New You at New Leaf...January Style

We love hair makeovers at New Leaf.

That's why January is a great time to bring you the latest installment of New You at New Leaf. It's a time for still-kept New Year's resolutions (er...maybe), new beginnings, and a fresh start, if you will.

In celebration of all things new and exciting, our faithful New-Leafer, Marie, was ready to change her look.

Nothing gets a hairstylist's adrenaline going like cutting off 8 inches of hair. Unless of course Tabatha, from Bravo's Tabatha's Salon Takeover, walked through our doors. I think then, we'd feel our adrenaline pumping, nervous hands trembling, beads of sweat trickling and most likely, pure fear.

But anyways.

Here is Heidi, a stylist at New Leaf for over 7 years, explaining Marie's change...

For as long as I have known Marie, her hair has been long. When she came in saying she wanted something new, my creative juices went to work. You see, it's not every day this happens.

Marie's hair is fine, highlighted, and a bit dry (no wonder, really, it's a few years old!). With such a beautiful face, we needed to up the ante with her 'do. Sometimes beauty is hiding beneath long hair.

Here is Marie before...

And after cutting off Marie's 10 inch ponytail, here is her gorgeous graduated bob...after!

Disclaimer: We always advocate donating hair to Locks of Love or Beautiful Lengths. However, if your hair has been heavily highlighted, the organizations cannot use the donated ponytail.

I made sure to give Marie an easy style since she hadn't had short hair in a loooong time. We heavily texturized her cut to give it an edgier, more modern, young feel.

We decided to refresh her color because Marie is a natural blonde (I know, we hate her;-), and it's actually pretty hard to maintain a darker shade on light hair. Surprised? When the regrowth begins to show, it almost looks as if the hair is thinning! That being said, Marie is a perfect blonde, so we agreed to enhance it.

I foiled piecey buttery blonde highlights and golden caramel lowlights to add dimension. Clients don't always understand salon lingo so here is a quick lesson.

Highlights are when we weave or paint lighter tones or strands into the hair.

Lowlights are the same as highlights but in darker shades of color. People who have very light hair, faded hair, or need depth and more dimension, have their hair lowlighted. It's the opposite of highlighting.

Thanks Heidi for a fantastic makeover and also a big thanks to Marie for being so brave and kind for letting us snap a few photos... Oops, did we mention you would be on our blog:o)?

Marie should be catwalking the streets of NYC, but she settled for State Street in Bristol. Oh well. A girl can dream.

If you or someone you know would like a New Look @ New Leaf, please call us...

401.254.9333

or email...

info@newleafhairstudio.com

Style 101 Event = Success

You may have been hearing the buzz about New Leaf's 1st Style 101 Event.

It went something like this...

This is what 99.9% of women look like in the bathroom while trying to recreate the salon blow out.

Well...maybe minus the platinum blonde hair, perfectly tan skin and pouty lips. But, hey, we all sense her frustration, right?

Anyways, clients always tell us they can NEVER make their hair look as fantastic as it does when they leave New Leaf. On a positive note, hairstylists can stay busy. On the negative side of things, who wants a style they can never recreate again?

Our clients are New Leaf's business cards, so what good is it if you look great when you leave the salon and it never looks like that again?

Enter STYLE 101 EVENT.

Clients reserved their 30 minute private lesson with me (Courtney) for $25, all of which went towards styling products at the end of the session. So the class was pretty much free:o)

The best part? Clients got to CHOOSE what they wanted to learn!

We had 10 clients join us on their day off from work, and here is what we worked on:

...fun updos

...the proper blow out

...curling techniques (for short and super long hair)

...converting frizzy curls into sexy Sarah Jessica Parker Boticelli ringlets

And we had some serious FUN!

We had styling products, hairdryers, diffusers (for those curly girls out there), salon quality curling irons, flat irons, brushes, teasing combs, and pretty much anything else you could think of to make styling much more enjoyable.

The $25 went towards the tools/products she needed at home to achieve the look...clever!

Also, each client went home with a personalized note (like a sticky post-it) listing the products and tools that were needed and a step-by-step guide on how to recreate the style.

You know how we always brag about Snap! Photography? Well, Mariah (a Snap! girl) has a beautiful 7 year old daughter named Vianne that loves all things hair related. She can even braid--remember, she's 7! I see a future New Leaf-ette in the making...

Mariah brought Vianne so I could teach her a few of our fun updo tricks.

Here is Mariah honing her skills...

And making fun of the 'serious' hairdresser face in the mirror..which was hard to do because we were laughing so hard.

She looks like a hairdresser, not a photographer, right?

In celebration of lists (because I am a crazy list-maker...thanks, Dad!), here are the top 5 'tips' clients took home on Monday that I thought needed to be shared:

1. Backcombing (or teasing) is a lost art. A little backcombing in the crown area (with a rat tail comb) makes a boring ponytail party ready. If your fine hair looks great after a blow out for 1 hour, then falls flat...backcomb!

2. Section your hair in 3 parts when blow drying. The extra 30 seconds it takes to section actually saves time and the blow dry comes out smoother.

3. To make beachy (not prom) waves in your hair, use a 1 inch Hot Tools curling iron and leave the ends out of the iron. You want your hair to look haphazard, like you weren't even trying.

4. For naturally curly girls, never, NEVER wrap your hair in a towel after the shower. After using DevaCurl's Low Poo and One Condition, squeeze out the excess water with your hands and apply Deva Curl's AnGel while hair is still wet. Scrunch with a microfiber towel. Why? As soon as your curls start to dry without product, that's when frizz forms. Product needs to be applied as SOON as you get out of the shower.

5. Professional styling products please. This is not for hairdresser's health, it's for our sanity. Women invest quite a bit of their hard earned paychecks on their highlights, color, glazes and then wash it right down the drain with drugstore shampoos (I shall not name names...except that we recommend drugstore shampoo when the color is too dark...coincidence? I think not.)

When you think about salon products as insurance to protect your color investment, the cost is not that much. PLEASE invest in a great shampoo and conditioner. Ask your stylist for advice.

This day was not just about the clients learning things. I learned why my photos (I am a closet wanna-be photographer, but stink at taking photos) look awful. LIGHTING! Mariah taught me a little trick that I MUST share with you...

Here is Vianne's braided bun 'do WITHOUT PROPER LIGHTING & TOO MUCH FLASH...

...and WITH PROPER LIGHTING WITHOUT FLASH.

Secret photographer trick: Turn off your flash. Stand with your back against the natural light, so your subject is facing into the light.

Snap away (bad pun.)

This was Mariah's handy work with our camera...quite different from mine but I get it now!

Thanks to everyone who joined in on the fun for our 1st Style 101 Event! Everyone was asking if we are going to do it again, so we'll be hosting another one...date to be determined. We'll keep you posted!

Hottest Hands in Hollywood

Straight from the streets of L.A., the trendiest nails in Hollywood are Kim Kardashian's....she is rocking the 'matte manicure' and in the words of her BFF, Paris Hilton...it's hot.

If you look down at your hands and evaluate your nail 'situation', hopefully you are not in utter dismay .

Winter hands are often dry, chapped, and cracked. Cuticles are peeling, and sometimes even bleeding. Ouch!

Guilty as charged. Currently, my cuticles are nothing to be proud of which is why I am hiding my hands from Nicole, Cynthia and Mary, our lovely nail technicians.

~

It's just so hard to keep them looking great this time of year. That's where our nail technicians come in...Here are some thoughts from Nicole, who has been a manicurist for almost 10 years.

Hi there, it's Nicole! Glamour magazine's January issue featured Kim Kardashian, star of Keeping up with the Kardashians. Whether you love or hate her, know who she is or not (try Googling her, but not at work because you could get in trouble:o), she is a fashionista.

So here is the 'matte manicure'...

This mani features OPI's Midnight in Moscow (or any Essie, OPI, or butter London dark polish that you love) as your first coat. Then top that with Essie's Matte About You.

Secret alert: The trick is to finish the manicure with OPI's Top Coat on just the tips!

Now it's time for me to recommend one of the best hand creams in the biz...

butter London's Hand & Nail Creme-Green Tea

It is incredible--the power of this Green Tea Hand & Nail Creme is its natural antioxidants to help stimulate blood flow and promote the growth of new skin cells.

Butter London hand and nail cremes contain high levels of Vitamins A, E & D for ultimate hydration and free radical defense.

"Brilliantly butter. Totally London."

Love it. Thanks Nicole! I will not hide my hands anymore...they are all yours!

~

Are you a Facebook fan of New Leaf? If not, become one.

If you are, you can book a manicure and pedicure for $40 (saving you $18!) ONLINE for the month of January. Just enter the word FACEBOOK when you book online.

To become a Facebook fan...click here.

To book any New Leaf appointments online, click here.

You must be a fan to receive this promo...and a different one each week:o)

Sparkles & Snowflakes

We heart winter weddings.

Is there anything more magical and festive than a winter wedding? I think not.

Fur stoles, sparkly white lights, snow on the ground, the scent of pine in the air--what isn't to love?

Linsday Newall, our Boston bride, felt the same way.

Don't you wish Christmas was here all over again?

Okay, okay...maybe Christmas without all the insanity...just the magical part.

Lindsay, another incredibly sweet bride, chose Newport's Oceancliff...but of course. She almost had us travel to Newport, but after hanging out in the bridal lounge during her trial, she decided to take her girls on a wedding day field trip.

Smart.

Sometimes, it's just nice to escape all the bustle that is your wedding day.

Leah creating an amazing updo for Lindsay...

Pay no attention to the lurking 'photo nazi' in the background...that is what I call myself with brides in the house. Let's face it, without photos, it's a pretty boring blog!

Pam pinning away...

Pam prepping away...

Now, just how cute is Lindsay's mom? She must be the lady Lindsay gets all her nice-ness from...

She is sporting the signature New Leaf Towel Wrap...which happens right after our signature uber-relaxing scalp massage! You must experience it to believe it.

Lindsay and her mom...minus the towel turban:o)

We had to show you how beauty runs in the Newall family.

Leah puts on her finishing touches...

Lindsay and her girls head back to Newport where they meet up with some real photographers, not just the wanna-be kind(me). I will stick to my day job.

I have said it before, and I will say it again, we are in awe of the Snap! girls...

Check out this shot of Lindsay adjusting her veil...

Classic.

Lindsay exuding her angelic-like personality...isn't the lighting just insane?

Lindsay and her girls...

This image just checked a few marks in the 'pro' column on whether or not to wear a veil...

Don't you just love how you can still see Leah's work of art through the veil?

Lindsay also had a gorgeous snowflake motif throughout her wedding.

Fun (useless) fact: I have an obsession with snowflakes. Oh, and white starfish...that one is pretty major. Ask my husband.

Winter. Wonder. Land.

In love with these images?

You MUST check out the rest of Lindsay's wedding on Snap!'s blog.

Thank you Lindsay...you were another dream bride at New Leaf. You were a wonderful way to finish out our wedding season/year.

We are so lucky our New Leaf brides are so lovely...Stay tuned for 2010!

New Year, New Look

Hopefully everyone had a wonderful holiday...are you ready for 2010? What happened to the decade?!?

In the spirit of the New Year, this blog is dedicated to changing your look.

It's so much easier than you think...just some make-up and important styling products and a few tips just in time for your New Year's Eve celebration!

These photos of stylist Leah Carlson are from our recent photo shoot with our friends at Snap! Photography. All hair and make-up descriptions include a few of the key products used to achieve the looks.

Leah did her own hair and make-up because, well, she can.

Look #1...Fresh and natural

Hair: Kerastase Oleo-Relax serum & Bumble and bumble Does It All hairspray

Make-up: Smashbox Halo Perfecting Powder, Smashbox Photofinish and Cargo blu ray High-Definition mascara

Look #2...Marilyn-esque

Hair: Bumble & bumble Styling Creme and Spray de Mode hairspray (and some hot rollers)

Make-up: Smashbox Camera Ready Full Coverage Foundation, Jet Set liner in black and Smashbox 'Legendary' lipstick...appropriate name when channeling a legendary actress!

Look #3...Rockstar and totally hot

Hair: Bumble & bumble Surf Spray and Classic hairspray

Make-up: Cargo Texas Lash, Cargo Big Bronzer and Smashbox eyeshadow Trio in 'Twilight' and some individual lashes...hey, we can't all be so lucky!

It's Allie! You might recognize her from the front desk/assistant role here at New Leaf...

Allie's 'Everyday' look:

Hair by Courtney Libby: Moroccan Oil and B & b Spray de Mode hairspray

Make-up by Amy Gonyea: Smashbox Halo Perfecting Powder and Cargo Reverse Lip Liner with Cargo 'Vermont' lip gloss

Allie's 'Party' look...

Hair by Courtney Libby: Lots of B & b Classic hairspray, some teasing and a fancy headband

Make-up by Amy Gonyea: Cargo Essential Eyeshadow Palette in Warm/Natural and a few individual lashes

Ashley's bohemian style...

Hair by Ashley Vierra: Kerastase Double Force hairspray and Lumiere Nutri-sculpt and a 1-inch barrel curling iron

Make-up by Amy Gonyea: Cargo Big Bronzer and Smashbox Eye Brightener

Hair by Ashley Vierra:B &b Blondish Hair Powder, Classic hairspray, a teasing comb, and an elastic band

Make-up by Amy Gonyea: Smashbox Eyelights in 'Smokebox' and Smashbox Blush Rush in 'Gingersnap'

It is truly amazing how the same person can look SO different with hair and make-up changes.

Need help?

Come on in and see Amy G. and/or sign up for one of New Leaf's styling classes. Reserve your 30 minute spot with me (Courtney) on January 17th for $25 (good towards recommended styling products). The 30 minute session is devoted to any styling help you need...unruly curls? No problem. Frizzy blow dry? Smooth in minutes. Want to learn how to do Allie's cute headband-ponytail look? Done.

We don't have magic wands, just some serious knowledge that we love to share. Call 401.254.9333 or email us at info@newleafhairstudio.com to book your private styling class!

When One Door is Closed, Another Will Open--the story of New Leaf's holiday party...

So we got a little snow...what of it? Sixteen inches of the powdery white stuff was not enough to keep the New Leaf girls from having a holiday party. Some shoveling, some salt, and we're good.

Apparently, the restaurant (which shall remain nameless, unless you ask us) that we were supposed to have our party at forgot that it was located in New England and that snow happens.

It was closed.

Yes, all 25 of us shoveled ourselves out, got all dressed up in our holiday best, drove to 'the restaurant' to find an empty, PLOWED parking lot...filled only with sad employees looking to have a good time. And no, 'the restaurant' never called to tell us that they were scared of some snow.

After a lot of laughing, phone calls, and text messages...Amy Silva, our resourceful and quick thinking owner, called our favorite local restaurant down the road--Chardonnay's in Seekonk, MA and they were happy to have us.

Hallelujah!

I'll let you in on a little secret...My husband and I were pretty psyched because we are there every Friday night eating the BEST nachos and grilled pizza you will ever try (and I consider myself an expert in both categories).

Here we are...

Amy G., Melanie, Amy, and Heidi

Jenn, little Jamie (Rego), and Yadira

Shaun (Michelle's husband), Pam, Michelle, and Ashley

Shaun, by the way, had the best seat in the house, sitting at the girls table. Well, we thought he was pretty lucky. Maybe he didn't. Maybe he should win my 'best sport of the night' award instead.

Mario, Amy's husband and New Leaf's very own Mr. Fix-It (thanks Mario!) and Jon, Melanie's husband and head chef at Castle Hill in Newport (We could have just had him whip us up something, right?)

Heidi and Courtney (me)

Our other halves--Heidi's Josh and my husband Ryan...

David and Pam

Chris and Danielle

And here come the silly ones...

Danielle: "Michelle, stop touching me."

Michelle: "I'm not touching you. I'm not touching you."

Girls: "Cheers to finding a place to have a party!"

Ashley: "Amy, I don't know if I am going to be at work tomorrow."

Amy: "What?!?"

Ashley has 'men' on the brain and little Jamie has just read her mind...

And finally, the men attempting to get a good shot of the girls...

Attempt#1.

Attempt#2.

Woo-Hoo! Eyes open? Check. Happy faces? Check.

Perfect.

The aftermath of a GREAT New Leaf Holiday...a broken table now missing a leg. Sorry Chardonnay's, we stayed one hour too long.

Thanks to Chardonnay's for taking in some lost little hairdressers and showing them to believe in Christmas miracles. Also, a big thanks to Amy for making it happen and reminding why we love working at New Leaf. xo.

Happy Holidays and to all a GOOD NIGHT!