Creating customized color and a signature style means partnering with clients to achieve a deeper emotional connection. Did your gossiping-girl radar just go off? That’s not the kind of connection I’m talking about. The best consultation stays within professional boundaries, but also uses lifestyle and life-changing events as the basis for color change. Let me elaborate:
Recently, a client of mine who is an early retiree told me she was getting a divorce. She’s about 90 percent gray, has a cropped cut and recently got stylish new glasses. By first zeroing in on her lifestyle changes and her need for a pick-up, and then considering the technical aspects of gray, I was able to take a fresh approach, blend her gray and add face-framing highlights that looked awesome with her new, rectangular, patterned frames.
Life-altering events like new jobs, weddings, class reunions and more can all act as a positive impetus for color reinvention—or renovation. Lifestyle consulting always takes them into account, and as a Lifestyle Colorist, I can tell you that my consultation approach sets me apart from the 200,000 other salons—and hundreds of thousands of colorists—in the country.
By putting the event first and the technical details second, I’ve also set myself up to add a value, for instance, by suggesting a shift from black eyeliner to brown/black. After all, I’m basing my suggestions on how lifestyle and events relate to overall image. Just remember to use personal information judiciously. As a reason for a customized color suggestion, even a 10-hour drive to visit the folks can be a call for transformation.
A haircolor Consultant for Redken 5th Avenue and a working salon colorist, David Stanko has been featured in the pages of top fashion publications, including Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, In-Style, Latina and Elle. Stanko recently released his first DVD that explores the “or†in haircolor, Lifestyle Color. To find out more, view his work or send him a question, visit davidstanko.com