First Look: Carolyn Murphy on W Magazine

Summer's here, and there's no better way of seeing for myself then on the April issue of W! Carolyn Murphy was greased up and spray tanned, posing on a beach with tons of gold accessories. Edward Enninful, who styled the shoot, got me super excited for summer and has me in high hopes for a heat wave...to come sooner rather than later. Take a sneak peek at some of these shots. All photos, courtesty of Emma Summerton for W magazine

Lanvin Hair at Paris Fashion Week

“At Lanvin, the hair is very clean and natural with no product besides my favorite leave-in conditioner, Extreme Anti-Snap. You’ll see that the clothes today are very embellished, very beautiful, very luxe. I didn’t really feel like another point of view was needed. All of the parts are different – some girls have side parts and some have messy center parts. Then hair is just tucked behind their ears, it’s just very easy hair.”
–Guido, Redken Creative Consultant

Redken Products:
-Extreme Shampoo and Conditioner with IPN
-Extreme Anti-Snap leave-in treatment


Get the LOOK:
Shampoo and condition hair with Redken Extreme Shampoo and Conditioner.
Apply Extreme Anti-Snap to damp hair and comb through hair.
Rough blow-dry hair using fingers until 80% dry.
Finish blow-drying hair by smoothing it with a boar bristle brush.

An Interview with Hair Stylist Mark Kuzma

Mark is known as a 'Mad Scientist' at Labratory Hair Studios.  Most recently, he has styled for the Oribe team for NYC Spring and Fall Fashion Weeks for designers Rad Hourani, Tim Hamilton and Matthew Ames. Fueled by a passion for innovative hair design, Mark opened Laboratory Hair Studio in 2005. Mark is a certified curly hair consultant, which is rare among stylists today.

A few questions put to our expert:

What are the best hair cuts for curly hair? 

Curly hair should be cut dry and in its naturally curly state. This will help avoid the shrinkage of the hair and the dreaded ‘triangle look’.
How to wear curls with bangs?

Bangs should be worn curly. Dual texture looks do not flow at all!
What styles to avoid and what to be aware of when telling a hairdresser what you want?

Avoid styles that do not complement your natural features. For example, if you have a round face, you should not request a round shape cut. Texture also plays a key role in what you should ask for. If you have curly hair and you do not blow dry sufficiently, a precision cut on straight model hair is probably not the best idea…

From a technical stand point, how is curly hair cut?

You will achieve the best results with curly hair with very little to no tension on the cut. This will help avoid ‘bounce back’. Your eye is your best guide for cutting curly hair. Look at the overall shape and the hair will ‘tell you’ what needs to be tweaked. 


How to take care of curly hair that is also worn straight now and again?

A great cut will look great curly or straight if you: use professional styling products that keep your curls moist, don’t create breakage (or frizz) by roughly drying the hair with a towel, or blow drying or flat ironing the hair without using a professional product that provides protection from the heat. 
Freshening up or restyling curls that go flat on day 2?

You can use a curl revitalizer to reactivate product already in the hair. Then simply scrunch the curls and use small pin curl clips at roots to get volume as the hair air-dries.

View and opinion on treatments such as Japanese or Keratin? 

From my perspective, I think smoothing treatments can be very effective and, in some cases, a thrilling, life-changing service for a client! The challenge is to understand what the client’s needs are and set expectations by thoroughly communicating what treatment is best, and why.

Japanese straightening treatments are a lifetime commitment. Once the hair is treated, the hair stays straight forever. Retouching twice per year is required as regrowth occurs, or the client will go through a very slow grow out with half of the hair pin straight and the other half curly/wavy.

Keratin treatments are a semi-permanent way to defrizz your hair, soften curl, and condense the overall bulk of your hair. Hair that is treated with Keratin will not get as pin-straight as the Japanese straightening treatment, nor will it allow you to get pin-straight results by air drying. But, Keratin smoothing treatments require less commitment (the results will gradually wash out in about twelve to sixteen weeks) and allow you to blowout your hair more easily. 


How to get this right? 

There are many different techniques available to help clients achieve the look that they desire. There is no substitute for a thorough professional consultation to help a client achieve the best possible result.


Favorite curly hair icon?

Lorraine Massey, founder of DevaCurl


Best curly hair product?

I am a huge fan of combining curl crèmes with a light hold gel. Bumble and bumble Defining Crème with Bumble Gel is excellent! This combo creates definition with structure, without the crunch. 
 

Global Art of Perfumery 2012

And the best artistic fragrance is...


For the first time ever at the Global Art of Perfumery, an award will be presented for most artistic fragrance. What exactly is an 'artistic' perfume you may be pondering? An "artistic perfume" is considered to be an exclusive creation that is only available in select specialty stores.

You may also be wondering who has the expertise to be on the prestige jury?  


The jury of the 1st Prix de Parfum Artistique is as follows

• Thomas Bergmann, publisher of the trade magazine "Keysale“
• Frank Dopheide, advertising expert and chairman of Scholz & Friends
• Astrid Elbers, lawyer and "First Lady“ of Dusseldorf
• Jenny Jürgens, actress, singer and presenter
• Inga Griese, journalist and editor of the style magazine "Icon/The Iconist“ 
• Waltraut von Mengden, CEO MVG Medien (Cosmopolitan)
• Thomas Rath, fashion designer and juror on "Germanys Next Top-Model"
• Frank von Stielow, founder of L’estétic GmbH 
• Sasha Urban, international scent creator from New York
• Felix Weiss, member of the Parfumo-Team
• Jeremy Williams, singer and presenter


A pretty impressive list of people I say, right?  This jury will have no easy task, they must assess the fragrance itself, take account of the novelty of the ingredients, the flacon design and packaging, the development of the fragrance on the skin, the perfume story, as well as its market potential. "Artistic brands have long been more than niche products internationally. They are being focused on more frequently and can provide opportunities to compete in particular for smaller, owner-operated perfumeries. Through this award we want to give them their own forum," explained Frank J. Schnitzler, internationally sought-after perfume expert and initiator of the Global Art of Perfumery. 


The announcement of the winner of the Prix de Parfum Artistique is on April 14th! I'll be sure to keep you updated on who made it to the top! 

Jing Ai Cosmetics Line Debuts at Henri Bendel

Jing Ai is pleased to announce that her brand new collection of eco-gorgeous cosmetics, which make it's debut today at an exclusive trunk show at the ultra-luxe specialty store Henri Bendel located at 712 Fifth Avenue in New York February 27th thru March 4th! 


Jing Ai, which means pure love in Mandarin Chinese, is a luxurious, eco-friendly cosmetics collection that combines healthy-yet-gorgeous makeup with the sustainable packaging that eco-conscious consumers desire.


For those who look out for their health and environment, the entire line is cruelty, paraben, petrochemical and gluten free; in addition, the collection is packaged in gorgeous tubes, compacts and boxes that are recyclable, biodegradable or both. 

With barely-there lip glosses, a sexy black mascara (with Jing Ai’s unique paintbrush applicator), elegant bronzer duos (comes with Jing Ai’s sweet, hidden “bonus” of Wild Flower Seed Paper), a silky automatic lip pencil, a glide-on automatic eye pencil, and a truly fabulous creamy concealer for eyes and face, this collection is perfect for a natural beauty look.

Back to the looking out for health part, Jing Ai donates 5% of proceeds to breast cancer charities! 


The line can be seen on the company’s website:www.jingaiskin.com

Milan Fashion Week: Prada Fall 2012 Beauty

Redken Creative Consultant Guido created a look that stole the Prada Fall 2012 show in Milan, making all of the models into what he called “Virtual Princesses.” The futuristic, other-worldly, two-toned look provided the perfect contrast to Miuccia Prada’s restrained yet lavish collection.


“All hair is away from the face – there’s no emotion and all of the personality is taken away. I envisioned the way a ‘virtual girl’ is drawn in a cartoon. Then I added these different colored extensions – white, red and black, which adds to the synthetic feeling of the hair. I used colors which looked most dramatic against each of the models’ real hair. The different colors give you that pop of fakeness so we’re not talking about reality. Like a futuristic princess.”
–Guido, Redken Creative Consultant

Redken Products:
thickening lotion 06 all-over body builder
hardwear 16 super-strength gel
iron silk 07 ultra straightening spray
forceful 23 super-strength finishing spray
                                                        
Get the Look:
Layer thickening lotion 06 and hardwear 16 on the top portion of the hair when wet and brush straight back.
Blow-dry hair straight, continuing to brush straight back.
Apply iron silk 07 from the mid-shaft to ends of the hair to protect hair from heat iron and then use a straightening iron to give it a crisp, extremely straight look.
Finish with forceful 23 to keep the style in place and looking extra sleek.

Nicki Minaj & Ricky Martin Team Up For MAC

Nicki Minaj and Ricky Martin are teaming up to promote MAC Viva Glam and have started a new campaign to bring HIV/AIDS awareness to Latin America. 

Martin is the inspiration behind a new VIVA GLAM Lip Conditioner and Minaj has released a VIVA GLAM Nicki pink lipstick. 

"Kids are being infected with HIV and AIDS," Martin said in the interview with GMA, "Some people think that this is an issue of the 80's and now we are still dealing with this issue. The fact that it's a disease that doesn't discriminate: men, women and children are being affected by this virus. Let's talk about it. I want to be part of this."

This cause really hits home for Ms. Minaj. Born in Trinidad, her uncle died of an AIDS-related illness.

"This is something that is killing a lot of, especially black women, young black women. And so for me, that is why it hits home," said Minaj, "I have such a young fan base. I want them to start now, you know, protecting themselves. I want to start now being smart. I want them to abstain because I love them so much. I don't want them to ruin their lives."

So how will this campaign help?  100 percent of the proceeds from the purchase of the items will go directly to support activities raising awareness of HIV/AIDS in Latin America