Ratay Holiday Party!

The holiday season is robust! It’s filled with a spirit of laughter and joy to which the word “merry” becomes a contagious action shown through everyone. Holiday parties with warm fires, cocktail toast and cashmere sweaters. I love having family and friends gather together every year for my Ratay Christmas party. Everyone comes together for an evening of great company, delightful drinks, my famous Italian meatballs and a gift exchange that keeps everyone laughing. With this being the fourth year hosting my party, I would consider it becoming a holiday traditions for Mike and I.

  

Wine and cocktails are served with appetizers of different Italian meats, cheeses and olives followed by an Italian dinner with my special meatballs (which I spend the weekend before making). They are always a hit. There usually are two types of pasta, this year it was Lasagna and pesto which were also delicious and paired perfectly with the Chianti wine. Mike, my husband, made a special shot this year called Cinnamon Crunch. He used the liquor Fireball with cinnamon whiskey and Caruva Horchata; oddly it tasted just like the cereal, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, the spice flavor of it was perfect for the holidays and those who enjoy doing shots, personally I can’t stand them!

It truly is great to see everyone interacting together for the holidays that “merry” spirit just takes over making the evening delightful!  My favorite part of the whole night is our white elephant gift exchange, every year I do a different theme, and this year was any head accessory (such as a hat or head band). Gifts range from beautiful beach hats to hilarious elf hats that danced and sung on your head, as well as a leopard printed hat that extended to the length of the persons arms. Luckily, I ended up with a beautiful white scarf with a little silver shimmer inside I was really excited for my gift because past years I end up with the weird ones or funny ones that I probably would never use.

After 11pm the “normal” party stops and the after party begins. We danced, drank and played an array of games; it was a blast! This year Mike added a disco ball for all the dancing that takes place which everyone actually enjoyed.  This is what the holidays are all about; letting go of all worries, spending time with family and friends enjoying the spirit of “merry” which flows through the air and counting our blessings in which we have received.

From the Ratay family to yours, wishing you a Merry Christmas!

Mike, Sherry, Savannah, Ashley and LeeMichael 

Today Show Hairstyle Tips

Here's some great tips I shared with the Today Show on how to have a hairstyle that lasts five days after a blowout, based on Duchess Kate's past trip to the US! This is perfect for the holidays to look like a queen even when you're away from home.

Today Show Hairstyle Tips!

Thanksgiving Traditions

Thanksgiving is a time to gather with family and cherish the blessings in your life. This year, like every other, I continued the tradition of returning home to the house where I grew up with my husband and children. I grew up in a small, country town called Groveland, FL with my mother Janet, father Richard and four brothers Rick, Scott, Kurt and Chris. I delight in the peace and simplicity of returning home as I watch my children play carelessly with their cousins on the vast open property that I as a child once roamed. We celebrated Thanksgiving last Saturday which was the 22^nd of November and just so happened to also be my birthday! The year I was born Thanksgiving happened to also fall on the same day, from what I was told my father accidentally burnt the turkey that year because I’m assuming he was over taken with excitement that his new baby girl was finally here! Since that day anytime Thanksgiving falls on November 22 my brothers make a burnt turkey in remembrance of dad.

When the whole family comes together we have about twenty two people with my mom, brothers, aunts and uncles, and everyone’s kids and significant others. Mom prepares a feast fit for an army; the spread is huge! But isn't that what Thanksgiving is all about? To eat, enjoy family and friends in a relaxing loving environment… and eat again. Just to give you a taste of what was prepared, we had two turkeys (one deep fried by my husband the other smoked), a ham, my mom’s signature baked mac and cheese, fruit salad, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, rolls, oh and not to forget the desserts: pumpkin pie, pecan pie and chocolate delight! Sitting around the table listening and watching all the different conversations take place is one of my most favorite parts. Another tradition we have is after dinner everyone plays a game of kick ball together. It doesn’t matter what age you are; everyone participates in this exciting family game. The kids love when it’s them against the adults.

I truly enjoy the family time gathering at Thanksgiving every year at moms. I also have a thanksgiving dinner at my house with my intermediate family, and we lounge around all day. It’s very causal usually after deep frying turkeys for all these dinners Mike is pretty tired of it. ;) This year my group of friends is having our first annual “friendsgiving” dinner on Saturday night (I will defiantly need my trainer Matt next week). I love spending time with my loved ones near and far Thanksgiving is the start of a joyous time in the year. We just got our Christmas tree Wednesday night I can’t wait to decorate it with my kiddos. This season is my favorite time of year when we come together as a family and appreciate what we have and sharing our blessings with others less fortunate than us. 

Ending My Teaching Tour with Premiere Birmingham

This past month has been a busy one for me, as I finish the year with my educational tour my last stop was in Birmingham, Alabama for Premiere Birmingham.  I must say the attendees of this show strive for education and seem to engage more in the classroom with Q & A in wanting to know How, What, & Why with the nuts and bolts of haircolor.

The first day of the show was my “Gold Standard of Haircolor” workshop hands-on class which seemed to fill up quickly. Most hairdressers learn by physically doing what is being taught, so I believe you have to get your hands in it at times to understand it. The workshop included three applications: an Over-the-top application for a seasonal change, taking the Ombré to a Sombré look, and the American Baliage which is panting the hair in long foils to create a natural look using shade on shades. It was ratifying to show these attendees how to hold the brush in creating a soft starting point with each section they foiled. With each workshop hands-on class I hold, the attendees leave with a goodie bag filled with a few pieces of Beth Minardi Signature shades which include the Demi-Crème & Demi-Liquid lines along with some MLCC  (Minardi Luxury Color Care) styling products  and a single DVD from my Hues of Natural Perfection collection.

After the morning hands-on workshop class, I had one ninety minute lecture class. I actually loved this lecture “The Truth about Hair Color” because it was a more intimate lecture, which started a great deal of conversing between the attendees and me. I always tell them the lecture is about “you guys” rather than the agenda I am supposed to follow. As I mentioned earlier, the attendees at this show were very passionate about learning and much more comfortable with asking me questions.

The last day of the show I did was a special VIP class called “Beautiful Moments”, where attendees register to spend a very intimate hour with me discussing haircolor. Premiere randomly selects ten attendees to spend this time with me; a major part of this class was talking about celebrity haircolor formulas. Some of the celebrity color reformulations we discussed included Emma Stone, Carrie Underwood, Blake Lively, and Shea Mitchell, just to name a few!  We went in depth about the formulas and how to achieve these rich dimensions. I felt this was a wonderful topic to chat about, because most of the time clients bring in pictures of celebrities asking for that particular look and or haircolor. (Side bar) it’s important during a consult with your client that you are able to distinguish every aspect of the photo they bring in, because we all know majority of the time it’s never 100% of the celebs natural hair. There are many “tricks” Ms. Hollywood has in glamourizing celebrities ;) My VIP members also received a goodie bag filled with many special gifts.

Overall this has been a great year full of exciting shows, great lectures and fun workshops. I have really grown to love the open communication with attendees and listening to their thoughts and opinions about haircolor. I honestly cannot be more thankful that I’m able to live my passion, inspiring the minds of beauty professionals near and far! I am excited to see what next year will bring!

Ohio Premiere Beauty Classic Show

Rolling Video in 5…4…3…2………this is what I hear in the far distance as I prepare to walk on to stage and present the Ratay Way of coloring hair. It is always natural to have those butterflies before presenting, no matter the size of the audience, but if you’re prepared and grounded in the information your presenting the fear dissipates. This past weekend I traveled to Columbus, Ohio for the Premiere’s Beauty Classic Show. The Premiere Beauty Classic Show was the first trade show I started teaching at. Since then I have taught the past four years at this show, but this was my first main stage presentation

The Beauty Classic Show was a little different than many other shows I have taught at. This year I was offered an 80 minute main stage presentation in front of a seven hundred plus audience. Originally my mentor, Beth Minardi, was scheduled to do a presentation for the show, but unfortunately due to a family matter she was unable to appear. When I was contacted by Premiere Show Groups to fill in for Beth, I was elated at this opportunity as well as hesitant on how the attendees would respond considering many of them were expecting to see Beth. Although, I must say the show went very well; the audience was very warming and responsive. After it was over I received an overwhelming flow of compliments on how wonderful the presentation went, and how much they loved my passion for teaching hair color. One woman said “she was disappointed about Beth, but she enjoyed every minute of the presentation; it exceeded her expectations”.

The most exhilarating part of the show to me was the revolving microphone. I love hearing the voices of the attendees, and their true questions. As the mic was passed and the audience became more inquisitive, I was asked many questions such as grey coverage, creating a violet plum shade, and, my favorite, the mathematical lift and deposit equation. It is enclosed below.

                Lift Equation                                                                                                          Example

·         Natural level                                                                                                         4

·         Color level, add together                                                                                   8, 12

·         Divide by two                                                                                                        /2

·         Final level of lift                                                                                                    =6

Although my presentation was only eighty minutes, the attendees and I left wishing there was more time. In addition to my lecture, I colored three models the day before the show and enhanced my redhead model on stage. I will conclude with the three formulas I used on my gorgeous models in creating natural, believable beautiful hair color at Premiere’s Beauty Classic Show.

                                Blonde

                                Natural level 6 Dark Blonde

Formula 1:             Joico Base Breaker 20vol

Formula 2:             Highlight: Vero lights 20vol

Formula 3:             Lowlight: Beth Minardi Signature (BMS)

                                Demi Crème 8BB 1oz, 9GO 1oz, 5vol 2oz

Formula 4:             Glaze: BMS liquid 10G 2oz, 10vol 2oz

                                Brunette

                                Natural level 3 Dark Brown

Formula 1:             Highlights: BMS permanent 9ICE 2oz,  

                                20vol 2oz

Formula 2:             Glaze: BMS demi liquid 7BG 1oz, 8WG

                                1oz, 5vol 2oz

                                Red Head

                                Natural Level 7 Medium Blonde

Formula 1:             Lowlights in bottom nape: BMS demi

                                crème 7NCG 1oz, 1oz 5vol

Formula 2:             Mid-sides and top panel: BMS permanent

                                8RG 1oz, 1oz 20vol

Formula 3:             Mid-sides and top panel: BMS demi

                                crème 7NCG 1oz, 1oz 9GO, 2oz 5vol

Formula 4:             Glaze: BMS demi liquid 2oz 10C, 1oz 8C,

                                 3oz 5vol

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!