From the Directors Chair
Summertime and the livin' is easy... Is your style regiment?
Photo Credit: Getty Images via Red Book Magazine
Benjamin Rodich. National Artistic Director for Hair. WarPaint International Beauty Agency.
Your Thoughts on Natural Hair & Makeup
Summertime! It’s finally here. The cold and dry days of winter are behind us and with it, we leave behind the tragic split ends and static, and welcome back humidity and heat. For those who are fortunate enough to have the “golden genes of hair” passed down to them, this is a time of celebration as they put away the blow dryers and deep conditioners, and head to the salon or their favorite stylist for tips on the hottest products for the summer. Texture sprays, beach sprays, dry shampoo, hair oil, curl crèmes, and one of my new personal favorites, “Don’t blow it”, made by Bumble and Bumble.
Our WarPaint International guests rely on us to give them the latest style advice and tips for the most current and on trend hair and makeup for the season. I am incredibly proud of the trend collections we have created so far and I believe that each of them contain the best examples of hair and makeup for the season. We pride ourselves in creating these looks so that they are obtainable by using our beauty-on-demand service, or an inspiration for re-creating them yourself at home.
During the conception of this collection, Jessica Mae and I focused very much on natural beauty. We have all heard the word "natural" so many times when speaking about hair and makeup. Mostly, I have seen natural show up as either no makeup or barely any, and hair that is just air-dried with no product. This collection wants you to look at “natural” through the lens of not over done and not underdone but rather… just right.
NATURAL BEAUTY
Natural beauty is different for all of us. Tailoring a look JUST FOR YOU is always the best way to go about discovering your at-home regime for hair and makeup. We often see a celebrity be the first to come out with a jaw dropping and daring new lip color, eyebrow, or hairstyle. When we flip through the pages of Vogue, its not uncommon to see a model with hair that looks like she just rolled out of bed and ran her fingers through her hair, got dressed and off she goes.
For some reason when we try this at home, it often feels unfinished and not “styled” enough to take on the world. When it comes to hair, there are so many different factors to address before you choose whether air-drying or “un-done” looking hair is for you or not. First and foremost, do you enjoy your natural texture?
ITS ALL ABOUT THE HAIR PRODUCT.
Behold, my all time favorite products of the season that are flying off the shelf at salons across the country, and more importantly, how to use them. These are all products designed (or very well suited) for natural air-dry styling or light diffusing or blow-drying. In other words, these are products that go into the hair wet and then a small amount or no heat can be applied just to activate it, and then off you go.
Don’t Blow it! From Bumble and Bumble.
This dream cream is the first of its kind. Designed to work on hair that is air-dried, Don’t Blow It is light in its hold and strong in its performance. A quarter to silver dollar size amount is applied to the hair from roots to ends. THAT’S IT! You will feel a very light “cast” around each strand once the hair is dry. Simply run your fingers through and twist each section while scrunching and manipulating your hair in the way you would normally if you were diffusing or finishing a head of curls. You will see Frizz control, a ton of shine, and mostly a better result than air-drying with no product at all. I really like this product.
Spray a Porter - Kérastase | Liquid Fabric - Shu Uemura.
These extremely high-end and coveted luxury products are the best “beach sprays” in the market. Both are applied to wet or dry hair to dehydrate and roughen up the silky texture that some of us find hard to obtain volume with. Simply spray 2-3 pumps of either onto the hair holding the bottle about 10 inches away from head. Separate hair into sections so that product can be evenly applied to hair underneath the top layers.
Air dry and finish with one of my two favorite MUST HAVE purse products.
Kerastase Touché Perfection.
This perfect serum will tame the mane and bits that need calming and help to nourish the ends of the hair to give a more finished look.
Shu Uemura “A touch of gloss”
will be the better fit for textures that are a bit more rebellious. Both are small lip-gloss like tubes that are portable and perfect to apply whenever your hair needs just a little something.
IT’S ALL ABOUT WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL FABULOUS!
Whether or not the un-done and natural air styled look is for you or not is a personal choice. WarPaint International’s Beauty on Demand service is here for you. Our stylists will come to you, on-location wherever you choose and bring with them not only their favorite products for the season, but also help you re-purpose what you have at home and make recommendations on what would be the best products for YOUR hair to give you the best style that suits your lifestyle.
Please consider us as your dream team of beauty for your next garden party or summer night soirée! As always we are here to extract your inner beauty and compliment the person on the inside as much as we work to glam up the outside. Well see you soon!
In the end... its all about what makes you feel fabulous.
Prepare For Battle.