BEAUTY LAB
A half-dozen of the best new beauty products on the market this month
THE COLORS OF SUMMER
Summer's big sunglasses and metallic bags and shoes will look even better with nail color from Essie's Summer 2007 Collection. The six-color assortment includes Below the Belt, (bright white), Huckle Buckle (glistening deep lilac) and Loophole (metallic chrome), all designed to complement this season's hottest fashion trends. essie.com
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TURN UP THE HEAT
The Nano Salon Pro 2000 from FHI Heat produces high heat and extra air velocity to dry hair fast, but utilizes ceramic technology to spare it from damage. Tourmaline crystals enhance the dryer's ionic effect to prevent static and leave hair shiny, and the quiet motor lasts up to 1200 hours. The dryer is also available in slate gray. fhiheat.com
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FINISHING TOUCH
Your new blow-out companion the i|m 38mm Thermal Boar Brush is designed to be gentle on the hair and impart maximum shine while blow-drying and finishing styles. The brush is part of a new line that features tourmaline to smooth frizz and minimize static, ceramic-infused barrels to harness the power of heat and gel grips for comfort. studioim.com
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HOW SWEET IT IS
Treat yourself to a waistline-friendly indulgence with Sweet Beauty, a new line of spa and beauty products inspired by and created from real organic chocolate. Cherish Chocolate Coconut Sugar Scrub is loaded with chocolate, sugar granules, minerals and essential oils that detoxify and smooth the skin. sweetbeautyspa.com
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ARTISTIC LICENSE
The Art Elements line from L'Anza is designed to help stylists bring inspiration to life. The collection includes Sequin Anti-Frizz Styling Shimmer, which tames flyaways, provides soft hold and delivers a big dose of shine and Bungee Elastic Styling Cream, which is ideal for disjointed styling because it stretches and holds with body and bounce. lanza.com
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FRIZZ-FREE ZONE
Jalyd Curl Smooth Anti-Frizz Shampoo and Spray work in tandem to nix frizz. The supremely gentle shampoo includes millet and maize extracts to hydrate strands and make detangling easier, while the nongreasy spray contains a UV filter and produces natural shine on damp or dry hair without adhesive polymers. jalyd.com
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HAPPY FEET
The hottest pedicure products and services to help clients put their best foot forward this summer
No doubt about it: From peep toes to patent leather, summer fashion is focused on the feet. With that in mind, now is the time to step up the level of services in your pedicure department. —KELLEY DONAHUE
 Crocodile Toes from Creative Nail Design are easier than they look to duplicate. Apply one coat of Pharaoh's Gold and let dry. Then apply one coat of Cuppa Joe, a dark metallic brown, and let it set for one minute. Place tulle/netting over the nail bed, pressing down around the edges of the nail using an orange stick. Gently pull up the tulle. |
Michael Anthony Aveda SalonSpa, Chicago
Caribbean Therapy Pedicure Treatment: At $65 and 60 minutes, this rejuvenating, nurturing treatment is designed to exfoliate and moisturize the feet, leaving them beautiful and presentable. The service starts out with a special milky bath using Aveda's Caribbean Therapy Bath Soak. After caring for cuticles and shaping the nails, the nail tech applies an exfoliating paste and a warm seaweed mask to the legs and feet before performing a luxurious massage using Caribbean Therapy Body Crème.
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Sweet Lily Natural Nail Spa & Boutique, New York City
Grapefruit Vodka Pedicure: Clients at Sweet Lily Natural Nail Spa & Boutique are intoxicated by this $62, hour-long service that involves dipping toes into a cocktail of grapefruit juice, which contains alpha hydroxides to help loosen and slough off dead skin, and vodka (a natural antiseptic and solvent that's good for cleansing summer feet), garnished with fresh sliced grapefruit. After filing and gently grooming cuticles, a nail tech gently buffs and exfoliates winter-weary heels to perfection with a refreshing lime and sugar rub. Then it's time to unwind with a citrus foot massage before finishing it all off with polish in a pretty summer color of choice.
 The pedicure area at Frédéric Fekkai's newest location in New York City's SoHo features comfortable seating with lots of pillows. |
Peponi Nail & Skin Care Lounge, Venice, CA
Restorer Pedicure: Ideal for damaged or parched feet, the Restorer Pedicure starts off with a nurturing foot bath filled with rocks, rose petals, and milk and honey flakes. That's followed by the requisite nail and cuticle grooming and shaping, as well as filing the skin on the feet using a crystal glass file that removes hardened, calloused skin. After exfoliating and polishing the lower limbs with a Dead Sea salt scrub, a hydrating heel therapy cream is applied to the legs and feet before they are wrapped in a hot towel to increase moisture penetration. Rounding out the treatment is a therapeutic massage with custom-blended essential oils and hot stones. Polish finishes this relaxing 60-minute, $60 service.
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Priti Organic Spa, New York City
Priti Sensual Pedicure: Pretty amazing is what clients have to say about this $75, 60-minute service that begins with a foot soak in a bath infused with organic rose oil and fresh rose petals. The pampering continues with an organic, exfoliating rose rub, a homemade natural callous peel and a custom-blended mask that's applied to the legs and feet before they are wrapped in hot towels. To top off the royal treatment, clients receive a luxurious massage with rose body cream before toenails are painted with nontoxic No Miss polish.
MAD ABOUT HUE
KIM VO ON THE GO
In this issue, Vo addresses blondes who have gone dark and now want to return to being blondes again.
Lindsay Lohan, Cameron Diaz, Britney Spears: After making a splash as blondes, these three Hollywood scenesters and countless others crossed over to the dark side to experience life as brunettes. The dark and sultry trend was hot probably because every woman knows there's something appealing about experimenting with her opposite look.
 Cameron Diaz has tried both blonde and brunette looks. |
Now it seems that many blondes are journeying back into the light. Instead of color correction, the process involves what is becoming known as color redirection. It's a phrase you'll hear time and again as the number of requests to go from dark back to light increases in popularity. Be advised that it's most effective when done over a period of time, which can take up to three weeks. Here's how it works:
Week one: Use a color remover to start eliminating the dark color. The gentlest of these is Elimin8 by Rusk, which reverses the oxidation color process by breaking the bonds of color molecules. Another good choice—and my personal favorite—is Clairol's Seventh Stage lightener. The strongest of the bunch is Effesol, which requires a fast and meticulously even application to get it right. You might want to warn your clients about the smell, which may remind them of rotten eggs or a wet dog. Fortunately, the smell is only temporary and means the stuff is doing what it's meant to do. During this first stage, the goal is to remove as much dark color as possible without causing any breakage. The stopping point will likely be when the hair takes on a neon orange shade. Dry it, then apply an ammonia-free vegetable color to tone down the brightness. I use Diacolor in dark blond or dark ash blond. Send your client on her way in this interim stage for at least several days.
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Week two: Repeat the same color-removal process, which will take the hair lighter still. At this point, your focus should be on achieving a natural-looking blond shade, so it's important to recreate a realistic root color using a level 7 or 8 shade.
Week three: This is when you get to play, adding highlights that will give your client's hair the dimension and movement she'll love.
Keep in mind that the dark-to-light process is not something that should be done in one day. It's time-and labor-intensive, and it can be extremely hard on the hair. If you can't discourage a customer from demanding instant results, let her know that she must devote at least eight hours in order to get what she wants.
Three Timer
Busy colorists will dig the new Triple Color Timer from Product Club. Sleek, stylish and small enough to fit in your pocket, it allows you to monitor three different clients who are processing at the same time, without having to keep track of three different timers. The face has a large, easy-to-read digital display, and it comes with a little foldable stand. productclub.com —C.W.
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BEAUTIFUL BROWNS
Keune just added six new brown shades to its Tinta Color collection: Light Cocoa Brown, Medium Espresso Brown, Very Light Chestnut Blonde, Dark Hazelnut Blonde, Medium Hazelnut Blonde and Light Hazelnut Blonde. The haircolor line, which features a new packaging design, contains Solamer to protect from UV damage and silk protein for shine. —L.A.
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Tool time
Colorists who like the idea of using a spatula to apply haircolor close to the scalp don't need to raid their local cooking supply store to find the right tool. Enter The Sprush, a durable spatula-brush hybrid that minimizes product waste (usually lost between bristles) and offers fast cleanup. The collection features seven tools in different colors for specific functions, including purple, for highlighting with foil or retouching with tint; red, for highlighting with foil and balayage work; and yellow, for fine work around the hairline, beards or eyebrows. templeclean.com —L.A.
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