Search Results: Lindsay Kaplan
Recently, some of the lovely ladies of NaturallyCurly.com made a trip to José Luis Salon in Austin, Texas, to experience a Shu Uemura Hair Ceremony.
What is a Hair Ceremony, you ask? Well, it is a balance of Eastern beauty mixed with Western glamour that is inspired by the Japanese tea ceremony. There are three ceremonies you can have the pleasure of experiencing. The Purifying Ceremony is a clarifying treatment that cleanses and purifies the hair while adding moisture. The Haircare Ceremony is a customized blend that adds shimmer, moisture and volume all while replenishing the hair. The third treatment is called the Complete Ceremony which is a combination of both the Purifying Ceremony and Haircare Ceremony.
It was a completely relaxing experience and exceptionally beneficial for any type of hair. From the minute you sit in the chair and they hand you a warm towel, you feel pampered. After massaging oil into the scalp, they take you back to the shampoo area where they give you a blanket and an iPod with tranquil music and massage moisturizing potions onto your hair and scalp, complete with Shiatsu massage.
“It was an incredibly peaceful experience,” said NaturallyCurly co-founder Michelle Breyer.
Shu Uemura was founded by Mr. Shu Uemura in the late 1950s. He is most widely known as the “first celebrity make-up artist” during the 1960s and for his famous Tokyo Lash Bar. In 2007, Uemura ventured in to the “Art of Hair” and now has a huge following in the hair world.
Shu Uemura has some amazing products out there for us curlies. My two favorites are the Liquid Fabric, which is designed to accentuate the beauty of curls, and the Cotton Uzu, which is a lightweight fiber cream that adds a unique texture to the hair.
If you are ever in the Austin area, I highly recommend stopping by José Luis Salon and getting a Hair Ceremony for yourself—you are going to absolutely love it!
18th Century
During the 16th and 17th centuries, women spent hours upon hours on their beauty regimens. Plucking the hair on one’s forehead and neck was the hottest trend any woman of money could imagine. The intention was to create the “regal appeal” of a high brow and lengthy posture but they all pretty much looked like pale, bald-headed, women with hats on.
Fortunately for the 18th century, the bald-headed look was out and big hair was in. A powdered wig was the choice of hair accessory for both women and men of the era and they (or should I say their servants”> spent hours powdering and starching their wigs to get just the right look. And what look did they want? Curls! Yes, that is right; a first major form of hair merchandise was to emulate those with long, luscious, ringlets.
19th Century
By the end of the 18th century, things got a little out of hand when women started putting bird cages with live birds in their hair in order to outdo the woman next to her who only had a replica of a maritime scene, complete with model ship. The distaste for wigs by the end of the century could have also come from the fact that mice and other vermin found the soft-smelling hair of the wigs a great home, but who knows?
As the 19th century rolled around our views of what was stylish began to change. The Victorians preferred a more subtle look and women even abandoned the use of makeup all together. Natural beauty was in and bathing was the new rage. A healthy, hygienic look was the desired outcome and hair was to look sleek and shiny. Styles were elegant, demure and smoothed down with tons of oil. Loose and wispy hair was considered vulgar and a complete lack of taste; so all of you with frizz and fly-aways, shame on you!
20th Century
As the roaring ’20s rolled around, short bobs and waves replaced the conservative hairstyles of the early 1900s. These styles represented independence and a free spirit. Hems grew shorter (woo-hoo—look at those ankles!”> and red lipstick was every woman’s must-have accessory.
The movies brought us closer to our celebrity idols and most women of the 1940s and 1950s emulated their on-screen idols by rolling their hair with those newfangled plastic rollers. My aunt use to collect concentrated orange juice cans and sleep with those in her hair until someone who was finally thinking of women’s needs created actual plastic ones in a variety of sizes so every woman could have wonderfully curly hair.
The 1960’s brought on one of the worst eras of hair abuse. Hair was teased, sculpted, pressed and permed into wonderful bouffant helmets. The 1970’s brought back natural hair, long manes of free-falling curls, soft parts and tans. Farrah Fawcett and the other Charlie’s Angels became our hair goddesses and influenced a generation of feminine romanticism. And then “Big Hair” was back! Yes, the 80s came in full and strong and man were those curls everywhere.
Thank goodness we don’t crimp and tease our hair the way we use to back then but let me tell you ladies (and men”> that curls are back and bigger than ever! Having just had the opportunity to attend Fashion Week Spring 2010 I was thrilled to see soft curls back in the spotlight. No more straightening your hair, textured and wavy are going to be all the rage this season.
Little Bo Peep seemed to have made an appearance at John Galliano’s Spring ready-to-wear show this season.
Galliano has always been a show stopper, mesmerizing his audiences with wild fantasy-like creations. There is no fear when it comes to being avant garde — in fact, it seems like he strives for it day to day. The creations that come out of this man’s head are truly a spectacle for the eyes, yet they are still so practical to wear.
Galliano enjoys mixing colors and patterns with soft and hard textures. Silk ribbons are paired with coarse wool knits and pastel dresses are combined with bright blue hair teased from root to tip. He even went as far as creating a sort of papier-mâché helmet for one of his models.
Although I don’t recommend jumping on to this new hair trend right away, it is certainly a well-thought-out visual display that compliments his ready-to-wear outfits beautifully.
- Christian Cota
- Naheem Kahn
- Maria Pinto
- Wenlan
- Walter
Soft flowing curls were the rage at last week’s Spring 2010 Fashion Week held in New York’s Bryant Park. Both celebs and stylists donned luscious curls and designer outfits. I had the pleasure of going backstage and watching Rodney Cutler and team work their magic and create some great curly ‘dos.
Cutler stylist Jenny Balding and I sat down together and she walked me through how to get next season’s “it” hair do. First, you start with a partial blow dry; just enough where the hair is still kind of damp. Add Cutler’s Specialist Volumizing Spray and a bit of Cutler’s Curling Cream, then finish drying. Add a dime-size amount of Cutler’s Specialist Definition Cream for Texture and Shine to prevent frizz. Back brush with a Mason Pearson brush for light airy volume, twist and pin in a low messy bun; it’s easy but yet oh-so stylish.
