious imagery. The song and the gorgeous male dancers with the pop star are an attempt to pay homage to certain people in her life.

Here Lady Gaga explains her thoughts behind the idea of the video: “It’s about the purity of my friendships with my gay friends, and how I’ve been unable to find that with a straight man in my life. It’s a celebration and an admiration of gay love—it confesses my envy of the courage and bravery they require to be together. In the video I’m pining for the love of my gay friends—but they just don’t want me to be with them.”

We love the shots of Lady Gaga with her modified bowl cut bob as the shape is amazing and is styled impeccably. It looks like a modern version of the Dorothy Hamill haircut that was so popular in then 70′s. Achieving this style requires a lot of round-brushing and we recommend doing so with a natural bristle brush in addition to using Radiant Smoothing Lotion by Alterna. A little flat ironing could be necessary for wavier/heavier hair types (any flat iron that goes above 300 degrees is sufficient.) Make sure to use a fluid round motion when flat ironing in order to bevel the hair.

Finish with Working Spray by Alterna in order to maintain movement and flexibility.

What will Lady Gaga come up with next?!?! We’ll be watching!

post by D’Arcy

For many years, Heidi Klum has been a style icon as a fashion model in magazines and on the runway. Whether she is in Sport Illustrated, in a Victoria’s Secret catalog, or hosting Project Runway- Heidi always looks chic and perfectly coiffed. Heidi experiments with varying hair lengths often and even rocks some unique updo’s on red carpets.

Heidi has recently taken her hair into a shorter bob style with lots of texture. This a a popular trend: we recently discussed Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Love Hewitt’s move to the bob. This is a great length especially if you heat style or straighten your hair- less to blow dry/flatiron!

Heidi generally sticks to some sort of golden highlight or ultra light blond but always tempers it with a subtle, warm, brown lowlight. The technique used for her hair color is most definitely balayage which uses a subtle painting technique. The hair’s saturation of color is focused mainly on the mid-shaft to the ends and is more diffused towards the root. This is great for a more natural looking highlight on darker hair that does not need to be maintained as frequently as a foil. It also can mirror a more “beachified” blond with more highlights on the ends than at the top of the head. Clients are increasingly requesting this technique and are always exceedingly pleased with the result!

This balayage hair color is fantastic to wear loose waves with. It accentuates the dimension, movement, and shine to the hair.

When styling a “beachy” wave:

• Try using Hair Resort by Kevin Murphy on damp hair and diffuse. This particular product is great on fine to medium density slightly wavy hair or strong, ethnic, coarse hair. It gives great hold and bounce to the wave. It utilizes a light gel combined with micah oxide to simulate the salty texture you get after swimming in the ocean.
• Or try using Intense Curl Cream by Moroccan Oil on medium to thick wavy/curly textures. It uses the benefits of argan oil and a stronger hold lotion to create long lasting waves. Scrunch into damp hair, twist into tendrils all over the head, and diffuse on a low velocity high heat setting. Then, to finish, use a cool setting to set the style.
• Finish either style with Working Spray by Alterna and a light spritz of Glimmer Shine by Moroccan Oil.

Want this “beachified” look! Consult an Emerson Stylist about what colors work best for you through the balayage technique!

post by D’Arcy

Recently, female clients have been asking for edgier or more unstructured hairstyles with tons of texture and out of the box shapes. When women come in with a picture as a reference for this type of haircut it is often of the actress Audrey Tautou. She has donned many different hairstyles and rocks out on all of them!

Audrey starred in the immensely popular french film, Amelie. In this movie she wears an extremely short blunt bang and an extremely flipped out short bob. This type of style looks really great on oval, round, or square face shapes. It elongates the facial features and draws attention away from the jaw line. A great product to use on this type of hairstyle is Fat Hed by Fudge as it gives texture and hold to the more extreme styling needed for the flip. (Try using a small round brush and direct the dryer’s airflow from the bottom up to create bend.) This product can even be used on the short bang to control frizz or wave.

The other popular hairstyle Audrey has inspired others to receive is the short and curly gamine haircut. This haircut reminds us of the same type of style Audrey Hepburn donned in some of her earlier movies. Its fun, easy to style and very girly simultaneously. It too uses the shorter bang but utilizes more length and texture in comparison to the Amelie cut. This haircut looks best on oval, pear shape or diamond face shapes. To style: try Moroccan Oil Intense Curl Cream for wavy/curly textures or Hair Putty by Fudge for straighter textures. Scrunch into damp hair and diffuse with a blowdryer.

Looking to change up your look? Find a picture and bring it in! We’ll consult with you to design a haircut just for you inspired by the picture!

post by D’Arcy

On June 8th, Christina Aguilera will release her newest studio album, Bionic, which she says is a reflection of her life changes over the last 4 years. She has already released her single, “Not Myself Tonight,” to great reception on the radio and iTunes. The Grammy award winner also recently became a new wife and mommy in addition to working on a new movie with Cher called, “Burlesque.”

Christina is a style maven who has tried many haircuts, extensions and even darker hair color in the past. She recently took her signature bright blond locks into a shorter blunt bob haircut with added texture. This classic look is fun and can be modernized depending on styling product or techniques. Christina does have a short texturized bang added to the haircut but it can be easily hidden when parted to the side with a heavier type of pomade. Try using Sheer Pomade by Alterna or Hair Shaper by Fudge.

This style of haircut needs to be maintained once every 2 months to keep the precision of the perimeter and texture. This haircut is somewhat different to the inverted style that Victoria Beckham made popular a few years back. The perimeter is even all the way around the head shape instead of gradually getting longer towards the face. Also, Christina’s haircut is emphasized in that the weight is allowed to hang at the perimeter and any texture is created on the top of the haircut. This gives it a more “piece-y” feel. This hairstyle looks good on square, rectangle, oval, or heart shaped faces as it creates horizontal volume around the face shape.

When wet-dry styling this cut on wavier textures, try using Radiant Smoothing Lotion by Alterna for shine and smoothing on this haircut. On straighter textures, try using Anti Gravity by Kevin Murphy for control and volume.

Hint: When blow drying a bob hairstyle- use a paddle brush or denman brush to encourage the hair’s natural fall into the haircut. These brushes are flat or have a slight bevel and provide minimal tension on the hair. Round brushes tend to alter how hair lays and can de-emphasize the quality of the haircut.

We look forward to Christina’s entire album and are just as excited to see what inspiring looks she dons in her videos and concerts!

post by D’Arcy