Michael Angelo: 10 tips to Pamper Your Colored Hair

I don’t know about you, but I color and highlight my hair. And trying to stretch my dollar as much as I can, maintaining the color for as long as possible is super important to me. Michael Angelo, certified haircolorist and owner of The Michael Angelo Hair Studio and The Michael Angelo Masterpiece Haircare product line, is an expert in advanced haircoloring techniques and fashion forward hairstyles. Known by many within the professional beauty industry as “The Haircolor Guru”, Michael Angelo has pioneered the art of turning haircolor into visual works of art. Michael Angelo knows the importance of properly handling your color-treated hair in between salon visits.

He has provided ten essential tips to pamper your color treated hair, restoring shine and manageability: 

• Tip 1: Trim your hair every four to six weeks to remove split ends and to help make your hair more manageable. A great haircut is the best foundation for keeping your hair healthy and looking its best.
  
• Tip 2: Use a shampoo specifically formulated for haircolor treated hair. If you must wash your hair every day, shampoo only once. When you shampoo, avoid tugging your hair and wash gently. Rinse thoroughly to remove all traces of shampoo. This professional haircolor safe shampoo gently cleanses, restoring your hairs essential nutrients and natural beauty.
  
• Tip 3: Use a conditioner formulated specifically for color-treated hair and apply it to your hair every time you shampoo. It is best to apply an additional amount to the ends of your hair and to rinse thoroughly to remove all traces and minimize any film that can hide your natural shine.
  
• Tip 4: Invest in a special micro-fiber towel that removes excess moisture from your hair after you shampoo and condition. These towels absorb more moisture than regular bath towels and can cut down on drying time. Once your hair is towel dried, use a wide-tooth comb to detangle your hair. Wide tooth combs are less likely to cause split ends and breakage.
  
• Tip 5: After you towel dry your hair, allow your hair to minimally air dry prior to blow drying. The more heat you apply to your hair, the more damage you can inflict to the cuticle.
  
• Tip 6: Avoid curling irons, hot rollers and flat irons as much as possible. It is best to style your hair with a brush and a blow dryer. When you do opt for styling your hair with heat activated appliances, always apply a protective hairstyling aid directly on your hair to keep moisture locked in.
  
• Tip 7: If you do apply styling products like a mousse, styling gel or hair spray, apply them sparingly. Many of these hairstyling products contain drying chemicals that can dull the haircolor and shine.
  
• Tip 8: Avoid chlorine. If you do swim, thoroughly wash the chorine out of your hair immediately with a special haircolor safe clarifying shampoo.
  
• Tip 9: Try to avoid excessive sun exposure to your color-treated hair. UV and UVB rays from the sun and indoor tanning beds and booths can leave your hair looking look less vibrant and lacking shine. If you are a sunbather, it is best to help protect your haircolor with products that contain UV ray protection.
  
• Tip 10: Always take the time to consult with your professional haircolorist prior to receiving your haircolor treatments. Ask questions on the best way to maintain your haircolor in between salon visits and haircoloring services. Ask about future haircolor options.

Hair 101- Liquid or Cream Color?

Being a Cosmetologist I always feel its important that my clients are fully aware of the "lingo" we use. Its better to be informed than to fall in the lap of a stylist who is more concerned about what you have in your pocket than making sure your hair is healthy!

Professional color is manufactured in cream and liquid forms. Each type of color has its own specific benefits.

Cream Color:  The cream form of hair color is normally packaged in a tube. It may also contain conditioners and thickeners. Since cream color tends to stick to the hair shaft  and doesn't run off, its great for covering white/gray hair. But if you use cream color on bleached hair you are not guaranteed a even color results.... 

Liquid Color: Liquid Hair color provides better penetration of the hair shaft than cream color. Liquid is used on non-dyed hair and on bleached hair. The downfall to liquid HC is that its not able to saturate resistant White /gray hair and is terrible on pale shades of hair.

Glamazonian Transformation Egyptian Couture

Say Hola to Michy, I've known this girl since she was a Infant and now she is 17 years old. I felt it was time to give her a Over the Top couture look something she would never let me do on a everyday basis... So I transformed her in a Modern Egyptian with a Hint of Gaga Couture

Before

After

 Check out the entire Shoot Here In the Photo Section 

10 Color Camouflage Concealer Palette Review

I am currently a working makeup artist who knows the deep desperation of trying to get your set kit completely stocked on a budget. Concealers can get very expensive when you are trying to buy all the shades that you may need for your clients.

When I was at a Photo Shoot one day me and a fellow artist was talking about new products that can help us build a better more efficient kit and see showed me her Sedona Lace 10 Color Camouflage Concealer Palette. At just $15.99 can you imagine the money you are saving!
Ofcourse I was shocked when I saw the great sized palette with all the colors you would ever need and even more shocked when she told me the price. Immediately I told her to order me one...

After a month of me using it I was sold. As a makeup artist I have a saying that " A good Makeup Artist Uses a Product because of its quality and not its name i.e its mac so its professional"

All the colors are uber creamy, come in warm and cool tones and can easily be blended together to color match your client perfectly. They are a great size, you get more than enough product. I have mine now about 4 months and I still have not touched pan yet.

This palette is a Must have for Makeup enthusiast anywhere. Thx Sedona for making my Clients and pocket Happy

Tips for Breaking into the Wedding Industry

There's a couple ways you can break into doing wedding makeup.

1-Reach out to friends & family, letting them know that you're a makeup artist, but most of all, if they know anyone that's engaged, to gently ask for referrals. Offer to do a complimentary makeup demo, if you don't feel comfortable charging for those services yet.

1a-Another creative way to get the word out is to look up your engaged friends on Facebook and reach out to them personally!

2-If you're a certified makeup artist or cosmetologist, reach out to the salons in your area. Offer to do a 2-week trial or "audition" so you can show your makeup skills.

2a-Another method is reaching out to experienced wedding makeup artists and offering to assist them for free. You would be their assistant--offer whatever help they may need, such as cleaning brushes, helping set up on site, etc.

3-If your pockets are deep enough, sign up to do a few wedding shows in your area. That is the best way to jumpstart your wedding makeup business, since you will be provided a list of brides to follow up with. Good makeup skills are not enough to cultivate a bridal clientele, you should also have good salesmanship skills--such as following up, making phone calls, and being aggressive. After these expos, brides get a deluge of solicitation calls from vendors, so you might have to reach out up to 6x just to get an appointment (unless they say no).

4-Again, if you have the money, I'd recommend signing up with MG Hair & Makeup. Megan Garmers runs an agency exclusively for wedding makeup artists & hairstylists. You set up an interview and pay into the classes - www.mghairandmakeup.com/Careers_Classes_1.html. Also, she runs the bridal beauty artists network, which is a more affordable option, if you're already trained in hair/makeup (http://www.bridalbeau....

5-After every successful appointment (wedding-related or not), remember to collect testimonials! It can be either typed or video-recorded (preferred). As you collect testimonials, people will know the quality of service you give your clients, and you're able to show them to the brides you have trial appointments. Also, offer an incentive for existing clients to refer your services, such as a free gift or complimentary service.

Reality Check: Hair Battle Spectacular

Reality TV is something American’s can’t get enough of, especially when a profession is involved. Project Runway has been giving fashion designers a spotlight for a number of seasons now, Top Chef has allowed foodies and consumers to see just how hot it gets in the kitchen and thanks to networks like BRAVO and Oxygen, the general public now understands how hard salon professionals work with shows like Blow Out, Split Ends and Shear Genius. Recently added to the lineup of salon-based programming is Hair Battle Spectacular,” a competition series that pits 10 of America’s hottest fantasy hair stylists against each other for $100,000-- set to premiere Tuesday, August 10, 2010. 

We recently got our hot little hands on a pre-cut, raw version of the first episode and we can say this competition is going to be filled with MAJOR drama. What do we love most? Yes, the fantasy hair is pretty incredible and you can see how much time and effort gets put into creating these impressive (and sometimes ridiculous) style, but it has to be when stylists are forced to duke it out Mike Tyson style in a boxing ring during the ultimate face-off. Seriously folks, this is going to be one show you WON’T want to miss.

 

The show is going to be hosted by the one and only Brooke Burns, and judges include the award-winning Derek J (who can also be seen on The Real Housewives of Atlanta and the documentary of Good Hair) and celebrity stylist Lindsay Albanese along with a panel of rotating guest judges who will be critiquing and determining the fate of each contestant. And speaking of contestants, let’s meet them shall we?

Do You want to meet the Contestants? Click here to read the entire Article

Glamazonian Transformation Jade Amethyst

Welcome Maria, I have known this Chica since I was 5 years old but I have never had the Tribal Duty of transforming her. After one day of her just coming over my house and chit chatting i asked her if she wanted to be transformed. She was a Lil' hesitite at first since is normally a very Casual Dressing girl. After i convinced her she said okay and here are the results. 

Doing her transformation reminded me how Passionate I am about my work, after seeing a clients confidence go sky high and for them to actually thank you for making them feel Beautiful brings a tear to my eye. Women like Maria is the reason why I do what I do...

For the rest of her Shoot Click Here to check it out in The Photo Section

Glamazonian Transformation Tropical PinUp

Meet Luz, She is a fellow Glamazonian who i have transformed before. We starting talking about a tropical look ala Hawaii and i decided to throw a Lil' Pin Up in there as well, since to me 2010 is the year of the Pin-Up....This is here before pic and this is her after...

Check out the entire Shoot Here In the Photo Section