Celebrating our crowning glory at the Contessa 27 Canadian Hairstylist of the Year Awards!

Things were hip and happening at the Westin Harbour Castle last weekend as the best and brightest in the beauty industry gathered for the Contessa Awards. Presented by Salon Magazine and founded in 1988, the Contessas, The Canadian Hairstylist of the Year Awards, are Canada’s longest-running and most prestigious awards honouring excellence and creativity in salon professionals. The best way to describe it really is as the Oscars of the beauty world!

The mandate of the Contessa Awards is to highlight, promote and recognize Canada’s premier professional beauty talent. The event unites the industry from coast to coast and presents an opportunity for beauty professionals to share their knowledge, inspiration and passion for their profession with their colleagues.

With so many qualified and imaginative entries it must have been hard to pick the winners - here are a few of the photos I especially loved:

Canadian Colourist - Ann-Marie Goupil - Salon Espace C, Brossard, QC
Makeup Artist: Jacinthe Benoit - Photographer: Brian Ypperciel, www.brianypperciel.com 

Canadian Hairstylist of the Year - Mandy MacFadden - Salon Decorum, Newmarket, ON
Makeup Artist: Sherlyn Torres - Photographer: Allysandra Cervantes, www.allysandracervantes.com 

New Hairstylist - David Vendittelli - Valvano Salon, St. Catharines, ON
Makeup Artist: Meaghan Bell - Photographer: Kale Friesen, www.kalejf.com

Makeup Artist - Virginie T. Simard - Guylaine Martel Artistes Coiffeurs, Mont-Saint-Hilaire, QC
Photographer: Alain Comtois

Canadian Nail Artist - Naomi Misu - Tips Nail Bar, Toronto, ON
Photographer: Joseph Saraceno, www.josephsaraceno.com

And although he didn't win, Canadian Colourist finalist, Norm Wright had some words of advice about the importance of a good colourist: 

"Determining how far to go with each individual’s new look should be determined during the consultation: analyze skin tone, eye colour, face shape and bone structure. Hair colour can make a face look longer, it can bring out eye colour, and it can accentuate a hair layer that might not have been visible. The intensity of the application is dictated by the individual’s personality, profession, and lifestyle.

Each person deserves to know their full potential and we as professionals aren't doing our jobs if we don't discuss every option.

I think the biggest mistake a hairstylist can make is underestimating the person in their chair.

We are very lucky in this country to live through four seasons and with each new season, fashion and trends change. I recommend slight nuance changes seasonally.

I've been doing hair for 30 years; each change makes each person look at themselves from a different perspective. Hair design reflects how you feel, and in the eyes of others, projects who you are. If you buy new clothes seasonally, your hair should reflect those changes.

And finally, maintaining your hair colour with the right products is just as important as the tones you choose.

The pH scale measures acidity and alkalinity, human hair's pH is acidic and if you’re cleansing, conditioning, and using styling products that are too high in alkalinity, the hair's cuticle opens and all the goodness falls out. Ironically you will save money on products, but your hair visits increase three fold."

I'm inspired to go get something done with my hair now - see you at the Contessas next year!

- Lisamarie -

Beachy waves in 5 easy steps from celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin - or with a couple of products from Victoria's Secret and mark.!

Get the beachy wave look without having to spend the day covered in sand.

Celebrity hairstylist, Jen Atkin - with a client roster that includes Lorde, Katy Perry, Jennifer Lopez, Kaley Cuoco and Kim & Khloe Kardashian shared her 5 easy steps for achieving the perfect beachy waves at home:

1. On damp hair, apply mousse (Jen recommends Mousse au Lotus Volumatrice by Leonor Greyl) to add volume and create a product foundation.  Rough dry the hair.
2. Once dry, curl sections with a 1 1/4” curling wand.  Be sure to tug on each section after it’s curled while it's still hot, as this will relax each curl.
3. Next, use a flat iron to add a bend to the roots and smooth over the ends to soften.
4. Then, liberally apply a texturizing spray (Jen recommends Oribe Dry Texturing Spray).  This will up the volume with just the right amount of gritty texture.
5. Replicate that wind-whipped hair by piecing out the ends with a wax (Jen recommends Osmo Clay Wax).

Of course the best way to learn all the tricks and tips is directly from the pro herself and we were excited to learn that Jen will be in Toronto to teach a one-day, hands on hairstyling workshop on July 31st - e-mail workshops@beautycharisma.com for more details or to reserve your spot!

And for those days that you don't have time for even five step hair, here are a couple of products that will help you get a beachy look in a spray!

Victoria's Secret Beach Sexy Beach Hair Wave Spray - 177ml - $12 - with UV absorber creates loose, natural-looking waves on all hair textures, for that effortlessly sexy, fresh-from-the-beach look. Sea salt helps add texture to all hair types, especially wavy. A blend of buriti oil and sunflower seed extract helps protect hair from UV damage.

Available at www.victoriassecret.com.

mark. That's Beachy Texturizing Surf Spray - 200ml - $16 - just spray and scrunch for immediate texture and volume - for a sexy, beachy look and free-flowing shine.

Available from your Avon rep - 1-800-265-AVON or online at www.avon.ca.

- Lisamarie -

Contessa 25 - Celebrates the greatest show on earth with 25 years of Canada's top hair talent!

The best and brightest in the professional hair and beauty industry gathered at Toronto's Westin Harbour Castle this past Sunday for the 25th Annual Contessa Canadian Hairstylist of the Year Awards.

The circus theme was an excellent compliment to some of the crazy sideshow hair on display in both the nominee photos as well as the attendees themselves!

Ringmaster Bill Rowley hosted the gala evening of awards and spectacular segments of circus inspired styles, hair creations and fashions sponsored by Schwarzkopf Professional and Matrix.

With so many fabulous categories and photos, it was hard to choose my faves but here are a few that I thought were particularly fun!

AVANT GARDE HAIRSTYLIST
Amanda Rendell, Studio H, London, Ont.

CANADIAN SALON TEAM
Cutting Room Creative, Nanaimo, B.C.

CANADIAN HAIRSTYLIST
Tony Ricci, Ricci Hair Co., Edmonton

MASTER COLOURIST
Lindie Blackwell, Spyce Spa and Hair, Barrie, Ont.

HAIR EXTENSIONS ARTIST
Frank Dicintio, Salon Gaboa, Woodbridge, Ont.

CANADIAN COLOURIST
Silas Tsang, Blushes, Ottawa

ELITE MASTER HAIRSTYLIST
Guylaine Martel, Guylaine Martel Artistes Coiffeurs, Mont-St-Hilaire,

MULTICULTURAL HAIRSTYLIST
Stephanie Schewe, Salon Collage, Toronto

- Lisamarie -

Contessa 23 Canadian Hairstylist of the Year Awards - prepare to be amazed!

The best and brightest of Canada's beauty industry talent gathered at the Sheraton Centre Hotel in Toronto this past weekend for the Contessa 23 Canadian Hairstylist of the Year Awards - for those of you who haven't heard of it before, it's the Oscars of the Canadian beauty industry!

I must admit that one of my favourite parts of the evening was the people watching in the lobby that I did beforehand where I witnessed every manner of dress you could possibly imagine: fur & facinators; feathers & tulle; sequins & lace and of course hair in every style and of course colour under the rainbow!

Now enjoy some of the winning styles!

Véronique Beaupré won the award for Canadian Hairstylist as well as Quebec Hairstylist and her Montreal salon - local b - won - Canadian Salon Team - Photo by Simon Normand

Avant Garde award - Palma Aushilevich - The Hair Spot - Toronto - Photo by Babak

Master Colourist and Makeover Colourist award - Timothy Switzer - Timothy & Co. Salon & Spa - Oshawa - Photo by Greg Swales

Session Hairstylist award - Olivier Miotto - Glam Salon Boutique, Montreal -  Photo by Sylvain Blais

Elite Master Hairstylist award - Guylaine Martel - Guylaine Martel Artistes Coiffeurs - Mont-Saint-Eustache Photo by Alain Comtois

Ontario Hairstylist award - Mandy MacFadden - Salon Decorum - Newmarket - Photo by Richard Dubois

Alberta Hairstylist award - Wendy Bélanger - Influence Salon - Calgary - Photo by Nico Iliev

- Lisamarie -

Contessa 22 Canadian Hairstylists of the Year Award Winners!

The Contessa 22 Awards took place last week where more than 1,200 industry professionals got together in Toronto to honour the very best in the beauty industry.  I imagine a room full of beauty people getting really drunk and then cutting each other's hair and stuff but I have a pretty vivid imagination, I'm sure it's a lot tamer then that.  What can't be disputed is the very pretty winning images - it was very hard to choose which ones to post, I wanted to use them all - enjoy!

Winner for Canadian Hairstylist
Tony Ricci
Ricci Hair Co. Edmonton, AB
780-428-0809
www.riccihair.com
Photography - Ara Sassoonian

also won award for Canadian Salon Team

Winner for Avant Garde Hairstylist

Sylvain Bellerose - Millica SalonSpa, Langley, BC

604-513-1441 www.millica.ca

Photography - Greg Swales

Winner for Master Colourist

Michelle Pargee - Millica SalonSpa, Langley, BC

Photography - Greg Swales

Winner for Makeup Artist

Melanie White - Studio H., London, ON

519-709-4247, www.studiohlondon.com

Photography - Jason Brown

- Lisamarie -