Suzanne Joins the Team

Suzanne has joined the Tommy's Team and will be working at the Ruthin & Chester Salon to meet with demand!  We thought we would ask Suzanne a few questions so that you can get to know our new addition a little better!

Q - How long have you been hairdressing?

A - " I have been hairdressing now for 28 years!  I started when I was young and I knew that this was what I wanted to do as a career.  It's changed so much from when I started and the amount of dedication and business sense it takes to become a well rounded hairdresser is something I think a lot of people would find surprising.  You have to work with numbers, you need to know about chemicals and the reactions they have with different types of colour and products as well as being aware of body language and empathy!  It's not the 'drop-out' subject that so many people believe it is nowadays."

Q - What do you love to do as a Hairdresser?

A- " I love all aspects of hairdressing, but I think my favourite is colouring...no wait...Hair Up Styling...Or maybe Barbering?  It's so hard to choose! I love everything about it!"

Q - How did you first learn about Tommy's?

A - " A friend noticed that you were expanding and suggested that I give it a go!  I think it's important to have progress in your head at all times, not only in your Career but also your skillset. I knew that Tommy's was very forward thinking as a Company so it piqued my interest to see what the opportunities could be here.

Q - What drew you to Tommy's?

A - " The biggest thing that drew me to apply was the evident Teamwork that goes through all the work and messages that I seen on Social Media. I love the idea of being a part of a group of people who evidently love what they do, and it looks like they're a good bunch!  The second was the Countryside!  How amazing is the Salon location?  To be able to look at majestic mountains and rolling countryside whilst still only being half an hour away from a City is just incredible!  I'm looking forward to some long walks!"

Q - What is your favourite part of Hairdressing?

A - " Like I mentioned before it's hard to choose just one!  But I do like colouring.  The evolution of colour recently has been epic!  Balayage is my favourite technique at the moment. The different degrees of it are so brilliant!  Whether it's a soft sun-kissed look or brighter funkier techniques it is a technique that is so diverse and flexible to magnify the style on any Cut or look.

Q - Who is your favourite Hairdresser

A - "This is a difficult one as I think there are some great industry icons out there!  I would probably say for Colour, it has to be Guy Tang. The things he produces are just jaw dropping!  The great thing is that you don't have to copy his work (Mermaid Hair may not go down brilliantly at the office and takes a long time to achieve!) But you can use the looks as inspiration for more wearable and every-day hair.  The other is Paul Stafford.  His looks and Style is very edgy and I do like the fact that you could get away with the majority of his style in real life.  I like to be creative whilst keeping a style manageable.

Q - What are your hopes for our Industry?

A - " Hairdressing has come on light years since I began 28 years ago and I really hope the momentum stays.  Take Barbering for example, it's completely changed from little backstreet shops that were seen as nothing special, into this massive lifestyle choice for men!  From sitting on hard fold up chairs waiting your turn to boutique and tailor made Barbershops that cater for a mans every pampering need!  I think it's incredible!  I also hope that the evolution of colour continues, not just in a fashion related manner but also scientifically.  With the creation of products like SmartBond to help keep the condition of hair whilst it's being coloured, and INOA with it's Oil Delivery System I think it's great that whilst Fashion for colour is demanding more and more brighter and bold colours the condition and health of the Guests hair is also front and centre! "

Q - Time to get a bit off topic....Given the chance, who would you like to be for one day?

A " Haha! This is going to sound weird but I'd love to be Prince Harry!  He seems like he has a great balance of fun and responsibility! He does so much for charity also which I think is incredible! Getting to see the world, meeting so many inspirational people, living in BUCKINGHAM PALACE! Imagine! I'd love to see what goes on behind the scenes with the Royal Family and how it all runs!

Q - What's the one thing you can't live without?

Suzanne with her Family

A - " Apart from my family, as they obviously mean the world to me!  I would have to say my phone...That makes me sound like teenager doesn't it?  Haha, but it connects me to the world and I'm always searching through YouTube for new Styling techniques or following the inspirational Hairdressers on Facebook or Twitter.  In this day and age we are so connected and information is so readily available it's so easy to keep learning, and I think as a Hairdresser you should never ever stop learning!



For a limited time there is an amazing introductory offer with Suzanne for 35% off!  To book you can claim the offer through facebook below, or call the Ruthin Salon on 01824 709977 and quote 'Suzanne Offer'

Happy New Hair! Tommy's Product of the Month

It's that time of year!  When you make promises and resolutions to help improve yourself, or your environment for the following year.  Whether that is to lose weight, exercise more, or simply see more of the people you love, there is one key to keeping these promises... And that is to simplify the goal. 

Break it into little parts.  You want to lose weight? How?  Did you know that by simply cutting the two sugars out of your (numerous) cups of tea during the day over a six week period could shave up to 3lbs off your weight?  Then maybe shave out the biscuits that accompany them for elevenses and you are on your way to a winner!

Here at the Salon we adopt the same outlook with hair health.  Diagnosing the problem is half the battle, and prescriptive haircare from Kerastase helps us to manage the every day issues you have with your hair, be that due to stress, pollution or hormone imbalance.

Kérastase’s Specifique collection has been designed with a healthy scalp in mind. Common scalp complaints include dehydration, excess oil,itchiness or sensitivities such as sore skin. Hair can never look its best if the scalp suffers from imbalances. With treatments carefully designed for specific scalp-relief and hair troubles, Kérastase aim to gently restore the health of your scalp by moisturising to resolve dehydration or cleansing the scalp against excess sebum for oily-prone hair. Hair grows cleaner, healthier, stronger and glossier.

Bain divalent is a product which amazingly balances oily scalp and dry hair, cleansing the scalp, whilst moisturising dry hair fibres to leave your hair silky and soft with a cleansed and invigorated scalp.  When you purchase this product this month you can enjoy a Specifique Ritual Blow Dry to see the benefits the full range will have on your hair!  Simply visit www.tommyshaircompany.com to find your nearest Salon and take the first step towards Happy New Hair!  

Ultimate Christmas Make Up

Look who is Guest writing for us?

Caroline James is a Make Up Artist who is talented enough to of worked with Celebrities such as Katie Melua, and most recently worked with the X Factor contestants on a photo shoot!

During my 15 years as a professional Makeup Artist, my work has taken me worldwide working with glamorous celebrities, hugely successful singers and musicians, popular TV shows and international live tours.

I have now moved to beautiful NorthWales where the new challenges and opportunities are just as exciting.  I am privileged to be working with Artists such as Katie Melua, Paul McCartney,Charlotte Church, Jodie Kidd, Dannii Minogue, Amanda Redman, Rachel Stevens and Yoko Ono to name just a few.

I now want to bring my expertise to you offering private one–to-one makeup lessons giving you the confidence to try new ways of using the products you already have, but may not know how to get the best from.  I will bring my experience to you by giving you the confidence to try new ways of using the products already in your make up bag, and giving you hints and tips.

So here are my tips to The ultimate Christmas Make Up!

This is the time to be bold and have some fun with Makeup now the party season is upon us.

Some useful tips to get you ready for the party:

Keep the foundation light and dewy and as fresh as possible, you don't want your skin looking dull! A tinted moisturizer or light reflecting foundation is perfect.

 This is the time to perfect the seductive smoky eye as above - using greys, charcoals and lots of blending.  Keep the colours on the eye lids lighter and darken the eye socket and the top and bottom lash line finishing with a black khol pencil around the lashes.  Don't forget to finish the look with some killer lashes, there are so many to choose!

After the glamour shoot with the X Factor contestants recently I think everyone should try a red or wine colour lip to really stand out at the party! But keep the edges of the lip soft. You use your finger to gently smudge the edges for a more "worn" look.  

Well she has been away from the scene for a little while but she is back! We asked Sally Matischok, now of the Chester Branch, what she's seen on the scene recently, and what she thinks is going to translate down on the High Street this Spring/Summer.  Looks like it's going to be 90's revival minimum hair and

bold art-box colours (not just block either, think hair chalk patterns!!), messy styles, and inventive hair up!  We love it!

Get your Sunnie's Out!

Some fantastic Eye wear that we think is going to be big, now the Summer 

seems to FINALLY be on it's way!

images may be subject to copyright

Twenty Crazy Hairstyles

Now everyone knows Lady Gaga for her crazy hair and fashion.  We were having an early morning meeting when I brought this up, Ruth brought up the fact that what Lady Gaga is doing now has all been done before, it's just that she's brought it into the mainstream.

I was intrigued, Kristina joined in mentioning Avant Garde hairstyles, and how they've been around for years, and how there is even a whole league of hairdressers dedicated to the art of making groundbreaking hairstyles.

I could not believe how crazy some of this stuff was.... it made Gaga look like she'd just had choppy layers it was that quirky.  I loved it, and I felt like there was this whole side of hairdressing that not many people knew about in the everyday world.

Think of it as the Catwalk designers of the hairdressing world.  As with Fashion, the colours, styles, and trends that walk down the Catwalk all trickle down into the high street, influencing what people put on, what colour their hair is, and what style is going to be the next head turner.

So below are 20 hairstyles that I asked Ruth and Kristina to compile, with a few celebrities chucked in for good measure, I hope you enjoy!

True Colours

Hello Tommy’s blog buddies! Sean signing in to talk colours... I’m a trainee for Tommy’s, you may have seen me in the Ruthin or Chester salon as I float around both. I’m here to fill you in on celeb colours and what to expect for A/W 2011

Anyone who I’ve shampooed will tell you I’m the biggest Gaga fan ever! (I always manage to fit her into the conversation!) Recently she returned to the UK for a quick round of promotion sporting her new fave colour... Mint Green!

I don’t see this catching on with the British public, but I love it, she’s always surprising us with amazing hair shapes and colours.

   

Jessie, another hair icon inspiring this season’s highly requested hair cuts/colours recently went from black to purple for a while, but didn’t like the change and went back to her trademark black high-shine bob.

You may be wondering how she keeps her hair so amazingly shiny... well there are products and colours out there that provide amazing shine, such as the organic colour Essensity available in salon, and shine products such as Magic and Sparkler

Now imagine yourself, just minding your own business on the Jubilee Underground line, avoiding glares from crazy people on the tube when.... Sorry What?  Rihanna just got on the tube??

   

Yes she did!  With her own Oyster Card the 23 year old Barbadian beauty, jumped on at the North Greenwich line, to get to her own concert at the O2 Arena!

That wasn’t the only surprise though, she also premiered her new hair! She’s ditched the red and gone a warm brunette with some funky colours thrown in the mix!

Autumn / Winter 2011 Forecast

   


Autumn/Winter 2011’s hair colours will most certainly be much warmer. While we are getting into our cosy winter clothes ready to brave the cold, we will be doing the same with our hair by putting warm, rich tones in such as...

For darker tones, look towards plums, purples and aubergines to really brighten up those winter mornings, a brave choice but an amazing colour can really bring a whole new life to a fresh cut.




If you are not so brave but still feel your colour needs a new lease of life, then you could opt for the organic colour Essensity.  This colour has rich tones and if you are a brunette, then let this colour turn you from dark and dreary to rich and ravishing with deep chocolate tones, not to mention the softness and shine!


Blondes don't fear!  If you feel the life has left your blonde locks, then why not soften them with some deeper sandy blondes, this will help give your main colour a lift, and add some depth to your overall look.  To avoid the 'tiger stripes' that happen with high or low lights, ask for blocks underneath or comb-in highlights to show through, this way it gives your hair lowlights without making the colour stripey.

Thank blog it's Friday!

What are you going to do with your hair?  You had the slick pony last weekend, and the thought of sitting there with a pair of curling tongs and hairspray, with Neighbours in the background brings on thoughts of suicide. Plus, you haven't washed your hair for the three days... What the hell are you going to do???

QUIFF IT!

It's a brilliant idea... I know!!  The great thing about the quiff is they can be as rough and textured, or as smooth and sleek as you like, they always look great!

We've seen them on the Red Carpet from the likes of Cat Deeley

As you can see here with her sporting a lovely textured quiff, it doesn't have to be perfect for it to look good, in some cases the rougher it's put up the better it looks.

image courtesy of glamourmagazine.co.uk

I know what you're thinking... ''I've got short hair I can't do that'' Well NEVER say never, Rihanna with her short hair managed to put it up into a stylish quiff. 

image courtesy of mariclaire.co.uk

Now unlike Rihanna, we know that you don't have a team of sixteen stylists there to do your make up and hair before you go out, or wake up in the morning (Wouldn't that be great?)  so here is our wonderful Camilla again to show you how to do it at home... I know... You can thank me later...

The 'F' Word - Thank Blog it's Friday!

We're talking about Friday!

Now the video blog has become so popular,  we have given it a dedicated title..... 'Thank Blog it's Friday!'


We will give you little video blogs to inspire you to look and feel fabulous.  If you would like to learn how to give yourself fantastic hair quickly, or if you are looking for some inspiration for the next style that you want to have, we are here to help!


We will be taking styles from the salons latest collections, and drawing experience from our team of Stylists to keep you in touch with everything from Catwalk Hair to Individual style.


Whatever you want, let us know and we will try our best to get it on the blog for you.  Whether it's a 'how to' or a type of style that you want to see on somebody, or simply some recommendations of products that are best for you,  we are fully interactive and happy to show you why we are so passionate about what we do.


A request, from a young lady Shelley, was how to do the 'flicks' in the hair that you see some stunning ladies on the red carpet with, a bit of old school Glamour made famous again by Celebs like Eva Longoria, can really transform you from sleek and chic to flicked and frisky.

Ask... & Thy will be done!  Now we didn't want to just blog how to do the flicks,we wanted to ACTUALLY show her, so we got her here to the Salon and used her in the blog she asked for...Cool huh!!


Don't forget...if there's something you want to see, then simply drop us some feedback in the comment box, or find us on Facebook with the link on the left, and we will get right back to you!


 Enjoy :)

Cheryl Cole... to bob or not to bob?... that is the question

After only just coming to terms with the fact that Katy Perry dipped herself in poor girls ginger juice, I open a web page and lo and behold...

Yes that's right... Cheryl Cole has chopped her hair off.  Let me tell you I am not jealous of the poor stylist (Lisa Laudat) that had to battle with her barnet, and be personally responsible for putting a new hairstyle on one of the nations most photographed Celebs.


But the Colourist Amie Wilson quoted it as the "smokey eyes of hair".  What I am shocked at is, how suddenly Cheryl has gone from a woman with 50 heads of hair to this 'inbetweenie' bob.  From this photo above it looks like it has loads of texture and a stunning shape, but when you see it from another angle ...

You get the full effect of the cut.  Now this will be week two that I have chucked my bag down in the Salon kitchen and literally shaken a stylist like a man possessed.  Let me tell you they don't react well to being man handled at 8am on a Tuesday morning.   This time Kristina was in the firing line, and she had barely tucked into her morning breakfast coffee, before I had her dragged by the hand behind me like some kind of human wedding trail. 


'Oh.'  Said Kristina after she had dusted herself down and stopped herself from choking on her breakfast that I'd catapulted her from.


'It's not really here nor there is it?'   Exactly my thoughts.... I mean... this woman is a National ICON.  What on earth is she doing?  I heard a young guest say that it looks like she has had her head trapped in a lift?


Obviously dragging Kristina away from her morning coffee did not do Cheryl's new style any favours... after stepping back she said " I'm confused.com..... husband... no husband... long hair... short hair, the girl just doesn't know what to do!"


After returning Kristina to the saucer of milk she had left in the kitchen, we discussed the new look as a team.  Obviously some social activity and a couple of more coffees, gave Kristina a new insight.  "It makes her look older... and it's very safe... pretty uninspiring really"


A-symmetric is nothing new, and I must admit, personally, I am very torn about this style.  The texture and the movement look really dynamic.  However from the front it looks like someones going for the bob and she's screamed "STOP!" before they had a chance to sort it out.  It's too long to be funky, but not long enough to be something more traditional.  But you've got to give the girl credit for having the guts and trying something new. 


The colour is just ageing on her, she appears to have lost that 'glow' that she once had, and now seems a little lack luster.  We're not saying it's a bad colour... it's just not for her. 


BUT it's popular opinion that wins out.  So what do you think?  Should she dig those extensions out or stay with?

If Carlsberg did Party hair, it would probably look like this

Every body has had it... You're in work, it's 4:30 and you get the phone call from your friend... "Don't forget we're going to that party tonight!"  You go home, put the ice cream that you were looking forward to for your night in back in the freezer, and leave the DVD for another night.  You look in the mirror and what stares back at you?  Some limp haired lay about that looks like they've been forced through a trouser press without the heat on, and you only have 45 minutes to change yourself into a high street honey and make the ex boyfriend realise, you're the best thing since Disneyland.

Oila!  Here we have Camilla demonstrating how to get party hair in five minutes with just ONE product.  Yes one product only!  Now go get 'em tiger!

Guess what! O M G ... K P!

KP's new hair...

What's up with this picture!


Now we all know Katy Perry for her dark hair which brings out her incredibly coloured eyes....

So...imagine my surprise when i discovered she has turned into a red head!  Working as the Guest Manager within Tommy's Hair Company it is my duty to stay abreast of all things hair related and i thought i had Katy sussed for flying the flag for the rich darker tones that some people... no matter what... will not get away with, you know who you are people!!! If Katy was hoping to get some stylists attention with the change of colour... I think she has got it!

I couldn't stop thinking about Katy's new look on my walk to the salon. I burst in the salon door and without even saying good morning grabbed Camilla our Top Stylist and shoved the picture in her face; "Whatcha think about that?" Always the professional Camilla took a step back regained her composure and said; "No coffee for you today Gavyn?" Slightly embarrassed that i had been rumbled i asked Camilla for her opinion in a more calm and collective manner, which she was delighted to give; ''I feel she is following the 'ombre' style that is really popular at the moment with other celebs like Jennifer Aniston.  It's definitely more of a 'girl next door' look rather than the darker bold impact colour we're used to her wearing. Is that ok for you Gavyn?" and off she waltzed looking extremely pleased with her good deed for the morning.

I should have left it there but i kept looking at KP's picture throughout the day trying to work out my feelings. First of all let's just say from experience (and i'm sure anyone with a teenage child will have gone through this tragedy at some point), getting rid of black from your hair is no easy task... it takes time! Using techniques and methods to try and best protect the condition of the hair without losing the healthy bounce and lustre that Katy's hair especially is known for, could not have been a simple task.

So i'm left wondering if this is an 'in-between' colour on a journey to something completely different, or is the red here to stay? After an enjoyable day within the salon talking to our stylists and guests i think i have decided on my feelings. I believe that your hair should reflect your personality and be indicative of what you want to put out there about yourself for everyone to see. Oh and lets not forget the importance of skintone when it comes to colour. In my opinion KP's colour should be bold and bright to go with her high energy positive singing and performance style. For me this colour washes her out and looks pretty boring.... I'm afraid to say Katy pastels simply aren't for you!

But what do you think... Teenage Dream or Grown-up Nightmare?



















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