ManeStream Hair and Beauty Expo

My team and I traveled to Tampa for the second annual Manestream Hair and Beauty Expo this past weekend. With a mixture of attendees, cosmetologists and barbers this show brings a fierce energy that is one of a kind! Thomas Faucette, the show producer, is a pleasure to work with and sees a purpose that ALL professionals need, want, and deserve top notch education. When he asked me to be a part of his main educational line-up it was without question I would join. Each year I present a main stage presentation with 4-6 gorgeous models followed by a more intimate in-depth classroom setting.

The morning begins with the main stage presentation where I talk about hair color, and the techniques beautifully displayed by my models. This year I did something a little different; I brought my Creative Artistic Director, Alicia Delbrey, on stage to demonstrate simple hair techniques that could be done in minutes and still look fabulous. I have to smile because Alicia doesn’t like the spotlight on her. She is an extremely talented designer but prefers to stay behind the scenes. She was a bit nervous but did a great presentation. One of the styles she demonstrated was the “Barbie doll pony tail”. This is done by teasing the front of the hair to create a little poof, then pulling the back half of the hair into a ponytail. Take the loose pieces and wrap them around the ponytail base, and lastly spray with finishing spray to tame fly-aways.

The afternoon switches into the classroom setting where we discuss my HOT topic: The Truth About Hair Color. During this class we talked about multiple topics such as grey coverage, the truth about hydrogen peroxide, eumelanin vs pheomelanin, the PH scale and many more. To keep the energy alive I demonstrated the new “Sombré” look with one of my models; I explained in depth the technique of creating a more natural look without the seeing a ”dreadful visual starting point” we see on some people. My favorite part of teaching is engaging with the attendants! This show allows more of an interaction scenario which I thrive on! When hairdresser wants to learn, and you see the “light bulb” per say, come on… well… I HAVE DONE WHAT I WAS PUT HERE TO DO!!

One thing that I felt sets this show apart from others is the barber competition and education that is provided.  It was so interesting to see the intricate designs they created, barbers truly have an eye for the lines of design.  Additionally, it always interests me to see the new hair color trends. During this show there were a lot of fashion shades such as reds, blues and even yellow.  The most dramatic fashion hair color I saw was an Ombré that went from blue to green, then yellow. It didn’t fully cover the whole head; instead there were thatchy pieces with an almost black foundation. This color wouldn’t work for me but I appreciate the colorist who is bold enough to try it and make it work with their face shape, skin tone, and haircut. Overall, I would consider the Manestream Hair & Beauty Expo a success. I never get tired of teaching regardless of the shows dynamics my PASSION is educating colorists to elevate the standard of the beauty industry. 

Atlanta Weekend!

All of us at Whiskey Blue Rooftop

This past weekend my friends and I took our biannual getaway weekend. Usually we have a girl’s weekend, but this time it involved more as we also celebrated my husband’s fortieth birthday on September 11 and our friend Andrew’s thirty-second birthday on September 9. It was exciting to get away from our day-to-day responsibilities and unwind.

As you can see Mike needs his gray blended!

Unlike our last getaway, for the food and wine festival in South Beach, Atlanta’s weather was different than what we’re used to. The weather was beautiful, cool and breezy; I was actually starting to believe fall was on its way. We stayed in the uptown area of Atlanta called Buckhead at the Intercontinental Hotel for three nights (this is the same hotel where Nene Leaks, from Atlanta Housewives hosted her wedding). The cuisine was wonderful, and we went to various restaurants throughout the weekend that I enjoyed. My favorite was at a chic restaurant built inside of an unused warehouse called Rathbun’s, which seems to be the new trend in Atlanta.  There I got the crispy duck beast which was very tender and moist; the flavor was a balance of sweet with a mild spicy flavor. I would highly recommend this restaurant!

My favorite restaurant: Rathbun's

I had a great time enjoying time with my friends around great food and wine. One thing that stood out to me was the quality time I spent alone with my husband, Mike. The best feeling was sleeping in each morning and waking up without the hustle and bustle of our crazy routine schedule. Additionally, I enjoyed having a day to myself with my American Express card ;) I went to two malls; the Lenox, and Phipps which was the upscale of the two. I went to Saks 5^th where a red and orange cargo Valentino bag caught my eye. I feel this bag is the image of this year’s fall trend. It reminded me of the crimson colors I saw people wearing in Atlanta, signaling the start of fall. Lastly, I wanted to recognize the convenience of our transportation of choice, Uber. It was as fast and easy as a click on your phone, and the SUV appeared in front of us within minutes, which fit our large party.

HELLO Valentino!!

I had an amazing time with my friends and husband during our venture to Atlanta. It is not often you have a group of friends that you can travel with leisurely regardless of the events that take place. I’m already looking forward to our next adventure to South Beach for the 2015 food and wine fest in February!