Leonor Greyl’s Masque Quintessence Rescues Dry, Damaged Hair

Winter may have descended upon us, but Leonor Greyl has just introduced a secret weapon against the threat of dry, damaged hair. It’s called Masque Quintessence. The deeply hydrating mask was formulated with two nourishing and repairing oils: cupuacu oil from the Amazon and manketti oil from Namibia. It can either be used sparingly on dry hair before shampooing or on damp hair after shampooing. If you use it on damp hair, leave the product on for 10 to 20 minutes, then rinse it off. Voila! Hair is revitalized, repaired, shiny, soft and manageable. Check out leonorgreyl.com for more info. —Lotus Abrams, managing editor

ABC’s Wife Swap Seeking Hair Competitors!

I just got this from the casting producer for ABC’s hit show Wife Swap and wanted to pass it along. If you want your 15 minutes of fame, read on …

Do you spend hours coming up with new fantasy hair creations? Is your canvas a head of hair? If your greatest joy is creating the most outrageous and technically perfect fantasy hair, then I want to talk to you!

I am the Casting Producer for ABC Television’s hit show, Wife Swap. I am trying to cast a family that loves competing in hair shows !

In case you are unfamiliar with the show, the premise of Wife Swap is to take two different families and have the moms switch places to experience how another family lives. Half of the week, the mom lives the life of the family she is staying with. Then she introduces a “rule change” where she implements rules and activities that her family has. It’s a positive experience for people to not only learn but teach about other families and other ways of life.

Wife Swap airs on Disney-owned ABC television on Mondays at 8 pm—the family hour! There is another show that copies ours. We focus on having fun, learning and teaching. They focus on conflict. I just want to make sure our show doesn’t get confused with theirs!

Potential families can live anywhere in the United States, but we ask that families applying for the show consist of two parents and have at least one child, age 7 -17 living at home.

If you and your family meet the requirements as stated above and are interested in this opportunity, please contact me right away! This is a very unique experience that can be life changing for everyone. In addition, each family that tapes an episode of Wife Swap receives a financial honorarium.

If you’re interested in this appearing on the show, contact Gaby Wilson at gaby.wifeswap@gmail.com

Nubar’s Holiday Nail Art Contest

Enter Nubar’s “The Healthy Alternative for Beautiful Nails” contest and showcase your holiday nail art talent! The competition takes place during the month of December and is open to student and professional cosmetologists and nail technicians.

Prizes include:
Grand Prize: $300.00 worth of Nubar products
2nd Place: $150.00 worth of Nubar products
3rd Place: $75.00 worth of Nubar products

Rules: Designs can be any style and cover any holiday. Each design must include a step-by-step description on how to acheive the design.

All entries must include your name, address, salon name or agency, telephone number, and email address.

Entries must be mailed to:

Nubar Cosmetic Products
Holiday Contest:
4200 Verdant Street
Los Angeles, CA 90039

Or sent by email:
nail.news@gmail.com

Good luck!

-Nicole Palmieri, editorial assistant

The Importance of Trust

As a beauty writer with a focus on hair, I shouldn’t admit that I’m one of those clients who you’d probably hate. When I go in for a haircut, I hyperventilate when my stylist tries to take off any more than an inch, and it took about 20 minutes of convincing for me to cut long layers and angles about six months ago (that was the “drastic” change I made when I got this job!). I think I get my conservative hair ways from my mom, who never likes the way her hair is cut or the way it’s blown out, even when it’s just a trim. We both love our hair and aren’t very open to change.

That said, I think I shocked both myself AND my mom the other day when we went to the amazing Mark Garrison Salon in New York City for services, and I left about 7 inches of my precious long hair on their floor. My fabulous colorist there, Patricia Ribiero, who I have been going to for almost four years, was in shock when she saw me. She had tried to convince me to lose some of my length for a long time, and I always refused. This time, however, there was just something about the way Mark explained to me what he wanted to do—and why—that made me trust him (I had never had my hair cut there before, just colored). He talked about the structure of my face and my long neck and how he wanted to give me a style as opposed to just a cut. It only took about five minutes for me to agree to put myself in his hands and just let him do what he thought would look best. And it wasn’t just me. Five chairs away, my mom was getting much more than her usual trim, thanks to her stylist, Maria Palazzo, taking the time to go over her hair type and concerns and really making her understand why she should have it styled in a particular way. We both left Mark Garrison Salon with lighter heads and bigger smiles.

The lesson here? Even your most boring and conservative clients will let you experiment if you use your knowledge of hair to explain things to them. Most of us just stick to what we know looks good, but as the expert, you can see what might look better. Keep that in mind next time someone asks for just a trim … —Lori Morris, senior editor

How Do YOU Give Back?

One of my favorite parts of this job is hearing stories about how salons across the country are giving back to their communities. Whether through toy drives for the holidays, fundraising events or product/service donations, it’s clear that many salons realize how much of a difference they can make beyond the styling chair. In the spirit of the season, I’ll be sharing some of these salons and their stories with you all month long. If your salon is doing something amazing this holiday season—or any time of year—please let us know!

First up is the Lifestyle Salon in New York City’s Union Square neighborhood. Throughout this week, the relatively new, five-chair salon will be donating 10 percent of its profits to gastrointestinal cancer research. The fundraiser was inspired by a close friend of owners Haim and Jodi Hazan, 32-year-old Claire Galeazzi, who was diagnosed with stage IV stomach cancer in April 2007 and is now participating in a clinical trial. The Claire Galeazzi Gastrointestinal Cancer Research Fund was established in her name to help others through funding stomach cancer research, equipment and other related costs at The Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health, a clinical center of New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Medical College of Cornell University. For more information about the fundraiser, contact Lifestyle Salon NYC at 212/228-5577. —Lori Morris, senior editor

Lifestyle Salon NYC