Prior to my six-week adventure, I attended the Kim VO Red Carpet event in Portland, Oregon. For those of you who haven't been, Portland is an amazing city: great shopping, fantastic restaurants, lots of funky little boutiques and a thriving music scene with a plethora of jazz and blues clubs. Despite the rain (or perhaps because of it), it's a charming and impressively clean and lush city, befitting of the witty and charming VO, a judge on Bravo's Shear Genius. Owner of salons in Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Laguna Beach, and Las Vegas, VO is a master colorist known for his blondes.
The Red Carpet event was--unlike traditional classes--a cocktail party featuring hors d'oeuvres. The informal setting was an opportunity to mingle with other stylists eager to learn Kim's secrets for achieving amazing blondes. Kim is far more approachable than I would have thought, given his credentials and what I've seen of him on tv. If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend catching one of his classes. Many of his tips were so simple, like the pasta trick: he marks his clients' cards with the color formula, and sizes his highlights with "pasta notes." For example, very thin highlights are angel hair pasta, slightly thicker highlights are spaghetti, and chunkier highlights are fettuccini. This tip is so simple, but it helps deliver consistent results, whcih keeps yoru clients happy. I couldn't wait to get home and use his tips on some of my more demanding clients; they've saved me a great deal of time and I've achieved some amazing results because of them.
Special thanks to Salon Services for offering such useful classes, and an even bigger thanks for coming to Boise. I’ve very much enjoyed trying all the new products you make available. If you’re a stylist in Boise, Salon Services is a must. Not only do they have some fantastic products but sales rep Shaylin Barlow is the best. She's been nothing but cheery and friendly whenever I come in, and is very knowledgeable and helpful with my many questions.
