5 day class with Vivienne Mackinder

My time has been somewhat limited, what with the long haul from Florida to New York City. Needless to say, I’m now in the Big Apple.
Before I decided to take this journey, I would often get very flustered looking at fabulous hair styles in magazines, books, and the Internet. Even after hours of studying photos and online tutorials, couldn’t quite figure out how master them; I can’t always grasps the angles or the structure of what they are creating and how on earth they get them to hold.
On one of my late night attempts to master some of these creations (or even just one), I found Vivienne Mackinder. For those you who don’t know, she’s a London-born, world-renowned hairstylist, educator, and all-around incredibly amazing woman. She trained with Vidal Sassoon, Trevor Sorbie and other equally brilliant stylists for years. Vivienne produced and directed the documentary film series, “I’m not just a hairdresser,” is the Editor-in-Chief of MOD magazine and founded hairdesigntv.com (I believe any hair stylist who wants to achieve more knowledge should really consider becoming a member of this site). She has received many awards including the 2009 North American Hair Styling Awards Life Time Achievement award. All those accolades are intimidating!
The instant I enrolled, I was completely nervous (more like scared to death). I knew I had much to learn and I really needed to get out of my comfort zone. As the class approached, I got more and more nervous.
On the first day of class, when I arrived my heart was racing. As it turns out, I had nothing to worry about. There were only two other students—Jean Witte, salon owner and president of Inter Coiffure South Africa, and TJ Weaver, stylist and co-owner of Douglas J Aveda institute and Douglas J salon—so we had lost of one-on-one time with Vivienne. As it turns out I couldn’t have asked for better classmates. They both had great advice and were so helpful, and I haven’t laughed so hard in quite some time.
Viviane’s team is so amazing and so welcoming, they instantly put me at ease. Vivienne’s warm smile radiates kindness and brightens any room she enters. Even after years of doing hair, she still has so much passion for her work. You can feel the excitement in everything she does and speaks about, and she’s so willing to share her knowledge. She is truly one of the most inspiring women I’ve ever met. She definitely sparked a passion for hair I haven’t felt in a long time.
The class was intense. Though it was only five days, Vivienne had a way of squeezing in as much information as possible and keeping things fun just as they were getting tense. I’m surprised I didn’t  frustrate her, like when we were doing a precision start to finish razor cut (by the way, I did learn how to correctly use a razor).
I can’t possibly list everything I took away from this class; remember the finger wave we all hated so much in school? She made it so much easier than it had ever been. I learned more ways of back combing than I ever knew existed. I know I’ve said this many times before, but I have to say once again how important ongoing education is. I know there are so many things I need to learn. Even though I learned so much in this class, it just reemphasized how much more there is to learn about my profession.

Premiere Orlando Day 3

As day three of the Orlando Premiere show approached, I couldn’t image it getting any better than the past two days. When I arrived bright and early, demonstrations for cutting and styling were still going on full force. Even on day three, I still had so much to see. With all the new products, new trends, color lines imaginable, and the new haircutting techniques I learned at the Pivot Point class, the hardest part of this trip is not being able to run right back to the salon and try out all these great new finds (including my new blow dryer I waited MONTHS for).

I’ve had the opportunity to see some truly gifted stylists, including Robert Crimeans, Beth Manardi, Martin Parsons, (the man I dream about for days before I had an up-do coming in) and Philip Wilson, just to mention a few. I also had the pleasure of spending quite a bit of time with Philip Pelusi (more about this brilliant man later),

who just launched the Tela Beauty Organics Phyto Keratin Smoothing Treatment Blow Out with his amazing team. I’ll learn more about this product line when I spend a few days with Philip when I hit New York in a few days.  

My goal for this trip was to get more education, new ideas and be inspired. I’m not even halfway through my trip yet, and I’ve gotten so much more than I’d hoped for. I definitely have been inspired, and I’ve learned more then I could have ever imagined at this point.  I’ve also met some wonderful people I’ll never forget.

Off I go, back on the open road! I’m looking forward to what the next few weeks have to hold.

Premiere Orlando Day 2

The Première Orlando show officially started today. As I arrived, throngs of people poured out of shuttle buses and entered the venue. The orchestrated chaos of the day before had transformed to excitement as attendees clamored to see as many new products and attend as many classes as possible in two days. (There are over 180 classes to choose from, and that’s just the hair portion of the show; there are even more classes for skin care, nails, and so much more.) Countless stages showcased the latest trends and the most amazing big, beautiful hair styles nonstop. Though I wanted to experience the show’s sensory overload in all its glory, I committed to being a hair model the day before, so it was off to the prep rooms for me.

The makeshift pipe-and-drape rooms I described yesterday were packed to the gills with models, stylists wielding color bowls, whirring blow dryers and hair spray mist. The stylists who would be doing my demonstration were none other than Rocky McCormick and Joe Anthony Pena. These gentlemen helped raise over $40,000 for a children’s charity on Celebrity Apprentice last month (great job, guys!). When I sat down, I found out I’d not only be getting a haircut, I’d also be getting my hair colored. More specifically, they would be using MY hair to demonstrate highlights over color. Anyone who knows me knows I don’t really care for highlights on myself, but in the spirit of my adventure, I willingly went along with it.

After the base color was prepared, I followed Rocky and Joe through the long crowded halls around hundreds of exhibits to the stage. At this point, my heart was racing faster than the tiny feet of the lizards I dodged on my bike ride two nights ago. I’ve never been onstage before; in fact, I’d do anything to avoid getting up in front of ten people let alone hundreds. I told myself this is something I had to do for this experience; I had to step out of my comfort zone; all I had to do was sit there.

The stage lights blazing, I sat and listened to the demonstration.  Rocky started talking about being inspired. He said he hasn’t been inspired by someone in a long time. Then he put his hand on my shoulder and started to tell the audience how much my trip and my extreme journey to receive more education inspired him.

This was completely unexpected. If I was nervous before about the highlights or being onstage, my nerves were amplified tenfold; my heart was pounding as if it could explode out of my chest at any moment. Though I planned this trip because I needed to be inspired, it felt good to know I inspired someone along the way. (Thank you, Rocky! You inspired me as well!)

After a trip to the prep room for a shampoo and blow dry, it was back to the stage for the haircut. This time another model was on stage with me as Rocky and Joe took turns explaining what they were doing. As I tried to catch a quick glimpse on the big screen of what Joe was doing to my hair, I wondered if I’d have much left by time I left the stage. Thankfully, Joe was very kind; after cutting about four inches and texturing it just how I like it, it turned out GREAT (Thanks, Joe!).

After my fifteen minutes of fame, I could breathe and enjoy the rest of the show (and find the perfect blow dryer I’ve been in search of for months).While weaving in and out of the exhibitor’s booths, I stopped by the Pravana stage to watch Alan Papaleo demonstrate a short textured hair cut. He’s quite impressive to watch and explains everything he’s doing in SUCH detail. As I sat there watching, Vadre, the Pravana educator I met yesterday, pointed out to Alan where I was sitting. He stopped mid-cut and motioned Vadre to bring me on stage. I shook my freshly cut head no as she grabbed my arm and said, “Come on!”

Alan gave a brief summary of who I was and what I was doing, handed me a microphone and asked me to tell everyone about my journey. My knees shaking, my palms sweating, I tried to ignore the crowd, and imagine it was just Alan and I having a one-on-one conversation. That didn’t work. I knew everyone was watching, waiting to hear what I had to say. I honestly can’t even remember what I said (though apparently some universal force is pushing me to overcome my fear of public speaking).

To Rocky Rob Rita and Joe: I spent several hours the past two days learning so much from you. You gave me a lot of great advice not just about hair products, but about so many things in my industry. This has truly been a great experience.

Premiere Orlando Day 1

So much is happening, I can barely remember what day it is let alone how long I’ve been in the road. I’ll gloss over the “how I got from South Dakota to Florida” story for now and get to the good stuff:

After driving hundreds of miles, worrying about the where the next fuel stop would be, and wondering if my GPS was going to yet again steer me wrong, I arrived in Orlando, Florida for the Premiere Orlando hair show just as evening set in.  Though grateful to be off the road, the distasteful task of unpacking lay before me. Packing for six weeks is undoubtedly the least fun aspect of this trip; the endless cycle of unpack, pack, repeat is the low point of my adventure. Anyway, after a quick bike ride which involved dodging sun-worshiping lizards every few feet, I called it a night.

I eagerly woke Saturday morning, ready to hit the big event. When I arrived at the convention center, I was surprised I didn’t see more people. As it turns out, I was a day early (so much is happening, I can barely remember what day it is, remember?). I wandered around the building for a bit and then sat to wait for the next shuttle to my hotel. While waiting, I struck up a conversation with an educator for Pravna from Los Angeles. When I told her about my six-week road trip, she couldn’t believe I drove all this way alone.

A few minutes after she left, a girl approached me and said, “My friend told me I had to meet you and hear about your trip.”  After chatting for a bit, she asked if I would like a behind-the-scenes look at how they get ready for such huge event. I jumped at the chance without a second thought.

The scene in the convention center was one of orchestrated chaos: dozens of forklifts spinning every which way, a maze of boxes, and hundreds of people scurrying about making last-minute preparations. Next, we went to the area where models were being prepped for the next day. Keep in mind, the hair portion of the event alone had over 100 companies participating. Every company had their own room to keep their top secret new hair designs under wrap until their big moment, so there are literally hundreds of “rooms” made from drapes and piping. Each room was a flurry of activity as people rushed around with color bowls, curling irons, hair pieces, costumes and other artistic hairstylist necessities.

I ended up spending most of the day learning about new colors and blow-out treatments from some really amazing people. Towards the end of the day, a stylist from Farouk asked if I wanted to be a haircut model the next day. As I thought about the crazy “styles” I’d seen onstage at other shows, my initial reaction was “no frickin’ way.” Then I remembered I wanted a hair cut before I left home but I didn’t have the time. My spirit of adventure kicking in, I viewed it as an opportunity to see another facet of the hair show world.

Smoothing my humidity-frazzled hair, I said, “Sure! Why not?” I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see the results.  Even if it turns out horrible, I still have four weeks on the road for any experiment to grow out.

If today was just a behind-the-scenes look, I can’t wait for tomorrow!

I’ve been planning this trip for months. I’m a wreck when it comes to leaving for just 3 days, so you can imagine how nervous I was planning for a 6-week trip (by myself, no less).  I can’t even tell you how many long-distance phone calls I made to line up just the right class in just the right state at just the right time.  Some places I really wanted to visit just didn’t fit with my overall schedule, so frustration and discouragement were feelings I got really, REALLY used to during the planning process. Then somehow things just fell together, and I felt really good about this whole idea right up until a few days before I left.  

I had so much to do and I was so busy at work, I didn’t think I could possibly get everything done. When it was finally time to leave and the car was (over)packed, I was still worrying about forgeting something. Placing my nerves aside, I crawled behind the wheel and headed for my first stop:  Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

As soon as I hit the highway, my feelings of anxiety vanished. For the first time in two weeks, I felt calm. My feelings of peace and tranquility intensified as I drove through the Idaho countryside, including some places I never knew existed. As I approached the majestic Grand Teton Mountain range, I thought I must have taken a wrong turn. The Wyoming I remember as a child consisted of long open roads and brown, flat land. Before me lay the purple mountain majesties I remember singing about in school and herds of elk and deer roaming the lush green plains of late spring. Then, right there in the middle of the road stood six MASSIVE buffalo. Up to that point, I’d only seen them on television, and now, here they were, just a few hundred feet away.

At that moment, I realized my adventure had just begun, and all the worries and frustration and nerves leading up to the trip no longer mattered. From that point on, I didn’t care that the temperature dropped from 67 degrees down to 27 and I found myself suddenly surrounded by snow.  I didn’t care that the route to Rapid City, South Dakota, was covered with snow, then rain, then fog. We’re so consumed by our daily routines and responsibilities, it is a rare moment when we find ourselves with nothing but open road ahead of us and behind us, when our biggest concern is where to eat and when the next rest stop is. I just need to sit back, relax and enjoy this journey.