The first step to volume can be as simple as the products you are using. Products are some of your best friends! Using Kevin.Murphy Anit.Gravity, an oil-free volumizing agent is a great first step! You can also combine it with other products like Alterna Caviar Volume Shampoo and Conditioner to get more body. The Kevin.Murphy Powder puff is also great to use as a finishing product and to add definition to the texture of the hair.

Use these tips and tricks to never leave the house with flat hair again!

Post by Franz

I just got my hair cut with Lancer! It was not a huge change, but big enough to make a difference. I love to style my hair with it up in the back, blended on the sides, and keeping all the length that I’ve worked so hard to grow long. So we cut about an inch off of the crown area cut back the back of my mohawk to be smaller and blended it, and blended the new length on the top to the clippered sides.

To style this we cocktailed a Kevin.Murphy Body.Guard and Hair.Resort in my hair to blow it dry. The Body.Guard helps to moisturize my chemically processed and already naturally dry hair. The Hair.Resort helps provide the hair with beach texture, and goodness knows I love texture in my hair. then we flat iron my hair using Damage.Manager to protect myself from excess heat damage and Night.Rider paste to create a hard hold with texture. Viola! My new look is completed! Thanks Lancer!

Post by Franz

A new movie that is taking the world by storm is Sucker Punch. It is a beautiful flurry of punches and kicks. It follows Babydoll (Browning) as she attempts to escape an asylum with her inmate friends before she is sent to be lobotomized. From the shock of her situation, Babydoll plunges herself into her own fantasy world where nothing can stop her.

This may also take two processes, since after your hair is lifted it may not be the correct tone (too yellow or brassy). Browning’s hair in the movie is a very cool blonde, which many times can only be achieved with an additional application of tone after lightening.

It is always a good idea to have a consultation with your stylist to assess the condition of the hair andcreate a battle plan. Come in to Emerson Salon today to get your new blonde locks!

Post by Franz

Check out Alicia Keys with her pompadour-mohawk which she sported recently at the “Biutiful” movie screening.

Katy Perry gets in the holiday spirit with some Christmas hair accessories.

Kanye West interviews Rihanna on the evolution of her style (Interview)

As part of this weekends fantabulous Capitol Hill Summer Sale, Emerson has a super fabulous event planned that is going to be loads of fun and is going to let you walk away with some valuable hair tips and techniques. At 2pm on Sunday (the 29th) stop by the salon where Ellen, one of our lovely stylists, will be giving a hands-on demo on how to do a loose and casual, yet completely awesome, summer updo. She’ll show you the easiest way to make this must-have style work for your hair, and demonstrate how you can do it yourself at home to have salon-beautiful hair every day!

This is going to be a great event, so bring your friends and stop by to meet the Emerson team and get some styling tips straight from the experts!

Post by Amelia

Whatever you do, do not miss Capitol Hill’s huge Summer Sale that’s going on through the weekend of Thursday, August 26th to Sunday August 29th.  There are going to be mad deals, sales and events all weekend long up and down Pike, Pine and Broadway in the heart of Capitol Hill! The Hill has everything you need for whatever you feel like doing. A picnic in the park; shopping for the whole family; breakfast, lunch and dinner; dance lessons; yoga classes; night life and oh so much more!

Don’t miss the highlight of this awesome weekend: the kick off Mobile city party on Thursday night. There you can get a map of all the participating business and the list of the awesome events they’re planning. Then spend all weekend walking around and visiting the businesses and grabbing some great deals and fun events!

Emerson has a super fabulous event planned for Sunday, the 29th. At 2pm stop by the salon where Ellen, one of our lovely stylists, will be giving a hands-on demo on how to do a loose and casual, yet completely fabulous, summer updo. She’ll show you the easiest way to make this must-have style work for your hair, and demonstrate how you can do it yourself at home to have salon-beautiful hair every day!

Don’t miss what promises to be a rockin’ weekend, and make sure to come by Emerson on Sunday at 2:00 to get some valuable hair tips, straight from the experts!

Post by Amelia

The best part of summer is being able to wear less makeup and still look great. There is no need for heavy foundations and eye shadows! Try a more natural look and enjoy the freedom of less or no make up at all! Summer makeup is mostly for protecting the skin from exposure to sun rays, avoid excessive sweating, cut out the oily shine and prevent clogging of skin pores.

• Let your skin breathe and use sheer makeup that serve more than one purposes. It is important to keep the humidity locked in, sweating dries skin out. Try to not use foundation for the season and use a light moisturizer with sun block instead.
  Instead of using foundation to cover up freckles, use translucent tinted powder to blot the skin and add color to it. Summer is the perfect time to let those freckles show and even get a little more pronounced.
• If you must apply foundation, mix it with loose powder to keep you looking fresh throughout the day.
• Go for the nude natural look for the lips.Try light pinks with a hint of shimmer and gloss. Even for evening parties, a soft gloss on lips is all you need.
• Simply sensual and bronzed skin is in for summer . Always remember bronzer is for adding a glow not to be used as a self tanner, it should never be applied all over your face like face powder.

• Eyes should be done simply. Use neutral and soft shimmery eye shadow on lids. Try a cream blush with shimmer in it. They can be used for eyes cheeks and lips!
• Curl your lashes and use glossy black shade on them to make them appear longer and your eyes bigger. Use only a very fine line with eyeliner.
• Cheek sticks and crème eye colors are easy to apply and last longer in summer.

I know it may be hard to go with less at first but the natural look is simple to do and liberating when you realize you don’t need all the other fuss! Try waking up in the morning and simply washing your face, using a moisturizer with SPF in it, mascara and a light lip gloss and good enjoy the sun!

Post by Ellen

Here at Emerson Salon, we always get asked,” What’s trendy and current for hair color right now?” Our answer today is: Dimensional Light Grey

This trend is counter-intuitive to the millions of women who use hair color to cover their “sparkles.” More mature women use hair color to alter un-pigmented hair to create an overall younger appearance (depending on tonal value and depth.)

In this scenario, many teens, 20 somethings and even hipper women in their 30′s can sport the “grey streak” look. It is cutting edge and definitely gets one noticed when walking on the street due to its obviously unnatural appearance. It reminds one of Cruella de Ville, Bride of Frankenstein or the White Queen in the new version of Alice in Wonderland. This service is good for those who don’t want a drastic all over change but are willing to try something bolder than natural tones.

In order to achieve this trend, consult your Emerson Salon Stylist to review color history, hair health and maintenance goals. Whether you have artificial pigment or your natural color, this will most likely be a foil or balayage bleach and tone service. The hair must be lightened to the palest yellow/white stage and then toned with the perfect balance of blue and violet to counteract the remaining yellow pigment. Ask your stylist to use a permanent toner as bleached hair is overly porous and will cause excess fading with semi or demi-permanent toners.

In order to maintain your hip color, we recommend Alterna Caviar’s Blonde Shampoo and Conditioner. This line uses additional violet tones to help maintain the tonality and depth of the new hair color. In addition, it is gluten, paraben and sulfate free as well as being highly moisturizing for the stressed, porous hair. To make the color gleam- use Moroccan Oil Glimmer Shine or Rapid Repair Spray by Alterna. These products make the greyish white hue sparkle just like natural grey hair!

Hint: Be aware that whenever you bleach hair it causes damage that is always on your hair even when you cover it up later. Conditioners can help but the chemical structure of the hair is permanently altered until the bleached part is cut out.

Want a new, hip, happening hair color? Go right to that online booking form and let us know when you’re ready to be wowed!

For more on the grey streaks trend check out this article in the New York Times.

post by D’Arcy

Over the past 11 years Will Gregory and Alison Goldfrapp have explored many facets of electro spun tunes through their unique collaboration. We continue to get excited by the influx of quality female electro/synth artists like Goldfrapp. Their newest album (just released) is called,”Head First,” and leads with the single, “Rocket.” The entire album consists of fantasy/ Xanadu-esque melodies with an up tempo mainstream beat. This newest piece is a departure from Goldfrapp’s last album,”Seventh Tree,” which explored slowly paced ambient songs with poetic lyrics. Goldfrapp will be on tour this year and will be in California specifically this coming June 2010.

In the video for “Rocket,” Alison sports some major style with the newest accessory- black leather half gloves. Rihanna, Kimberly Caldwell and others have been modeling this must have in TV appearances, videos and live performances. In addition, Alison’s hair has always been gorgeous with its soft golden blond hue and natural, shiny, wavy texture. Want this haircolor? Ask your stylist for an all over color that utilizes beige and golden blond. If starting with darker artificial pigment, bleach lightener may be used to color correct to a lighter shade.

When styling on naturally wavy/curly hair: Towel dry after washing then rough dry with a medium setting blowdryer until 60% dry. Apply Morroccan Oil Intense Curl Cream to the midshaft-ends. Scrunch wave/curl into your palm in addition to creating soft twists. Use a diffuser attachment on your blowdryer when drying on a high heat low velocity setting. Once dry, set the style with a shot of cooler temperature air. Mist with Rapid Repair Spray by Alterna for shine and luminosity.

When styling on naturally straight hair: Towel dry after washing and add Antigravity by Kevin Murphy to the entire head. Blow dry on a medium heat setting while the head is upside down. Once dry, lightly mist entire head with Working Spray by Alterna. Using a barrel iron, curl 1-2″ sections of hair all over the head starting at the nape. When done, lightly finger separate the waves and spray lightly again.

Pretty soon, Goldfrapp’s entire album will be moving up the charts as they criss cross the globe spreading their music and style!

post by D’Arcy

Say farewell to Winter and hello to Spring with the new Hong-Kong Spring 2010 collection by OPI! I really like this new collection of nail polish, which offers a wide variety of shades suiting any style and the perfect accessory to any outfit. Worried about spending too much money to get a manicure? By following these simple steps below, you can get a professional-looking manicure in the comfort of your own home and at a fraction of the cost.

• Cut your nails the length you want them, being careful to avoid going too short. To file your nails, use the curve of your nail base as a guide. Avoid filing them too square-this can make your fingers appear chubby.
• Never shake the nail polish bottle. This causes air bubbles to form which will cause nothing but problems once you begin applying the polish. Try rolling the bottle between your palms instead.
• Dip a cotton ball into nail polish remover and swipe over your fingernails. This will remove any remaining polish as well as any excess oil on your nails.
• Hold the polish brush whatever way you feel is the steadiest. I’ve found that holding it between my middle finger and thumb really helps to minimize any shaking.
• Apply a thin layer of the OPI Start to Finish Base and Top Coat to your nails. Apply two coats of polish, making sure to wait about a minute or two between each coat. Finish with another layer of Start to Finish. If you’ve found that your polish tends to chip faster than you’d like it to, try using Chip Skip Nail Lacquer by OPI to finish.
• Dip an orangewood stick in nail polish and rub along the sides of your nails to fix any mistakes made while applying polish.
• You can use a blow-dryer set on cool to help speed up the drying process. You can also soak freshly polished nails in really cold water for a few minutes. I do this after painting my nails and it ALWAYS works.
• Once your nails have completely dried, rub OPI’s Avoplex High-Intensity Hand and Nail Cream on your hands and nails. This will soothe cracked, rough and reddened hands. I also recommend using OPI’s Avoplex Nail/Cuticle Replenishing Oil to help with dry cuticles. Apply the Start to Finish to your nails every few days to preserve your manicure.

These vibrant colors from OPI are a breathe of fresh air and the perfect way to welcome Spring!

Post by Andrea